At the core of EVINSPACEY, Drake has written more of the same energetic, good natured tracks. Ultimately though, it doesn’t leave much to hold on to. The reality is the bulk of the album falls short of offering anything to write home about. It’s rather an album of attempts and near successes. A low key electronic venture, the ace material on EVINSPACEY is found in pieces of the songs, but never as a whole, leaving the rest to fall flat.

Opener “Friendly Float” is a promising start, establishing the intimate boundaries and building a sound that’s big enough to fill a bedroom, but never beyond. From there, however, things get choppy. “Harp Darkness” drags through the last two minutes and “Wave to the Winners” is pessimistic cheese. “Pick Me Out” tries as a party anthem, but doesn’t have the chops for the job. And these problems carry though much of the album, which is unfortunate.

To Drake’s credit, though, the glossy collection is quite modern, and his most eclectic with bigger bass drops, and a wider range of sounds, all soothed by his quiet adolescent vocals. The attempt to impress is felt, but ultimately uninteresting. Drake’s homemade beats remain amateur, as they have been since he ignited Cassettes. But that doesn’t mean everything is totally void of promise. The chorus of “The Night Shines” carries the signature enduring simplicity, with a heavy synth grind that picks the track up. The hook on “Stuck” is quite strong, touting a bouncing analog bleep and break beat. He’s earnestly reaching for an identity, and tracks like these get closer. However, it takes more than a few beats to make a memorable album. Perhaps he’ll learn that soon.

To pay for it all, this year saw an increase in sponsorships. It was tasteful though, and kept to the festival guidebook as not to change the festival’s look. Besides, it can only mean good things when the festival has Four Loko sponsoring the biggest tent, and a hydroponics company for the other tent.

As for the music, Wakarusa’s resident bands – Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9), Dirtfoot, Umphrey’s McGee, and Split Lip Rayfield – returned, and with them a promising smattering of bands from all walks of music. At the top were My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper, Thievery Corporation, and Grace Potter. In the middle though were the equally hopeful Minus the Bear, Mumford & Sons, Ghostland Observatory, and Bassnectar, to name only a few. The rest was a steady helping of dub, noodley jam bands, and electronica of all styles pumping until sun up. I’m still not sure when people slept.

Temperatures reached into the high 90’s, the humidity was uncomfortable and sticky. The much cooler nights helped tremendously though. It also was nice to see that Sunday, normally the day most people choose to leave, was fuller than in years past. This kept the festival alive a little longer. Really though, it was just another gorgeous year atop Mulberry Mountain.

-E.N. May
Senior Staff Writer

Thursday, June 2nd

Dirtfoot – Revival Tent – 1:30 p.m.

There are a number of bands that have become an annual part of Wakarusa over the years, and Dirtfoot owns them all when it comes to participation. This year saw the Shreveport, LA natives performing three sets over the weekend, and just for good measure, they also played each morning at a fan-hosted breakfast nook, called Chompdown on Wilderness St. For Dirtfoot’s second set over the weekend, the band started by debuting a preview of its recently released Live and In Prison DVD. Shot in an actual prison, it’s a mini-movie featuring a live performance inside Louisiana’s Wade Correctional Center.

Together, they played as loud and as hard as they could. The music translated very well from the tent to the main stage, filling the airspace with boisterous riffs and off the wall saxophone lines. The set threw out dirt-stirring punk rock rambles, tying it up with a tight country backbone. To close things out, the gypsy punk anthems got the crowd shouting along with “Break My Bones”, “My Girl”, and “Bad Train Sick”. And to think they did this all weekend.

Minus the Bear – Revival Tent – 5:45 p.m.

For an “out of place pick”, Minus the Bear certainly made themselves at home, complete with a packed Revival Tent giving them much love. Starting with “Knights”, the set started with the hook heavy work of earlier material, working everyone up for the back end of the set that focused on the newer, more melodic material. They also threw in a track from the bands recent free EP. The song translated heavier live, full of the band’s trademark glitchy guitar stops. By the end of the song, Jack Snider and Dave Kusdon were on all fours twisting the feedback into one whirl of an outro. The new work all received some fanfare, and the band ate it up, stating numerous times how excited they were to be on that stage. Maybe they were just being nice, but they certainly didn’t hold anything back.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – Main Stage – 6:15 p.m.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals‘ reputation held strong during its early evening set. Hits like “Ooh La La” came off heavier and dirtier, pushing back the radio-friendly chorus for a real rock show. The biggest highlight came with “Sugar”, which included a quick segue into The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black”, before looping back into “Sugar” for a blown out finish. The band looked sharp in all black. Potter was her usual sexy self, being playful with her band and flirting with the crowd, offering one-liners like, “You know it’s a good show when you got the panties rolling out.” This was just another gig for the band, though, sticking to the formula of staying genuine and looking like they’re having a great time. Here though, they actually were.

Umphrey’s McGee – Main Stage – 10:15 p.m.

