Prism Riot "Prism Riot"

Download Prism Riot

Oh wow...I'm lost in a digital jungle full of lurking neon animals and OH SHIT HERE COMES A FUCKING CYBER-WOLF-MONSTER TO RIP MY EARS WIDE OPEN but it's OK...because now I'm floating peacefully in a frosted glass orb through space with my trusty and totally sexy supermodel girlfriend WHEN SUDDENLY A GIANT MUTANT DRAGONFLY APPEARS AND BEGINS TO RAPE MY BRAIN WITH A SWORD COVERED IN POISONOUS SPIDERS...

Perhaps I should explain...Prism Riot is one of the most surprising albums I've heard in a long time. This is one of those rarities that presents the listener with genuine sonic surprises at every turn, and leaves you (at least me) absolutely befuddled as to HOW the hell these two guys managed to produce some of these downright outlandish sounds.

Prism Riot is, from what I gather, a collaborative recording project between Sacramento guitarist/keyboardist/sonic wizard Nick Stanifer (Order of the Golden Mirror) and Michigan drummer/demolitionist Travis Siegfried (Forest Feeling). I'm not sure if these guys have ever played a live show together...and while I would normally argue that they SHOULD, I also have to wonder how the hell they'd pull it off. Honestly, you could take this as a sort of backhanded compliment to the complex sonic structures of these eleven pieces.

When recommending this band to others, allusions to Hella, another well known Sac band, are at times obvious/unavoidable, especially due to Siegfried's hyper-bombastic drumming style. But you know what? I like Siegfried's playing better. In fact, I like Prism Riot's debut a lot more than anything I've heard from previously-mentioned-band.

I know I've avoided talking about any "songs" in particular...but this 28-minute long (short?) LP is best experienced in one sitting. Do yourself a favor and download it. Albums this good aren't often free. -Matt

Listen to "Pirate Utopias"

The Symbolick Jews "Confession Time"

Download The Symbolick Jews - Confession Time

The Symbolick Jews are a constantly morphing ensemble of unique musicians, based in San Francisco and fronted by Adam Healton (RMF, Madam Im Adam). Regardless (or perhaps because) of the revolving cast, the Jews have cranked out one hell of a debut album here with Confession Time, and they have been touring up and down the West coast in support of it for good reason!

Simply put, Confession Time rocks. The titular track kicks off the album with a bang. Dual guitars moan and snarl like junkyard dogs, and distorted cymbals crash all around your head like ocean waves. Adam has a lot to say here, and at times it's easy to get caught up in the cacophony of it all and take for granted this man laying out all his insecurities in under two minutes.

The song "Banana" is a fun take on 50's doo-wop, with bassist Alexi Belchere on lead vocals. At times, her voice is a bit too "cute" to effectively sound as angst-y as I assume she meant it to sound, but she brings a fresh angle to the couple songs she sings on this record, and "Banana" is one of the catchier, more unforgettable tracks because of it.

Other songs, "The Book of Love" and "What Does It Mean?" bring things down a notch, but in volume and tempo only. Both are slow but intense pieces that stand out as personal favorites on the album. The former sucks you into a void of undulating static and amp buzz, gently lulling you into a false sense of serenity. The latter brings to mind walking through Golden Gate park on a warm summer evening at sunset, the guitars buzzing around like lazy flies.

This is only beginning to scratch the surface of Confession Time, and I hope you'll download it and listen for yourselves. Fans of shoegaze, garage-rock, psychedelic noise, Velvet Underground, early Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine should definitely check it out! -Matt


Listen to "What Does It Mean?"