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Alvin Band, "Mantis Preying" (Intelligent Noise)
Hyped on: The Needle Drop; Worthless Wit; AudioPorn Central
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Who: Orange County, Calif., native Rick Alvin Schaier plays drums in a quirky indie pop band from Phoenix called Miniature Tigers, but he’s been making solo bedroom (or in some cases, bathroom) recordings for years, posting the results online under the name Alvin Band. “Mantis Preying,” Alvin Band’s first “official” release, features nine songs recorded entirely a cappella—just the 21-year-old Schaier with a microphone and a Powerbook, kicking out the mouth jams.
What: Everyone from Todd Rundgren to Björk to (gulp) Bobby McFerrin has experimented with some form of multi-tracked vocal symphonies, but the results are often only slightly more interesting than your average college a cappella group. What makes “Mantis Preying” work—brilliantly at times—is Schaier’s precociously offbeat approach to his arrangements. This kid has clearly listened to a lot of Vampire Weekend and Animal Collective, and probably learned his Brian Wilson harmonies via Grizzly Bear. So what sounds unbearably precious on paper—a cappella hymns, complete with beat-boxing, about shooting pool (“Billiards”) and going to Hebrew school (“Temple Pressure”)—instead bristles with vaguely Afro-pop rhythms, weird harmonics and moments of unexpected beauty.
Made for: Really adventurous college a cappella groups. Fans of Bjork’s “Medulla” album (reportedly a major Alvin Band influence). Anyone not afraid of music that will inevitably be described as “quirky.”
X-Factor: Physical copies of “Mantis Preying” come with a six-song bonus EP called “Lady Portrait,” which features songs recorded with actual instruments. – AH
Bloody Panda, "Summon" (Profound Lore)
Hyped on: Noise Creep; Stereogum; Brooklyn Vegan
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Who: Fronted by a Japanese visual artist, New York’s Bloody Panda don’t so much “make” their artsy, heavy take on funereal doom metal—a better term might be “exhume” or “exorcise” or “heave from the pits of their personal abysses.” Despite the dirge-like sound, the group’s first album, 2007’s “Pheromone,” brought them a sort of indie-metal underground following, with singer Yoshiko Ohara functioning like a Sugarcubes-era Björk’s black metal-loving counterpart.
What: Two years later, BP’s new LP, “Summon,” should prove the quintet to be more than a trendy crossover act or novelty. This time out, Ohara and her merry band of blood brothers have gone even more avant-garde and artsy while—perhaps counter-intuitively—also sounding more metal. Drone and noise figure in, of course, but sludge and doom remain central, as do Ohara’s unique vocal shrieks, screams and wails. The nice touch on this set stems from the backing band’s increased presence and dynamic.
Made for: Metalheads who kinda like museums. Museumheads who kinda like metal. Artists, weirdoes, zine editors, bike messengers and the like. Soundtracking artistic/ironic Halloween parties.
X-Factor: “Summon” comes with an appropriately experimental film/music video included on a bundled DVD. Trippy! – KND
The Big Pink, "A Brief History of Love" (4AD)
Hyped on: Hits in the Car; kissatlanta; Eaten by Monsters
MySpace
Who: Even before the band’s first full-length was released this fall, U.K. duo the Big Pink landed a slot on Muse’s U.K. tour and remixed Lily Allen’s single “22.” Their first album comes out here on Sept. 22, and a full U.S. tour will follow. Their secret of success? Mining the English past.
What: On “A Brief History of Love”—a concept record on, yes, love—the Big Pink seem hellbent on reviving every sound of their youth (think every late ‘80s to mid ‘90s Brit-rock band you ever loved). So, enjoy some fuzzed-out guitars and serious shoegazer-isms (“Golden Pendulum”), psychedelic pop (“At War with the Sun”), faux trip-hop (“Dominoes”) and hazy dance anthems (“Too Young to Love”). Hey, most of this stuff never broke big here the first time; for us, it’s new!
Made for: Those nostalgic for the days of John Major, underground raves and Stone Roses hype. People impatient for a new My Bloody Valentine material. Stoners who reject “stoner rock” but need a buzzy soundtrack.
X-Factor: Right now, the guys in the band may be better known for their outside projects than for their Big Pink work. Milo Cordell runs the hip Merok record label, home to early releases by the Klaxons, Crystal Castles and Titus Andronicus. His cohort Robbie Furze, meanwhile, is a former guitarist for noise terrorist/Atari Teenage Riot founder Alec Empire. – KM
