The band was formed in Davis, California by songwriter Payam Bavafa and consists of the typical guitar, drum, and bass found in most rock groups. Sholi's sound is an interesting blend that can only accurately be described as "experimental rock," though it has elements of psychedelia and math rock as well, featuring fast guitar-work, strange chord progressions and bizarre melodic arrangements. It was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, which may partly explain why it sounds the way it does. The album consists of eight somewhat lengthy tracks, most of which take turns in dramatically different directions at several points throughout the song. The percussion is also very propulsive and gives the music a sense of rapid forward motion, especially on standout track "November Through June." Most of the songs have a rather dark feel because of the heavy use of minor chords, such as lead single "Tourniquet" and epic closer "Contortionist," both of which sound alarmingly urgent. Other notable tracks include wandering opener "All That We Can See" and the more march-like "Any Other God" found much later on the album.
Showing posts with label sholi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sholi. Show all posts
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sholi
I don't even know where I heard about this album, but for some reason it was on my list of things to look for this year. It was released back in February and it's taken me quite awhile to find, but now I'm so glad I tried because Sholi's self-titled debut is worth the work and the wait.
The band was formed in Davis, California by songwriter Payam Bavafa and consists of the typical guitar, drum, and bass found in most rock groups. Sholi's sound is an interesting blend that can only accurately be described as "experimental rock," though it has elements of psychedelia and math rock as well, featuring fast guitar-work, strange chord progressions and bizarre melodic arrangements. It was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, which may partly explain why it sounds the way it does. The album consists of eight somewhat lengthy tracks, most of which take turns in dramatically different directions at several points throughout the song. The percussion is also very propulsive and gives the music a sense of rapid forward motion, especially on standout track "November Through June." Most of the songs have a rather dark feel because of the heavy use of minor chords, such as lead single "Tourniquet" and epic closer "Contortionist," both of which sound alarmingly urgent. Other notable tracks include wandering opener "All That We Can See" and the more march-like "Any Other God" found much later on the album.
The band was formed in Davis, California by songwriter Payam Bavafa and consists of the typical guitar, drum, and bass found in most rock groups. Sholi's sound is an interesting blend that can only accurately be described as "experimental rock," though it has elements of psychedelia and math rock as well, featuring fast guitar-work, strange chord progressions and bizarre melodic arrangements. It was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, which may partly explain why it sounds the way it does. The album consists of eight somewhat lengthy tracks, most of which take turns in dramatically different directions at several points throughout the song. The percussion is also very propulsive and gives the music a sense of rapid forward motion, especially on standout track "November Through June." Most of the songs have a rather dark feel because of the heavy use of minor chords, such as lead single "Tourniquet" and epic closer "Contortionist," both of which sound alarmingly urgent. Other notable tracks include wandering opener "All That We Can See" and the more march-like "Any Other God" found much later on the album.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Looking Forward
So, after finishing off an amazing year in the music business, the time has come to start anew. Each year, I start off thinking that the previous year would never be topped. After 2007's slew of new releases from really important artists such as The Shins, Modest Mouse, Panda Bear, Stars, etc., I was expecting 2008 to be a bit less active. Now, sitting at the front end of '09, I've been thinking that it can only be downhill from the fantastic albums I just finished describing with my year-end posts.
To get my spirits up, I've been doing research to find out what might be exciting in 2009, and, to my surprise, I found a whole lot to look forward to. Here's 10 things that will (hopefully) get Baby New Year started off on the right foot to beat its older brother:
1. Starting the year off right is Merriweather Post Pavilion, a new full-length from my favorite band, Animal Collective. Though it's already out on vinyl and digitally (I actually just finished giving it a first listen, but I'll save my thoughts for later), the CD doesn't hit US shelves until January 20th, so there're still two more weeks of eager anticipation.
2. A double EP from another favorite, Beirut, is scheduled for release in February. It's called March Of The Zapotec/Holland, and the first is influenced by Zach Condon's trip to Mexico while the second will have more of an electronic sound (according to a reliable source, Wikipedia.)
3. A Modest Mouse EP featuring outtakes from the two most recent albums, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank and Good News For People Who Love Bad News, is in the works. Modest Mouse EPs are usually about the length (and top the quality) of almost any other band's studio albums, so I'll bet it'll be worth the wait.
