REVIEW: The Answer Team - O Sad And Future Human

7.5 out of 10

Find it here.

Omaha Nebraska has been a hotbed of musical activity dating back as far as the 1920's. Jazz clubs and underground nightspots were once home to some of the most prominent staples in Jazz, Blues and Swing history. There has been a notable music scene to be found in Omaha at any point in time ever since. It wasn't until the early 1990's that Omaha began it's gradual reign as one of the biggest independent music scenes in the Midwest. The Answer Team is certainly helping to fuel this fire with their debut album, "O Sad And Future Human".

Formed in 2006, Thomas McCauley and Brandon Bone started jamming together in college, and thus began a foundation that would eventually evolve into The Answer Team. After a few years of "revolving door" band members and a brief stint with vocals, their niche was found with the help of now permanent fixtures, Jason Bejot and Dustin Treinen. This finely tuned niche I speak of can be summed up by just simply calling them an instrumental Post Rock band, but this would be an understatement, and quite frankly, an insult to the band itself. The album opener, "Where's The Sun" is a gorgeous yet deceptive tune, it begins with a bit of feedback and distorted chords sugarcoated with light, melodic anticipation; all the makings of a build-up that begs for an explosion of angst-ridden vocals and rapid guitar riffs. Fortunately, it takes a refreshing detour into a beautiful, arpeggio-rich frolic. It's almost like a lone flower growing out of a crack in the middle of a gritty city sidewalk. This sets the tone for the whole album. On "Does This Shirt Make Me Look Dead?", uplifting layers of violin and a defiant, thunderous rhythm make this track as powerful as it is heart wrenching. The occasional spoken word interlude and a captivating solo piano track serve as palate cleansers for the ears and mind. There are no shortages of gems here.

"O Sad And Future Human" paints an honest and extremely well structured portrait of a journey through the emotional spectrum. Whether you're an avid Post Rock lover or an occasional visitor of the genre who feels that a little goes a long way, there is something here for you. This is a strong debut by a group who I hope will continue to produce beautiful music for years to come. For fans of Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Pelican, This Will Destroy You and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Standout tracks: Where's The Sun, Does This Shirt Make Me Look Dead?, A Hero's Aftermath, A New Look At Marilyn Monroe

EIC'S10Q'S w/Space Ghost

"..transforming your current state of mind/environment and the simplest sounds/samples/beats into something that would only sound "normal" between the snuggest headphones worn by a properly intoxicated astronaut.."


Space Ghost
Anesthetized Alien Broadcaster

Space Ghost Bio:
Space Ghost is Sudi Wachspress, based out of Oakland, CA. Since 2009 Space Ghost has released a slew of songs online (all of which are free). Space Ghost just released his most accomplished work to date "Pyramid Dreams". An impressive debut LP with Spacey/Dubby vibes reminiscent of Flying Lotus.


Hello, how are you?
Just peachy..

What are you currently listening to?
Well, my roommate and I were just listening to Fleet Foxes, but in general I find myself constantly playing Balam Acab, Teebs, Lone, James Blake, and the list goes on depending on my mood..

Is “Space Ghost” a reference to the sound you create OR ..?
Nahh..I think about a year ago or so, before I really knew how to create a beat, I downloaded a video of the original Space Ghost cartoon. I had just downloaded a trial version of Ableton and I dropped the video into the program and saved the whole project as Space Ghost. So I guess that's was where it came from..

Your style reminds me of Flying Lotus gone a little more “Sci-Fi”, was that the kind of atmosphere you were going for?
I have definitely listened to Flying Lotus a lot in the past year, so it could have possibly been influencing me. I'd like to say I'm still experimenting, so the songs come out sounding completely different to me every time and I never really had a set sound for the album.

What do you mean by “Pyramid Dreams”?
I passed a sign in SoCal when driving up north, and saw a sign for some lake called, "Pyramid Lake," and I thought the name sounded kind of cool. When I got back I made a doodle of some pyramids with the title Pyramid Lake. I later started more doodles* in the sketch book, and named a different one Pyramid Dreams. It seemed like a cool concept or idea in comparison with the doodle. After that, I decided that it should be my album name.
*Editors Note: See above picture for doodle examples.

Why did you decide to give your album away for free?
Because no one wants to buy an album these days, let alone an album from someone they haven't heard before. I guess right now its more about the music rather than the money. (because there is no money ha..)

Do you plan on touring for the album?
My touring for this album is biking to school, humming my songs..

What’s your least favorite genre in current music?
Lady Gaga, and her shitty radio pop music, and most anything like that..I just don't buy into that shit..

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Dannng..I'd say "Explosions in Sky", All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone..But that's a tough question so I say that purely on the spot..But on the other end of the spectrum I'd say "Boards of Canada," Geogaddi", or "Music Has The Right To Children"..both extremely good.

Are you living your dream?
Dream? I suppose I'm living something.

Thanx Sudi!

Space Ghost just released his "Pyramid Dreams" LP FOR FREE, you should go HERE and enjoy it.

REVIEW: Judgement Day - Peackocks / Pink Monsters

8.5 out of 10

Find it here.

I was raised around some pretty damn good metal music, so in that aspect I was spoiled from day one. The bar for truly amazing metal to fit my meticulous criteria was raised extremely high very early on, so very few bands wet my whistle through the years. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not completely let down by the genre. There are tons of mediocre metal bands that I'll always be able to find little gems in. But then there are a small handful of metal bands that (in my ears) are damn near flawless, the most recent being, San Francisco-based trio, Judgement Day. You won't find any electric guitars or basses here. Created by brothers Anton and Lewis Patzner, they don only a violin and a cello. Rounded off with the precision madman drumming of Jon Bush, they create an unconventional yet full-force take on Stringed Metal.

Upon my first listening of Judgement Day's 2nd release "Peacocks/Pink Monsters", my initial thought was that this album must have been recorded after an isolated bender consisting of nothing but Meshuggah, Tool, Explosions In The Sky, 16 Horsepower and maybe even a little Clint Mansell. The first track, "Cobra Strike" is an instant epic metal eye opener. The Slayer-like thrash tempo and melodic interludes set an accurate tone for the rest of the album. It's immediately followed by the hard hitting, odd time signature'd "Zombie Rodeo Clown". On the more post-rocky tracks like "Prelude", "Death March", and "The Constant", the musical maturity really shines through. It's these tracks that really satisfy the neo-classical/post-rock lover in me and can easily be compared to some of my all time favorite film scores.

One thing that ruins alot of metal bands for me; the vocals. Judgement Day have that covered by having no vocals at all. A formula I only wish will catch on with more metal bands. These guys are hardly new-bee's, Lewis was accepted into the prestigious Peabody Institute, a conservatory where he studied performance technique, perfection and advanced music theory. Anton was recruited to join Omaha's own indie-folk troupe Bright Eyes where he learned about improvisation and collaboration.

A handful of genre's are strongly represented within these twelve tracks. Whether your a post-rock lover who yearns for something a little heavier, or an old-school metal head who completely gets off at the sound of no-holds-barred, hyper drive 'jubby' math metal with strings (like me), you will NOT be let down. "Peacocks/Pink Monsters" will be releasing independently on April 13, 2010, I strongly suggest you mark this day on you calender.

Standout Tracks: ALL OF THEM. But especially Cobra Strike, Peacocks/Pink Monsters, The Constant