Windsor For The Derby

Hailing from Tampa, FL, the founding members of the atmospheric post-rock group Windsor for the Derby -- guitarists Dan Matz and Jason McNeeley, along with drummer Greg Anderson -- soon migrated to Austin, TX, where they were signed to the local Trance Syndicate label. Their debut LP, 1996's Calm Hades Float, was produced and engineered by Adam Witzie, who agreed to become a full-time Windsor for the Derby member shortly after the project's completion. After issuing the EP Metropolitan Then Poland in early 1997, the group closed out the year with the release of the full-length Minnie Greunzfeldt. In 1999, they returned with Difference and Repetition. Three years later they appeared with a B-sides collection, Earnest Powers, on Emperor Jones. The band also scaled down in this time period, leaving only Matz and McNeeley from the original lineup. Spacy folk texture crept into the 2002 Aesthetic release Emotional Rescue, 2004's We Fight Til Death featured halting vocals and a greater instrumental palette to work from. After the album both McNeeley and Matz ended up living in Philadelphia, (previously they'd converged somewhere once or twice a year to work on material), and putting down roots let them experiment more in a home studio, and play frequent live shows. They also added to the lineup drummer Charlie Hall and keyboardist and bassist Ann Neighbor. Giving Up the Ghost reflected these changes when it appeared from Secretly Canadian in August 2005. Though Neighbor was credited alongside Matz and McNeely, Gianmarco Cilli (National Eye) handled drums on the album. How We Lost arrived in early 2008.

2002 - The Emotional Rescue LP

Windsor For The Derby - 2002 - The Emotional Rescue LP

Taking a slightly different route than on their previously uniformly solid releases, Windsor for the Derby eschews the weighty instrumentals of their past in favor of a mix emphasizing vocals, solemn acoustic guitars, and florescent keyboards. On their fourth album, the minimalist and hypnotic tendencies of their past remain, with Dan Matz and Jason McNeely remaining as the only full-time members of the band. Now walking the line between spacy folk and chamber pop, the arrangements of twinkling guitars and intricately repeated rhythms give the set a much different dynamic than their previous recordings. If that entails that The Emotional Rescue LP is their most accessible release, that isn't to imply that this is a shrewd attempt at commerciality, as tracks like "Mythologies" offer more than a few reminders of their old sounds. Enchanting in a newly cinematic way, moments such as "Now I Know the Sea" and the title track enjoy an emotional intimacy that was not always apparent in their earlier releases. All in all, a release that seems to present a band on the verge of an artistic breakthrough.

		1		The Same		7:49
		2		Now I Know the Sea		4:45
		3		Emotional Rescue		4:20
		4		Fall of '68		5:11
		5		Indonesian Guitars		4:04
		6		Mythologies		5:17
		7		Awkwardness		4:33
		8		Another Rescue		3:25
		9		Donkey Ride		4:35

¡Aquí!

Broadcast - 2000 - Extended Play 2

Extended Play Two is not Broadcast's strongest release; it really contains only two tracks that are worthwhile ("Illumination" and "Poem of Dead Song"). The exclusive "Illumination" is a haunted, droning song that brings to mind My Bloody Valentine, but only if My Bloody Valentine turned off every distortion effect in their arsenal except those for the guitars. The vocals are pretty and lilting, suggesting a peaceful, romantic interlude in a spy film. The other exclusive, worthwhile song is "Poem of Dead Song." While it's rather unfocused, or maybe just experimentally arranged, it is effectively creepy and actually quite fun. It's a welcome, unpolished gem in Broadcast's recent output. "Unchanging Window/Chord Simple" is an extended (for no good reason) version of one of the highlights of The Noise Made by People, where it's simply called "Unchanging Window." The song is full of tension and dynamically astounding, but this extended version seems to simply tack on a repetitive, longer ending. The album version is more powerful, because it quits while it's ahead; the "Chord Simple" segment doesn't go anywhere interesting. "A Man for Atlantis" and "Drums on Fire" are both instrumental pieces. Neither one really amounts to much. "A Man for Atlantis" is more of a dub experiment than a true song; it shows the band experimenting with new sounds that don't really work in their overall picture. Anyone just joining Broadcast after picking up The Noise Made by People will be a bit disappointed with "Drums on Fire," as the song bears little relation to the textures with which the band usually operates. The title of "Drums on Fire" is quite apt, though it may have been better titled "Goofy Drums," because it's mostly just a percussion workout, sounding as much like dueling lawnmowers as a song. It's moody but pointless. Extended Play Two is not Broadcast's finest hour, especially after the stunning highs of The Noise Made by People. It would be hard to recommend this release to anyone other than a Broadcast completist.

		1		Papercuts	Broadcast	4:31
		2		Belly Dance	Broadcast	4:44
		3		Where Youth and Laughter Go	Broadcast	4:32
		4		Daves Dream	Broadcast	4:00

¡Aquí!

Stereolab - 1996 - Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Stereolab was poised for a breakthrough release with Emperor Tomato Ketchup, their fourth full-length album. Not only was their influence becoming apparent throughout alternative rock, but Mars Audiac Quintet and Music for the Amorphous Body Center indicated they were moving closer to distinct pop melodies. The group certainly hasn't backed away from pop melodies on Emperor Tomato Ketchup, but just as their hooks are becoming catchier, they bring in more avant-garde and experimental influences, as well. Consequently, the album is Stereolab's most complex, multi-layered record. It lacks the raw, amateurish textures of their early singles, but the music is far more ambitious, melding electronic drones and singsong melodies with string sections, slight hip-hop and dub influences, and scores of interweaving counter melodies. Even when Stereolab appears to be creating a one-chord trance, there is a lot going on beneath the surface. Furthermore, the group's love for easy listening and pop melodies means that the music never feels cold or inaccessible. In fact, pop singles like "Cybele's Reverie" and "The Noise of Carpet" help ease listeners into the group's more experimental tendencies. Because of all its textures, Emperor Tomato Ketchup isn't as immediately accessible as Mars Audiac Quintet, but it is a rich, rewarding listen.

¡Aquí!