4. The follow-up to So This Is Goodbye by Junior Boys is slated for release in "early 2009." It's as of yet untitled but I'm sure it's going to be brilliant.
5. Similarly, Menomena is working on a follow-up to Friend And Foe and plan to release it sometime in 2009.
6. The Flaming Lips, after finishing their movie project Christmas On Mars, plan to release a follow-up to At War With The Mystics and said it can be ready for release as early as June.
7. Hazards Of Love by The Decemberists will hit stores in April. I'm not sure how excited I am about this one, however, seeing as the songs on their Always A Bridesmaid singles series were extremely underwhelming.
8. Dan Deacon's follow-up to 2007's Spiderman Of The Rings, Bromst, will hit shelves in March.
9. Dogs Die In Hot Cars, as part of their 2nd album project, will be challenging fans to mix and touch up the 17 song demos they've posted on their website. Sometime this year, they'll choose their favorites and release them as the follow-up to 2004's Please Describe Yourself.
10. Two new artists that sound fairly exciting will be releasing debuts in the near future: Dreijer Andersson of Swedish electronic group The Knife will be releasing a solo album in February under the name Fever Ray while Sholi, an experimental/psych-folk group likened to Xiu Xiu, will be releasing a self-titled album the same month.
On top of all of that, old friends Joanna Newsom and Sufjan Stevens are both long overdue for a new full-length, so keep your fingers crossed that they'll get their act together before the year ends. Also, Grizzly Bear have been working on a follow-up to their mini-masterpiece, Yellow House. And, Deerhoof and Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound have been releasing albums like crazy every year of recent history, so what's to stop them from continuing their trend into 2009?
To get my spirits up, I've been doing research to find out what might be exciting in 2009, and, to my surprise, I found a whole lot to look forward to. Here's 10 things that will (hopefully) get Baby New Year started off on the right foot to beat its older brother:
1. Starting the year off right is Merriweather Post Pavilion, a new full-length from my favorite band, Animal Collective. Though it's already out on vinyl and digitally (I actually just finished giving it a first listen, but I'll save my thoughts for later), the CD doesn't hit US shelves until January 20th, so there're still two more weeks of eager anticipation.
2. A double EP from another favorite, Beirut, is scheduled for release in February. It's called March Of The Zapotec/Holland, and the first is influenced by Zach Condon's trip to Mexico while the second will have more of an electronic sound (according to a reliable source, Wikipedia.)
3. A Modest Mouse EP featuring outtakes from the two most recent albums, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank and Good News For People Who Love Bad News, is in the works. Modest Mouse EPs are usually about the length (and top the quality) of almost any other band's studio albums, so I'll bet it'll be worth the wait.
4. The follow-up to So This Is Goodbye by Junior Boys is slated for release in "early 2009." It's as of yet untitled but I'm sure it's going to be brilliant.
5. Similarly, Menomena is working on a follow-up to Friend And Foe and plan to release it sometime in 2009.
6. The Flaming Lips, after finishing their movie project Christmas On Mars, plan to release a follow-up to At War With The Mystics and said it can be ready for release as early as June.
7. Hazards Of Love by The Decemberists will hit stores in April. I'm not sure how excited I am about this one, however, seeing as the songs on their Always A Bridesmaid singles series were extremely underwhelming.
8. Dan Deacon's follow-up to 2007's Spiderman Of The Rings, Bromst, will hit shelves in March.
9. Dogs Die In Hot Cars, as part of their 2nd album project, will be challenging fans to mix and touch up the 17 song demos they've posted on their website. Sometime this year, they'll choose their favorites and release them as the follow-up to 2004's Please Describe Yourself.
10. Two new artists that sound fairly exciting will be releasing debuts in the near future: Dreijer Andersson of Swedish electronic group The Knife will be releasing a solo album in February under the name Fever Ray while Sholi, an experimental/psych-folk group likened to Xiu Xiu, will be releasing a self-titled album the same month.
On top of all of that, old friends Joanna Newsom and Sufjan Stevens are both long overdue for a new full-length, so keep your fingers crossed that they'll get their act together before the year ends. Also, Grizzly Bear have been working on a follow-up to their mini-masterpiece, Yellow House. And, Deerhoof and Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound have been releasing albums like crazy every year of recent history, so what's to stop them from continuing their trend into 2009?
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