EP Round Up!

Reviews of a selection of EPs I’ve received lately are here in Spectrum order.


Electronica: QRT’s Faardte
QRT (Kurt Bolianatz) gives us 6 tracks on the ambient noise end of Electronica. From Norway, Bolianatz mixes German approaches to Electronica with hints of his own Scandinavian climate. When I asked for translations of some of the Norwegian titles, this is what Bolianatz offered: The album title “Faardte” is “a made-up word that means something like "get's it done.” Track 5 is called “Eg Kjenne Det Bruse Men Giddkje Skru Av Korken” means "I can feel it fizzing but I won't unscrew the cork" (in reference to a moment of anger).

Here in this space Track 5 is now a.k.a. “Fizzing Left Uncorked.” The title does justice to this mix of bouncy keyboard layered with heavy distorted keyboard accents, a video game like third level (think “Bezerk” from 80’s Atari), interrupted with a fuzz like Internet dial-up, followed by a break of jack-in-the-box music. The Internet fuzz and distortion keyboard are the fizz about to be unleashed from the child-like game. Oh, the metaphor could lead so many directions!

This isn’t hum-along or sing-along music. While one reviewer described it like a movie score, to my mind, there’s less soundtrack and more ambient, atmosphere, sound poems. In that case then, track 4, “German Lux,” is a quirky shuffle-dance mix, slowly building up, and then adding a sampled baby crying as vocals. (It made my sleeping son start grunting in response). The track becomes a sound poem—picture being up in the middle of the night in your upstairs apartment, trying to console a baby, while downstairs is the dark, dank bar you live above whose electronic dance beats permeate the floor. Too literal? Try this. While we shuffle our way through what we think we enjoy, our true needs are crying on the inside, as they have been since the day we were born.

Faardte is released by Bolianatz Records in association with Irritant Records. Thanks to Kurt’s brother, Trond, for sending the review copy.


AltCountry: Loner’s Road Songs
No one else would probably label Loner as AltCountry, but what the heck? No one else would line up their CDs in the Spectrum either. Based on label, Road Songs belongs in the Electronica or Hip-Hop sections. Based on how the EP opens up, with an ankle-hugging fog blanket of keyboards, Electronica wouldn’t be a bad choice.

However, there’s also a lot of similarities in Loner’s (Geoff Smith’s) vocals and guitar work to some Slowcore artists in the AltCountry section—Holy Sons, Spokane, and Early Day Miners. “Another Line. . .In a Crazy World” has a disembodied choir on the chorus, like the ghosts lingering around a bar in a Western. “Road Song” blends that acoustic guitar with electronic beats, a Slowcore vocal pushed along by the pulse. “Renay’s Song” with its plaintive piano instrumental could come from the smoky bar stage of an AltCountry gathering.

Yet, the EP closes with “French Movie,” clearly using Electronica beats, an overdubbed vocal from Helena Roman. My thesis is being stretched extremely far now. Where is the AltCountry air in this track? You could slowly do the two-step to the dance beat. (OK, that’s not very believable, but again, I’m here to take chances. Come on, all of you AltCountry Electronica freaks, go buy the Loner EP). Maybe we’ll clear all of this up if I get a chance to review the full album.

Road Songs is released by Just Music. Thanks to them for sending the review copy.


Jam Band: Thomas Cunningham’s The Bottle of Wine EP
An ad for Thomas Cunningham appeared one day in the Google box at the top of this site, and I’m so glad that it did. Cunningham is a singer-songwriter with plenty of style, hooks, and that boy-next-door voice.

With a rap-sing style on “Senseless,” I was ready to place him at the end of the American Band Rock section next to the other rap-singers in the collection, Barenaked Ladies, Jason Mraz, and Wes Cunningham. (I know, it would look like he was next to Wes just because they share the same last name).

However, then I realized that with a slight overall, the Jam Band section should move from the beginning to the end of the Folk-influenced American Rock section, while also expanding to really include Jam Band-like artists. Cunningham (Thomas, that is) is a Jam Band-like artist. His brand of rock is folk-induced with heavy dollops of groove. It’s not true Jam Band since there’s not the improvised sections. However, there’s really no other way to typify that folk-rock sound that weaves its way into a dance-trance, that turns acoustic music into something that makes you get your groove on. Like the Blissfield song, it’s the kind of music that makes “She’ Shake.”

Cunningham’s title track is an acoustic groove, but when the drums kick in, it wouldn’t be a stretch to also find lots of bongos, hand drums, and other percussion, like a drum circle thing going on. “Sunset on the Boulevard” is drenched with slide guitar blues. The EP closes with the appropriately titled “Sayonara.” (That makes 2 EPs that end with appropriately titled songs. Hmm…) “Sayonara” finds Cunningham grooving on his way out.

As I said in the Big Head Todd and the Monsters posting, I’m still trying to understand Jam Band culture. So, too, this section is still only beginning to come into shape, but for now, here’s who is there (in Spectrum order): Keller Williams, String Cheese Incident, Thomas Cunningham, Blissfield, Poi Dog Pondering, and the Dave Matthews Band. Your comments on Jam Band culture are still very much desired!

The Bottle of Wine EP is available from the Emerald City Entertainment Group. Thanks to Thomas Cunningham and Emerald City for the review copy.


American Band Rock: Fuller Still’s Fuller Still EP
Fuller Still is a band spinning out of what seems to be a music incubator in Minneapolis. One of the project’s co-producers is Echelon’s John Simshauser; the EP has Echelon-like use of keyboards, vocal harmonies, and a tendency toward tight recording of the drums (not as much depth as I’d like).

The Twin Cities are also home to Peder Eide, a Christian singer with a wide range of styles, and Fuller Still shows itself to have such a range—bluesy, jazzy, pop, folk, and rock. Fuller Still is also fans of Jonathan Rundman (artist and owner of Salt Lady Records). The first track “Abandon” has some of Rundman’s vocal qualities and an understated band approach to rock. Finally, the EP closes with the appropriately titled “Last.” This begins with acoustic guitar work reminiscent of Peter Mayer who is from—you guessed it—the Twin Cities.

Fuller Still’s lyrics, while Christian, show the depth of life in which we find ourselves. “Pretty Girl” is addressed to a self-conscious girl with low self-esteem, needing to know that God sees her as pretty, perfect, holy. “Stupid Me” is a song of confession, admitting just how stupid we are when it comes to living according to God’s ways.

I certainly expect to hear more from Fuller Still. They work well together musically, adding nice fills and ornaments to the straight-forward rock sections. They will need to avoid choruses which make them sound less like a band out to change the world and more like a praise band lifted from the sanctuary. However, I expect that this will come in time.


Fuller Still EP is available at www.fullerstill.com. While you’re there, you can also pick up a really cool “Stupid Me” T-shirt. Thanks to Justin for sending the review copy.