popwreckoning

I got my first And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead album in 2000. I was ten years old and amazingly blown away even then. The new album Tao of the Dead is just another chapter in the prolific decade plus long career of Trail of the Dead, and frankly, probably my favorite.

Tao of the Dead was recorded in ten days, comprised of their bare bones quartet line up (stripped down from their previous six members) and is comprised of two movements. Movement one (Tao of the Dead) is split into eleven separate tracks and recorded in the key of D. Movement two (Strange News From Another Planet) is five tracks combined into one long compilation song and recorded in the key of F. Similar to the way records were concepted and recorded in previous eras and generations (just ask bands like Pink Floyd, Rush and countless others), this gives the listener a unique experience- two albums per se, for the price of one.

The first movement speaks back to their roots and is complete prog rock, anthematic and cerebral all at once. The lyrics have been placed with painstaking care, budgeted into a background of psychedelic tunage that is sure to scorch you down to your toes. The guitars are loud, obnoxious and incredibly well tabbed, as well as the drums being mildly muted to lend a beat to the song without overpowering the other elements. Bass reverberates and rattles around your brain as frontman Conrad Keely spouts out lyrics with careless grace and pointed nonchalance. Like prog rock of years past, it is very reminiscent of Sunny Day Real Estate and carries overtones of newcomers like Japandroids and Mogwai (who also has a new album out).  It features eleven amazing tracks that blend into one another for an experience that is pretty damn amazing, completely calling for a dimly lit (or unlit) room, surround sound, a lava lamp, and in some cases, a bong (if you’re into that sorta thing).

Favorite tracks from the first movement include “The Wasteland,” “Spiral Jetty,” and “Pure Radio Cosplay.” Lyrics from “Spiral Jetty” have been invading my thoughts at the weirdest of times,”I found a jetty of stone /and I’m standing on my own/the lake enclosed” really resonates with the tone of song and hits close to home, although I am not sure why yet.

The second movement echoes the first, although a little grittier, a little harsher, and even more generally cerebral than the first. At 16:31 in length, I am a tad surprised that it shows such a diversity of the band’s talents. Included are everything from slow anthem pieces to faster dancey indie parts, and even a hint of old ‘90s alt rock. It’s a cacophony of sound and brilliant in its integrity and structure. Following the same general style as they usually bring to the table, they take it a step further in making it one cohesive track. Really, it’s probably one of my favorite pieces of all time. It’s prolific, it’s beautiful, and it’s purely Trail of the Dead.

The album itself is entirely worth buying just for the music. However, add in Keely’s album artwork, and you have one INSANE deal. Not only is the album musically brilliant, but the packaging is pretty. And I mean pretty. Go pick this up now, and sit back and relax. And of course, buy it on vinyl. It’ll sound that much better.

Track Listing:

Tao of the Dead Part I: Tao of the Dead
01. Introduction: Let’s Experiment
02. Pure Radio Cosplay
03. Summer of All Dead Souls
04. Cover the Days Like a Tidal Wave
05. Fall of the Empire
06. The Wasteland
07. The Spiral Jetty
08. Weight of the Sun (or the Post-Modern Prometheus)
09. Pure Radio Cosplay (Reprise)
10. Ebb Away
11. The Fairlight Pendant

Tao of the Dead Part II: Strange News From Another Planet
12. Know Your Honor
Rule by Being Just
The Ship Impossible
Strange Epiphany
Racing and Hunting

Fun Fun Fun Fest (FFFun Fest) is a festival in Austin, Texas that is a blend between both Austin City Limits (ACL) and South By Southwest (SXSW). FFFun Fest is a quad-fecta of punk rock music, dance music, indie music, and standup comedy on four different stages located at Waterloo park in downtown Austin.

This year, FFFun Fest brought in a few bigger named bands that might appear at ACL, as well as some other smaller ones that you might find in the lineup of a venue during SXSW. However, since it is an Austin festival, and we do like to keep things on the weird side, this festival had it all. Everything that the concert goer might want at a music festival, they could find at FFFun Fest. The festival was equipped with the good eats of Austin, a few local shops, the 101x radio crew booth, as well as a half-pipe for whom ever wanted to skate it between bands.

The first day was filled with music pleasurable to your ears with such bands as The National (8:40 pm – 9:40 pm), Atmosphere (7:35 pm – 8:35 pm), Deerhoof (6:30 pm – 7:30 pm),…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (4:50 pm – 5:35 pm), all of which played their hearts out. Whether it be lions and tigers masquerading on the stage during Deerhoof or the drunkenness of The National, everything went pretty smoothly, other than the technical delays that occurred after every single band that went on. However, it did not make that big of a difference in the waiting time between each band. Unlike most music festivals, there was no hour long wait between each band. Each one went on right after the other with only a five to ten minute wait between them.

Later in the day, after everyone was done wandering from stage to stage checking out the different kinds of music that Fun Fest had to offer, when …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead came on, it was then that everyone started to stake out their own spot for the headliners that were to come on shortly thereafter. I must say Trail Of Dead put on quite the performance for their fellow Austinites. It was not until Atmosphere came on that first night that anyone could really tell how many people where there at the festival (or how dusty it had gotten from the loose dirt on the ground that everyone seemed to be kicking up). Everyone in the audience was ready and Atmosphere knew it. And like all great musical front men (or women), he knew exactly how to work the crowd and get them involved to feel like a part of the music.

Once the crowd used up the last of their energy that they had for the day, it was time for the National to come on to play their mellow indie rock, which would end the night on a perfect note. Having never seen them live, I was unaware of how much alcohol the band could consume in one night, which only added to their performance: Matt Berninger fell over after trying to sit down on one of the monitors, randomly threw his mic stand into the audience in the middle of one of his songs, and ended the night by throwing his mic into the audience to fight over as he walked off the stage. No matter how drunk he might have been, the music was perfect. And that was only the end of the first night.

The second day was not as dramatic as The National’s performance, but was nonetheless entertaining. The headlining bands of the second night included Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (8:40 pm – 9:40 pm), Minus the Bear (7:35 pm – 8:35 pm), St. Vincent (6:30 pm – 7:30 pm), and Bad Brains (8:45 pm – 9:45 pm). Starting with St. Vincent (whom I had the pleasure of meeting after her set, lovely lady!), goes above and beyond when playing everywhere that she goes. She played her music from her soul and everyone listening knew it. Unlike the day before, the technical delays of day two were minimal, so Minus The Bear went on right after St. Vincent with perfect ease. Having played several songs off their new EP, the feeling that people got from their music was contagious and spread like a wild fire in California. The night ended with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Perfect is about all I can say: it was beautiful.

Make the journey to Austin next fall to see what all Fun Fun Fun Fest is about!

Fun Fun Fun Fest: website | myspace