Staple of the festival scene (and hosts of their own), Umphrey’s McGee too know how to play to the moment, and this moment saw them as Thursday’s headliner. The thing to note about Umphrey’s is that they come with two types of sets. The rock set for the day shows, and the fusion set for the night shows. With a big production light show in tow, the group went for the jammier blend of big arena rock, mixing in electronic odds and ends. The long extended songs flowed together, with some reprising 10 minutes later. The only exception to that came with the new track “Puppet String”. The song brought out heavy Tom Morello-style riffs with a rattling bass bridge into the verse.

It was the slow burning tracks that brought the bands best Pink Floyd moves, the set hitting all the required points of a modern rock jam show. Umphrey’s is a band built on the live experience, so it makes perfect sense why they now have moved to the headliner status. By midnight, the audience’s collective ears were ringing.

The Shpongletron Experience – Main Stage  - 1:00 a.m.

When a performer brings a show labeled as an “Experience”, the bar is prematurely set high before they even take the stage. With an 18-foot structure to play from, this horned devil head of scaffold and projection screens built anticipation throughout the day as it sat shrouded on the main stage. When show time came, what was delivered was a collection of screen saver visuals and house lights that wasn’t so much an experience, but another Shpongle DJ set on stilts.

That being said, his high energy blend of classic electronic beats and world – Spanish, West African, and Brazilian etc.- rhythms sounded organic in the open air. This was the first year the main stage was used for late night sets, and from 18 feet up, Shpongle sounded great and kept the night hot. Next time, though, bring the band.

Friday, June 3rd

Cornmeal – Revival Tent – 1:30 p.m.

Cornmeal was back this year with another two sets of genre bending New Grass. The early afternoon set was the second for the weekend, and the group opened fast with Mississippi style blue grass. The set was kicked up though when the acoustics turned electric and all tradition went out the door. The fiddle wailed with distorted guitar solos for quite the wild blend before pulling it all in for a rock jam outro. For all the New-Grass bands out there, Cornmeal have found a way to stand far out by being as eclectic as possible with the simple instruments they have. This set only showed further how underrated they are in the scene.

Split Lip Rayfield – Revival Tent – 3:00 p.m.

Friday afternoon in the revival tent was all about the bluegrass, and as the third band in that hard picking line-up, Split Lip Rayfield brought things back to basics – and turned up the speed. The picking and strumming was fast and unrelenting, that gas tank bass adding punk rock ingenuity for an extra thud from the strings against the steel. The harmonies sounded great, and the musicianship kept loose. Nothing out of the ordinary here, just another carefree set.

Lucero – Revival Tent – 6:00 p.m.

Midway through the set, vocalist Ben Nichols admitted he didn’t think Lucero was a festival kind of band. Listening to the set it was easy to see his point as Lucero, in the simplest of terms, is a bar band. They channel Springsteen in the song writing department, turning life into poetry relatable to anyone in a tough spot. What they wouldn’t realize until later was that this kind of music is perfect for the festival setting. What’s more, Lucero carry a southwest twist to the rock they write. This makes their sound much bigger than the chord by chord alt country that is at the base. Along with Nichols’ rock growl and enduring subtle twang, the band sounded great. The set list itself started pre-planned, but was quickly thrown out for fan requests. The entire back half of the set was just that in fact. The crowd was small, but quite loyal, making for one intimate show.

My Morning Jacket – Main Stage  - 10:30 p.m.

It’s difficult to keep coming up with new ways to say just how incredible a My Morning Jacket set is. The reputation that precedes them is in every way true, and has been hyped appropriately. The set this past Friday was no exception as the band showed that they are a worthy headliner, and not just the undercard anymore. It’s about time, too.

Opening with “Victory Dance”, the band launched into the first two tracks from their latest LP, Circuital. They made sure to mix in older favorites as well, hitting “I’m Amazed” early on. The tried and true material was jammed out into extended versions; in fact, Patrick Hallahan shined bright here, as he massacred his drumset during a few solos. However, despite a few far reaching addition, it was the new album that took over the set. New single “Holdin’ on the Black Metal” arrived early on, “Outta My System” and “Circuital” could have filled a stadium, the songs translating even better live, and “First Light” blasted into a prog-rock freak show to close it out in a monumental way.

MMJ is a band that has grown with the festival scene, so all of its material is meant for the big open air stage. It was psychedelic, ethereal, and rocked hard for a full two hours. The thing is, with the way the audience and the band were feeling, they could have played for another hour easily. Satisfying is the key word here, and what more could there be for a headlining set?

Bassnectar – Main Stage  - 1:00 a.m.

With MMJ going over the set time by 30 minutes, the rest of the night would be pushed back. It was a minor detail though and one that no one seemed to mind. Besides, this was one of the more anticipated late night sets of the weekend, and by the time Lorin Ashton came out, the field was filled like he was a headliner in his own right. These days, Bassnectar is much too big for the dance tent, as it seemed the entire festival had shown up to see the set. Ashton also noticed the sea of neon, and with an opening Wu-Tang sample, the hour-and-a-half of womping bass was on.

For those who haven’t seen Ashton, his set is a mix of match ups and samples with unrelenting bass beats behind them. He uses hip-hop just as much as he uses rock, and loves to throw around some Nirvana. Every time the beat would drop, glow sticks would fly, and the neon party hit its peak. The energy was as persistent as the humidity, so when the set ended, Ashton had to come out for a quick encore, just to say goodbye to his biggest show to date – according to him.

