Reviews
AMERICAN CATASTROPHE “Excerpts From The Broken Bone Choir” reviewed by Pitchfork
Search this band’s name on Google and you’ll find references to just the kind of cataclysms the songs evoke. These six tracks, remastered and reissued by OxBlood in the band’s native Kansas City, Mo., create a fuller picture of a band than many longer albums; at 33 minutes this is an EP bursting at the seams with hefty pieces that boast, indulge, and haunt. At surface level the references are clear: leader Shaun Hamontree is a Tom Waits fanatic, and everywhere are up-to-the-minute contemporary draws– a Tarantino scene change, a Neko Case bridge, a Low vocal– that serve as modern touches to gothic artifacts.
This can lead us to several neighboring places. For one, the vertiginous funereal comedown of “The Farm”, which manages to be both the warmest and most alienating of the tracks. At nearly eight minutes it alternately drones on and picks us up, like an unpredictable wind, the mournful vocals switching dominance with a more energetic percussion section, both of which Hamontree conducts with his central and overpowering role at the microphone. So early in the album this song could prophesy a leaden second half, but as it turns out, the band prefer to intersperse tempo ranges, alternating slow, heavily reverbed guitar tracks with the faster, stormier pieces dominated by drums.The musical cues evoked when the four members come together are far more interesting: It’s a tumultuous yet controlled breed of rock that appears to communicate deeper than some of the rangy dustbowl guitar solos and explosively sad choruses elsewhere. “Wither” is the best example of this, though melodically it’s more familiar, with twinkling, ominous arpeggios skittering around thick resolutions in bass and guitar at the chorus. The references in “Wither” are as much to sophisticated metal as to country and blues.The bow-out, “Tension”, has a scintillating beauty that will remind listeners of Explosions in the Sky, whose fascination with simple repetitive guitar lines performed in peaceably empty outer space is transformed here, branded with American Catastrophe’s smoke-filled noise-making. A delicate few notes on the electric guitar build up through their own monotony, leading to the inevitable crash and burn of cymbals and bass in the final seconds. As a teaser to what this band is currently working on (these songs were first recorded in 2005), Excerpts is confusingly colorful, painted in various shades of gray and blood red.-Liz Colville, July 06, 2007 AMERICAN CATASTROPHE review from PopmattersAmerican Catastrophe takes you down a dark and lonely road, but it’s a road you’ll be thankful you took. With a vocal style that brings to mind Nick Cave singing over a Spaghetti Western film score, songs like “The Well” are, well, very good with its moody twists and turns that lure you in immediately. Meanwhile, “The Farm” takes a different route but gets to the same magical location as the deep baritone of Shaun Hamontree weaves its way over a bare bones arrangement for the course of seven glorious, gloomy minutes. However, there are times when that same voice heads into turf that might remind you of Chad Kroeger, as is the case with the morose “Broken Bone Choir” before it takes on a grittier, bombastic vibe with some pretty drum flourishes and rolls. However, this is quickly forgotten about when the winding “Wither” comes to the fore, with the delivery being a cross between Mr. Presley and The Tea Party’s Jeff Martin. The six-track effort concludes with the Mogwai-leaning and aptly titled “The Tension”, wrapping up a very exotic but appealing release. —Jason MacNeilFIRST BLOOD REVIEW from smother.netKansas City is known for great steaks and tornados and of course my beloved Royals. Well maybe now some folks will recognize its burgeoning indie music scene as well. A wide array of music greets the ear via this diverse compilation assembled by upstart K.C. based label Oxblood Records. You’ve got everything from electronica to Americana to indie rock to sugary pop. Check out White Whale (ex-Get Up Kids, Boys Life and Butterglory) and The Republic Tigers as two big highlights out of this rich assortment of up-and-coming bands.- J-SinFIRST BLOOD REVIEW from Vanguard NewspaperOxblood RecordsFirst Blood (Compilation)Nice compilation of indie rock bands from Kansas City, all recorded at the same studio by the same producer. Standouts include the intriguing electro-pop of The Republic Tigers and the slow burning rock of Olympic Size.FIRST BLOOD REVIEW from Americana UKVarious Artistes “First Blood - Oxblood Records” (Oxblood Records 2007)Ostentatious collection of Kansas City-affiliated artistsA wealth of varied material makes up this Oxblood rcords collection. On the whole the bands are a harmonic take on post punk, new wave bands. ‘Made Concrete’ is all trippy, sweet harmonies and chugging rhythms on top of cyber sounding beats. Roman Numerals combine Peter Hook-like bass and Bowie style vocals in a mixture not unlike ‘Psychadelic Furs’. ‘Friends’ by Olympic Size has a laid back feel with a cyclic riff over a garage band beat. American Catastrophe wouldn’t look out of place on the ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ soundtrack. Ssion are low-fi disco funksters with a great bassline on ‘Bullshit’. namelessnumberheadman clock in with an offering that lands somewhere between Now It’s Overhead and Bright Eyes. Check out the stomp-a-long, sax ridden craziness of The Golden Republic. ‘How To Love Her’ by In The Pines is a stand out track. With great drums and folky fiddle complimenting the vocals perfectly.The Pedaljets reviewed by The PitchIn a bittersweet, almost mythical case of bad timing, when widespread recognition came calling for the Pedaljets in 1990, few people realized that the celebrated KC quartet had actually just broken up. Much more than a memento of local lore, however, this newly restored version of the band’s second album probably won’t reopen old wounds for fans who pined for the coulda-contended days when the Jets were flying high. That’s because even after 18 years, this music sounds startlingly contemporary and fresh. The Pedaljets had the jangle-bop of the late ’80s down pat. They also wrote superb songs that matched the power and sweep achieved by household-name contemporaries R.E.M. and Huskur Du. This is a lost treasure that was definitely worth digging up.