Smashing Pumpkins' Jimmy Chamberlin's new project SkySaw, a quintet comprised of members from Arlington, VA and Chicago, are releasing their debut Great Civilizations on June 21 through Dangerbird Records. We had a chance to preview the album on Record Store Day, and here's what we dug about it.
Overall, every track exudes edgy prog-rock brilliance with dashes of psychedelia, which is most apparent in the first single "No One Can Tell." Trippy guitars are paired with steady drums and lyrics "no one can tell that I'm not listening to what you've been saying" that make it the stand-out 'agressive mellow' track.
"Serrated" is an alternative take on the classic hippy sound, with melodic interludes interrupted by cool bursts of blaring vocals and gorgeous guitar solos. And the title track "Great Civilizations" is another harmonic riff driven tune that sets the standard for this well rounded modern alt. debut.
Other recommended tracks: "Sad Reasons" and "Nothing's Over Easy." Watch the video for the first single "No One Can Tell" below, and catch them live at the Black Cat on July 1. $13 9 PM
We've always been big fans of Luke Temple, and it's good to see that, together with the Here We Go Magic crew, the man is keeping at it with increasingly beautiful records and videos. The band's new album "A Different Ship" (stream it here) will be out on May 8, and betrays at least a partial return to Luke Temple's more intimate and melodic sound from his solo repertoire - in this regard, lend a ear to "Hard to Be Close," "Alone but Moving" and "Over the Ocean". This is welcome news for fans like us who always thought that in most HWGM material Luke's noteworthy songwriting skills seemed a little sacrificed on the altar of textural experimentation. This doesn't mean that the band's signature hypnotic, impressionistic sound is lost - it's just that these two elements work together better than they did in past records, and this is what makes this album one of the NYC highlights of the year so far. Indeed, this collection also features songs more in line with the band's past releases ("Make Up your Mind", "I Believe in Action"), which follow on the steps of brainy-pop icons like Brian Eno and The Feelies, but there's definitely a balance here, also betrayed by the almost perfect alternation of melodic songs and less traditional ones.The just released video of "How Do I Know," telling the story of a rejected dancing robot that ends up revitalizing an older man's appreciation for life, seems to reflect on this brain/heart, mechanic/organic dichotomies and somehow bring them to unity. - PDG