Ghostland Observatory – Main Stage – 3:00 a.m.

This would be the latest set the main stage would see all weekend. By this point in the night, the audience had spread out to the several other late night shows going on, leaving a much smaller audience for Ghostland Observatory. No matter, though, as the Austin duo brought out all the tricks to lead the festival into the pre-dawn hours. They too are coming off a somewhat new, much more club-influenced album. The set was perfectly suited for the vibe of Wakarusa’s late night, and this band is made for only one time of the day anyhow. Lasers poured into the sky as Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner pulsed out a heavy dose of glamtronica. Behrens was a wild man on stage, popping in and out of the fog and lights to thrust around and hype the crowd with his wild vocals. While most of the set stuck to the pure electronic material, they did bring out the old goodies, and the guitar for the punchy songs that got them noticed in the first place. Ghostland too has become a live force recently, pulling all the production punches so tracks like “Sad Sad City” can be a visual and audio trip. It was with out a doubt one of the best late night sets all weekend.

Saturday, June 4th

MarchFourth Marching Band – Revival Tent – 4:30 p.m.

Wakarusa has a thing for variety acts. One sneaks in every year and surprises an afternoon crowd looking for shade in the big tent. This past Saturday the festival brought in the punk vaudeville troop MarchFourth Marching Band, for an hour-and-a-half’s worth of big brass funk and ska. Part of the vaudeville came in the form of dancers on stilts hyping the crowd and showing off some impressive acrobatics. The other was in the from of a little burlesque. They had the marching band look, 13 pieces, and the big hats, flags, and dance routines. It was easy and entertaining; altogether, text book funk and west coast ska. Band geeks eat your heart out.

Mumford & Sons – Main Stage – 6:00 p.m.

As the latest “break out” band to be driving in its debut, Mumford & Sons 15 minutes remain in full swing. Coming out in the heat of the day to a swelling crowd, the latest folk heroes played right through their acclaimed LP, Sigh No More. The Celtic bluegrass ballads sounded straight from the album, though they turned up sections for the sake of the live show. People ate it up, sang along, and screamed with the first notes of “Winter Winds” and “Little Lion Heart”. It was a hot dusty mess with all the dancing, and the band relished in it. Two new songs were debuted, as well. “Below My Feet” used the standard Mumford equation of quiet intro into revelry of strums. The other, “Lover of Light”, ventured into Dave Mathews territory, sounding more like an acoustic pop song. The band is embracing this mainstream success full heartedly, and with a show like this, its 15 minutes will be on for quite a while longer.

Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 – Main Stage – 8:00 p.m.

Ben Harper, in any form, really works best in the festival setting. His tunes are easy going, socially conscious rock. Insert agreeable positive political statements and you have it in a nutshell. As for the Relentless 7, this is Harper’s true to form rock band. Festival anthem “Burn One Down” opened the show, which, with the haze over the crowd, was very appropriate. From there it was two hours of middle of the road rock, with a few solo acoustic throw backs to Harpers earlier material. The good thing about Harper is the size of his catalogue, and his musicianship. When he lets it fly, it makes for some quality moments. For this band, and this set, it came in the form an electric steel slide. After a glitch in the sound (it went completely down for a quick minute), the band punched back with a solid cover of the CSNY staple, “Ohio”.

Playing as the sun went down made Harper’s set the perfect time to relax. He’s a charismatic, humble musician who connects with the crowd (gave a shout out to the Razor Backs) and does his job right. In all, Harper with The Relentless 7 provided the pre-game.

Thievery Corporation – Main Stage – 10:30 p.m.

As U.S. ambassadors for world beat electronic music, Thievery Corporation’s showcase is quite the spectacle. With its rotating cast of vocalists and full live band, the gamut of world sound was covered. While Rob Garza and Eric Hilton sit at the top of Thievery, the live experience is very much so a band effort. The songs have been deconstructed and assembled for the show, improvising and forming each song into its own familiar but new experience.

Opening with a bouncy sitar, the introduction wove its way right into “Lebanese Blonde”. The South Asian styles created a very mellow atmosphere to start out with, but the funk-dub fusion that came next is what set off the set with “Radio Retaliation” and “38-35” making the cut. There is the activist side to the duo, which came out on the anti-IMF “Vampires”. Bottom line: The show was fantastically eclectic, and a perfect way to kick off the last full night of music.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 – Revival Tent – 12:30 a.m.

Wakarusa wouldn’t be the same without STS9 holding down at least one late night slot. This year there were two STS9 sets, an evening one on Friday, and this, the late night set in the Revival Tent. First off, a band this big shouldn’t be in a tent. The surrounding space outside the tent was just as congested as the space inside, and it should have been on the main stage. That’s why the festival organizers kept it running later this year, right? Oh well, though, because the night went off, and it was easily the best of the band’s sets that weekend.

Bassist David Murphy has only recently come back from cancer treatment. The fact that he’s back on tour playing like the day he left is unbelievable. On stage, he looked great – fatigued, but ecstatic with the swelling reception in front of him. STS9 came out playing the heavy club-ready material, packing a heavier wallop in the beat between the signature spacy guitars and breakneck drumming. Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic came out to lay down a sax line over some steady synth lines for a quick jam, making for a killer collaboration. Given the two are cut from the same cloth, it was a wild few minutes of hot saxophone over a wall of drum and bass. It made a huge impact on the weekend. When STS9 are on, they really turn on, and this was a set for the books.

Big Gigantic – Outpost Tent – 2:30 a.m.

Watching a band grow at a festival is an exciting thing. Big Gigantic have, up until this year, been only a hidden gem in the line-ups of festivals all over the country. This year that’s all changing however as the livetronica sound (samples/DJ with live drums) has taken off. This left the small Outpost Tent feeling extra tight as all weekend the hype was swirling about the set. With tons of new material out, there was plenty to get to in the set. Remixes and re-worked older tracks were slipped seamlessly in as every beat drop drew a roar from the bouncing crowd. For just about two hours, the energy never dropped. Thick layers of bass were smoothed out by Lalli’s saxophone, using it to reprise songs throughout the set, and bring home the remixes. The story here is with the newer material however. It’s a welcome step up in Big Gigantic’s game as they’ve fully embraced the audience’s love for thicker and more sustained bass drops. The band spent more time on the samples making the new material forward and fresh, and it worked. The crowd ate it up, and Big Gigantic far surpassed the hype.

Sunday, June 5th

The Stone Foxes – Outpost Tent – 3:30 p.m.

The rock scene at Wakarusa is a sneaky one and it likes to hide early on Sundays. San Francisco’s seventies rock loyalists The Stone Foxes brought out a storm of overdriven blues rock to a mostly vacant Outpost Tent. It may sound like a sad sight, but the band didn’t seem to care as it felt more like a garage show than a festival set. They joked with the 50 people huddled in the front, and it was an intimate treat for everyone. The guitar wailed like Jack White giving psychedelic break downs and solid loud riffs. There’s nothing new about what The Stone Foxes are doing, but they can play, and play hard.

Zoogma – Outpost Tent – 8:30 p.m.

The winner of band with most flyer litter goes to Zoogma. Signs and posters reading, “What the fuck is Zoogma?”, could be found on posts in the camp sites, and on the grass in lieu to the festival. Why not though, the still mostly unknown band was playing two sets this weekend. It was Sunday’s set however that got the biggest reception. Zoogma is a young band in the electronic jam scene, taking all its cues from its predecessors like STS9. While the band members are obviously very talented, they have yet to find a niche, but it’s certainly being worked on. The choice in synth beats helps, going for an 80’s pop feel in the hooks and synth tones. Those made the biggest impact, and filled one last need for a sound that’s taken over the jam scene, and Wakarusa for that matter.

Ozomatli – Revival Tent – 10:00 p.m.

With the majority of the people headed to get a last fix of bass elsewhere, a thin crowd stuck around for Ozomatli’s second set as defacto Sunday headliner. One more time they brought out the world beats and conscious rhymes. The mix of Latin, reggae, and hip-hop is always a safe bet. Throw in uplifting social messages and you have something everyone can agree with. It provided a nice alternative for the overheated electronic sets as more people trickled in over the hour or so. The energy was there, and Justin Poree got a cheer for having just been bailed out of jail from the night before. Getting arrested during a festival? Now that’s rock and roll.

That aside, the set took the festival into one more late night, and for those who stuck around, it provided yet another close up encounter with a relatively big band. The last of the fireworks were shot off (not official festival fireworks, just the work of fans with good timing), and so went another Wakarusa.

In many ways, the album represents the band in a midlife crisis: the return of Pat Smear, the use of analog tape, and recording in a garage. It comes across as a general effort to get rid of the excesses of 2007′s Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace and 2005′s In Your Honor. So much of this story begins to sound a bit gimmicky: a return to the band’s roots in a DIY fashion with appearances from old friends, while quietly keeping the record label in the background. But really, it isn’t a gimmick at all. Foo Fighters are at the top of their game and got there in a no-bullshit way, so there wouldn’t be a point or need for that kind of facade. How do we know? Because even at the top, Dave Grohl really just wants to scream his balls off.

Looking back, the last two Foo albums were as grandiose as you could get, what with an eight-piece touring band, dramatic stringed song intros, and a soft rock acoustic record. That was a world away from the Foo Fighters of 1995, and yet that’s exactly what propelled them to be one of the few remaining arena rock bands left. Having that natural ability to make bombastic rockers and melodic, modern tracks actually good is not an easy feat, and yet Grohl and company make it so.

When it comes to the sound of Wasting Light, even with the return of Pat Smear, not too much has changed. Foo Fighters are still the same band making the same kind of rock. What they have done, however, is taken the heaviest and hookiest material from the past decade and condensed it into one album. Wasting Light has cornered the kind of ideas that make up the best of the band’s catalog in an earnest attempt to go as big as possible, while staying relatively grounded.

The album spreads this out though, which makes for a solid listen all the way through. Hooky and heavy as hell was the intention here, and it makes for some of the more quality rock moments heard in recent memory. Album opener “Burning Bridges” catches attention spans real quick. After the dust settles, the chorus levels the track out with harmonies, which eases the wall of guitars. This kind of material is radio rock gold, but it’s never cheap.

All that time with Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister pays off on “White Limo”, the band’s ballsiest track since “Watershed” off their debut record. Hair-raising screams that could only come from Grohl are laid on thick as chords are hammered out loud and furious. Beyond that, retro harmonies and hooks are highlighted by big melodic choruses; “Rope” being a prime example. Hawkins and Grohl’s harmonies with overdriven 90’s alternative guitars make for one of the catchier tracks on the record. The breakdown with the guitar solo finish keeps it in classic Foo form, too.

One thing to take note of is that, uncharacteristically, there’s not one ballad to be found on this record, which is a first in a long time for the band. “I Should Have Known” does get close to ballad territory, strings and all, but the dense bass kicks into gear, thanks to Krist Novoselic, for the last minute of the track, making it memorable, and saving it from getting too cheesy.

On the whole, Wasting Light stays true to its word, sticking heavily to the melodic rockers that Foo Fighters can’t get enough of. “These Days” and the Bob Mould-featuring “Dear Rosemary” remind listeners that the Foos still enjoy radio play and top-40 status with big melodic riffs. “Back and Forth” is as catchy as a Foo track gets with a throwback to Nirvana on the pre-chorus segment before the sing-along chorus kicks in. This formula, to be rough but safe, has been a mantra for Foo Fighters since There Is Nothing Left to Lose. This has resulted in some of the redundancy that occurs in their music. The redundancies on Wasting Light do not equate to filler by any means, though, as proven by “Walk” and “Miss the Misery”, the latter building up for Grohl’s screaming finale as he belts, “I never want to die.”

The truth is that consistency is a way of life for Foo, giving us a kind of modern rock that’s tangible, agreeable, and, most importantly, genuine to the band. On this, their seventh LP, the band has musically plateaued in their sound, only they keep climbing to bigger and better places, simply because they continue to hone in on what has made it work over the years. To date, the Foo Fighters have never tried to reinvent the wheel, per se; they just want to keep it rolling. And that’s just what Wasting Light does. For that purpose, Foo Fighters give us a solid record from open to close. The drought is over. Rock is back.

Feature artwork by Cap Blackard.

New York’s own experimentalists Parts & Labor have come a long way since its humble instrumental beginnings. Over the past seven albums, they’ve endured the classic struggles, having shuffled through band members, fought to keep the band going, and released solo albums in the downtime. And through all that, Parts & Labor has made it to see another album release and one that’s worth getting excited about at that. On this latest venture, Constant Future, the band continues to move past the noise-for-the-sake-of-noise punk rock of its past six albums and focuses, instead, on the songwriting, giving us its stamp on pop rock. What it translates to is a New Wave-inspired post-rock that ultimately wins.

With opener “Fake Names”, this latest effort continues where the band’s previous album, Receivers, left off. The songs have the same buildup patterns coupled with exciting, unrelenting compositions as heard on “Outnumbered”. Through the course of 12 tracks, the album moves the band forward in its stylistic niche, doing well to blend the band’s past and present. Yes, that present is more accessible, but that in no way means watered down. Quite the contrary, in fact, as the double bass drum pound on “Bright White” proves.

What’s different is that the thought process for the tracks is skewed towards the structure and what is possible when you alter the punk rock to just rock. “Rest” takes quite the modern rock approach, simplifying the drums and leading with harmonies and squealing guitar hooks. The electronics sparkle on “Skin and Bones” and blend into the guitars as they step down on “Echo Chamber”. “Constant Future” keeps a level head as it drives to its point, staying steady, mostly leaving the bleeps behind for a basic, hard-hitting sound. All these shifts are worked in gracefully, making them comfortable and at home with the rest of the band’s work as a whole.

Constant Future, start to finish, is as flawless as a Parts & Labor album can get, giving what was expected and then some. The level of consistency this band has had since 2007’s Mapmaker doesn’t wane in the presence of what’s new. Consistency is not their enemy nor has it ever been, because every track here works hard to stand out while at the same time stand together to make a concrete album. Quality from end to end is a rarity for any band, and Parts & Labor have pulled it off.

Each of The Builders’ albums thus far has taken on a different folk theme. This one is distinctly Southern Americana, picking up a Delta blues-inspired country as the backing to a loosely Katrina-like flood story. Intense subject matter, yes, but it’s what this band does best. The Builders write adventure stories with literary notions filling out the lyrics, and apropos acoustics backing it all up. The disc includes a reluctant protagonist with a pessimistic, but realist perspective, a helpless town, and the forces of good and evil battling it out, with sometimes not-so-happy endings for the people trapped in the middle.

Musically, Dead Reckoning pulls back on the grandeur of previous albums, leaving only the basic acoustic elements. The organs, strings, and horns are left at a minimum, always in the back of the song, letting those strong vocals, guitars, and kick drum take care of raising the hairs. This creates a presence that makes the music feel close, as if it were done in one take, with no apparent production work. The vocals hang as if Ryan Sollee is right there with you, the music excelling by the pure virtue of its naturally loud and furious pace.

This also makes the stories more approachable, more believable, like folk tales used to be, with fascinating characters and tragic heroes. Not many bands can create absorbing stories like these, as Sollee delivers heavy hitting lines like “The levee’s underwater, the ocean starts to scream.” That one in particular comes on “All Away”, a softly plucked track that details an impeding doom. “Rotten to the Core” takes a Dylan-esque country approach, adding sharp social jabs into the story line. The addition of organ makes for the band’s busiest track to date.  “It Came From the Sea”, a mandolin-led sailors’ ode, and the following “Lullaby”, a suspenseful, bleak flood story, both add their own levels of emotion, with string-breaking strums added to build the suspense and chaos. And this is only half of the story, all before our protagonist attempts to save those who are yet alive on “Out of the Mountain”.

Standing out, the last couple of tracks step up the production level by bringing in electric guitars and bringing the pianos forward, creating something quite modern. It’s a perspective that’s new for the band, and one that wouldn’t be too bad on its own. Those tracks are a departure from the rest of the record, the organ on “Family Tree” bringing on a Band-like gospel feel. It’s an excellent way to close the record, and get the listener out of the dark place they were left in thanks to all of that death and destruction.

The Builders and the Butchers are highly underrated, and, in a perfect world, Dead Reckoning will squash that fact. The group’s albums keep getting better, the content distinctively creative, with quality to lean on from end to end. Beyond the elaborate prose, the songs are outstanding and full of an energy that combines careful technique with rousing jams. Dead Reckoning is a unique and wild experience, one that’s not to be passed up.

Not Yet is a full-on assault of punk rock grooves that’s meant to perpetuate what we already knew about the band, giving more fuel to their bone-breaking live shows. Much of Not Yet parallels their previous work, providing quick-fire tracks slapped together in early hardcore fashion with a well-worn dose of rock ‘n’ roll akin to a new leather jacket on a sweaty back.

For the most part, the songs intentionally run into each other. Ami Shalev’s half-sing, half-yell is the signature sound, giving the same throat-straining notes throughout. Adding a constant punching beat along with it, the rest is left to the loud sloppy guitars that tear up the album with sonic riffs and screeching solos. It sounds as though it was recorded in a squat house, and in a single take at that. This was the appeal of the band in the first place, an unmatched rawness that’s rarely heard nowadays, even with the lo-fi take-over of indie rock.

Amongst all the bombardment, Not Yet gives us rock to not only dance to, but also throw up some fists for. “Before I Pass” tames the beast with catchy riffs, a quick fret exchange in between chunky chords showing there’s real talent behind the noise. It cruises right into “Blind Again” for yet another hip shaker. Punk speed is thrown in with the drums, creating a level of chaos in every other measure.

Going slightly beyond that, “Late Night” hits a bar rock stride as they pick up a bit more in the melody for good measure. The guitar work takes on a 90’s alt rock flair, adding something extra to the mix that doesn’t necessarily aim to get us all riled up, and, after five minutes, it doesn’t feel like enough. After all that, the album ends as it started on “I’ve Never Died”: with guitars, drums, and Shalev in full force, getting one more mosh pit going before signing off.

The key to Not Yet is that it throws back to an era of So-Cal punk rock that could deliver a killer melody and still be uncompromising in its core. Tracks like “Fun Fun Fun” and “Give Me More” embody that ideal perfectly, almost like a tribute to Henry Rollins. Unfortunately, such a good time means these songs feel too short, the best of them leaving that desire for more.

This new record is nothing surprising. It’s everything that you’d expect. Right out of the gate, the message is clear: It is who it is, giving us a band, and an album, full of confidence and bruises. Yet by just being who it is, the music works, and, rightfully so, doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. The formula they use, while in reality not their own, has already been proven countless times, so there’s no need to mess with it. This band is yet another paragraph in the big book of punk rock, and this album makes sure the paragraph is, at the very least, highlighted.

But what about the wonder drummers, the ones who defy the above point by becoming just as essential as the front person or lead guitarist? The most obvious are John Bonham and Keith Moon, as they both helped create their respective bands’ unmistakable identity, so much so that when they died, so did those bands. Look closer and one can find that there have been a few that have since carried equal weight in their bands and are still going strong. For an example of this, I give you, the mighty Matt Cameron.

Cameron is a legend in the world of alternative rock. Not only was he a grunge pioneer in the late eighties, he has also gone on to become one of the most sought-after rock drummers to date, with honorable mentions and song credits that can be found almost everywhere in modern rock. He’s written for the Smashing Pumpkins, was the force behind the rise of Soundgarden, and was a part of Temple of the Dog. He even helped give Queens of the Stone Age its start, playing on their debut EP, and sitting in for their first ever show. And since 1998, Cameron has called Pearl Jam his home while also sitting in on numerous side projects, including the bands Hater, Wellwater, and Conspiracy, to name only a few. He’s built quite the resume and managed to perplex, challenge, and push every band he’s touched beyond its pre-conceived limits. What would you expect when you put a jazz drummer behind a rock band?

But before all that, he had to start somewhere. Hailing from San Diego, Cameron spent his teen years playing in high school rock bands. His first break into the national scene was with a spot on the soundtrack for none other than the 1978 cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, with his track, “Puberty Love”.

In 1983, Cameron moved to Seattle, Washington to pursue rock. Working with a string of hardcore (and what we now call early grunge) bands, he would build himself to be somewhat of a local star. This notoriety would again get a boost with the band Skin Yard, a band often credited with stirring up the grunge movement in the first place. His career with Skin Yard only got to its self-titled debut before a desperate, early incarnation of Soundgarden was looking for a drummer to replace Scott Sundquist, and reached out to Cameron.

Cameron had the unique ability to make odd time signatures sound traditional, giving Cornell and company real challenges to work with, as they built their songs around Cameron’s curious kitwork. Tracks like “Jesus Christ Pose” (off of Soundgarden’s third album, Badmotorfinger) show this perfectly, as Cameron pounds out an onslaught of avant-metal rhythms. To his credit, Cameron would go on to pen over a dozen tracks with the band, some that would turn out to be the heaviest, most driving material they would release.

Like all good things, this came to an end in 1997, when Soundgarden disbanded, leaving Cameron a free man, but that wouldn’t last for long. A mere one year later, old friend Eddie Vedder was stranded without a drummer, right before Pearl Jam’s Yield tour was to take off. Pearl Jam’s then-drummer, Jack Irons, split for personal reasons (he allegedly hated touring, and couldn’t handle the demanding, long sets) after a string of dates in Hawaii. Vedder was quick to court Cameron. The original deal was a temporary one, but Cameron joined the band full time shortly, and has been with them ever since.

Vedder had always been inspired and in awe of what Cameron could do, and when they started writing together, it pushed Pearl Jam in ways Vedder couldn’t have imagined. Vedder’s feelings are expressed quite perfectly in the liner notes of the 2003 Lost Dogs compilation, boasting that “Matt Cameron writes songs and we run to find the stools in order to reach his level. What comes naturally to him leaves us with our heads cocked like the confused dogs that we are eventually getting it. Did we mention he’s the greatest drummer on the planet?”

While Moon and Bonham built their bands up, rising from the bars to the stadiums, Cameron gave life to one, and reinvigorated another of rock’s most illustrious acts. By also contributing to countless others in the process, his work has made him the most sought after drummer in the past 20 years. Go see a Pearl Jam show, wait for one of the many inevitable solos, and you’ll see why. Vedder was right in his 2003 statement; No one touches Cameron.

Raised by a jazz-turned-classical guitarist mother and jazz trumpet composer father, Sokol’s parents had mastered those respective forms and tried diligently to pass them along to their daughter. Unfortunately for them, Sokol discovered The Beatles.

Sokol has been a musician basically all her life. Her parents credit her with her first song at the tender age of three, and she won a vocal composition contest at 10. It was obvious early on that Sokol’s life would be guided by sound. She received a degree in music therapy and, to make the rent, chose a side career in her field, mostly working with children. “I can put down a kids song in 10 seconds, and it can be catchy and kids love it,” she says. Since transplanting herself to Manhattan, though, her practical side has taken a back seat. She has finally found a place to work out her real ambitions, finishing her debut album, Landfill, this past spring, which was two years in the making.

For the first part of her life, she tried to stay true to her jazz routes. In college, she was part of jazz ensembles as she studied with the intention of being a studio musician, but something just didn’t feel right. She explains, “I really tried to hang on and be a jazz singer for a while, and it just did not work out.” It wasn’t until after college that she had the revelation that making pop-based music could be a good idea after all and that she wasn’t half bad at it either.

The Beatles may have been the spark, but it was Regina Spektor that lit the fire. With Spektor’s influence, Sokol is avoiding being just another guitar-only singer-songwriter, because, to her, it’s become a bit too cliché. “I felt there was nothing between Kelly Clarkson and Joni Mitchell or Ani Difranco,” she says. “There are tons of feelings and acoustic guitar, or super pop power music, but Regina was just everywhere, and I felt like my mind was blown.”

Sokol also credits Fiona Apple in that original revelation, but more recently, players like Sufjan Stevens and The Dodos have become sources for her creativity, especially on Landfill. With muses like those, Sokol’s music can be quite dynamic. Sokol craves sound and lots of it. On her debut, pianos, trumpets, strings, and layers of guitar make up a deceptively cheerful vibe. Her classically trained voice is sturdy, giving a sense of realism to her words. Being so well-trained in music from an early age has made her a very picky writer and one that never settles for what’s easy.

She admits it’s a bit strange, but of all the things to influence her, it’s the anger that religion and politics creates between people that drives her writing. “The way that people argue about politics and religion makes me want to write a lot,” she explains. “I’m very anti-politics.” She also finds doomsdayers to be just as ridiculous, so while the songs may be upbeat and well-crafted, there’s much frustration behind them. “I’m never inspired to write unless I’m upset, confused, or angry. When I’m happy, I just never feel like writing.”

Going deeper into her debut, Landfill hides the negativity quite well. “Pentameter” is littered with handclaps and a Spanish-influenced horn section making for the most proficient moment on the album. Strings pull the same wall of sound trick on the slowed down “Coffee Shop Scene”, showing that all the right ideas are in place. The piano-based “This Heart’s Mostly Filler” is one of the bolder tracks, her flawless voice coming out in full form before the strings and drums start up. She wears Spektor quite openly on her sleeve, and it sounds marvelous.

It’s been seven months since Landfill, and in that time Sokol has recorded enough demos to make a new record. She has also started to play a few shows around New York City, but the intention is to do a proper tour in the near future with her band. An EP is also in the works, so come next spring you may just hear a whole lot more of Sokol.

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While most of their grunge peers have moved on (one just now getting back together), Pearl Jam has continued to produce music and tour the hell out of the country, making them the last relic from that movement to still be doing so, and quite successfully at that. Records aside, it’s really their live show that’s been the reason they’ve been able to build and sustain the loyal legion of fans, who, like those of Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, and what ever form Grateful Dead are in, will always turn up and sell out a show. Consequently, the bootlegs and videos of said shows are everywhere, so if you haven’t seen them in person, you can still get a taste of the power of Pearl Jam on stage. A personal recommendation is the epic nine disc Live at the Gorge released in 2007 in which they play just about every song in their catalogue, and then some.

In many ways they’ve become an alt-rock jam band turning out sets that are long and exhilarating giving fans two hours of rock at the very least. One off covers, and 10 minute rendition of classics are just a part of the gig on any given night. They can take requests and break out rarities, for no two set lists are ever the same. Truth is, not many modern rock bands come close this; in fact, you’d be hard pressed to think of any others.

Starting things off way back in 1992, Pearl Jam traveled with Lollapalooza when Ten was still very fresh. Remember, before the fame they were just another rock band, and with a couple thousand watching on, they played like the crowd was 10 times that. That’s the beauty in a Pearl Jam show-that no matter what-the energy never quits. Watching the band in 2010 is no different than in 1992 in that respect, although it helps that Vedder still has the same hair cut and loves to whip around those sweaty locks.

That same year at the Pink Pop festival in Landegraaf, Netherlands they got a taste of a massive audience and the energy on stage mirrors that. The entire band loses it, running around as they kick into a seven and a half minute rendition of “Porch” that just tears apart the audience.

The screaming and headbanging is only one side to the band however, as they have a penchant for amazing covers that will floor you. Already their take on the Dylan come Hendrix “All Along the Watchtower” has made a regular appearance into the set list, but there are scores of others that are just too good to believe. Take this rendition of The Who’s classic “Baba O’ Reilly” from their series of shows at The Gorge Ampetheater. The band turns it into a stripped down alt rock version keeping all the excitement that the song already carries from hearing those first few instantly recognizable notes. That’s what makes their covers work so well, keeping the spirit of the original intact while making it all their own.

What it all comes down to, however, is that they are still kicking ass on stage as they hit the 20- year-mark. Each show is still made personal as they hit every corner of their catalogue leaving no stone (pun intended) unturned. The rarities sound just as clean as the songs that you’ve heard hundreds of times. Even those hits that haven’t left the radio since Ten was released sound new again. That’s the mark of a great live band, the ability to keep every song alive year after year for decades.

Les Sins is the hyped twin of Toro Y Moi. Identical look, but even more ready to party. Lina provides club music in the vein of pre-Tron Daft Punk. With disco samples and sterling beats, it’s a trip back to early millennium dance music, that’s all. Increased tempo aside, the elements that make Bundick’s music haven’t changed much on this project. Les Sins keeps with the softer edges and vibrant tones that Bundick has made his signature. The biggest difference comes with the production in that nothing is washed over. The energy is up, the beat is pulsing, and it’s clean.

The first track, “Lina”, embraces the aforementioned disco sound to the fullest. Hook-heavy, the vocal sample and bass line turn up the funk, making it easily enjoyable. This style has been done a thousand times over already, but it never gets old. “Youth Gone”, on the other hand, is a blend of house and electronica. Bundick plays with the repetition, changing out the melodies and leaving the backing beat unfazed. He brings it in and out, turning it low, so he can build back up.

Conceptually, these tracks are not too far-fetched for Bundick. Listen to “Low Shoulder” or “Lissoms” off Toro Y Moi’s Causers of This, and you can hear a set of energized tracks in tune with what Lina presents. With Les Sins, we get that idea to its fullest. It’s Bundick’s glossy imprint on the dance world, one that had been stirring around and is now realized even further.

Nothing is being reinvented with Les Sins. Good music is good music, and this is just more ear candy from a musician who specializes in just that. What’s noticeable with Les Sins is that the songs are tighter for Bundick, and he’s looking to grow beyond the generalizations placed on his work. With this, he’s now showing that he has the chops to make a bigger dent in the music world, so here’s hoping he does, no matter what he calls himself.