November Release of the Month Picks

Release of the Month ~ November 2010

The Silent Ballet staff counts down its top picks of November 2010.

While readers of this site bask in the music of the lesser-known, the wider world revolves around only a few releases at a time. Recent playlist figures show that the top hits actually do get played every hour, and that new tracks are often added to rotation at the rate of two to three per week. Clear Channel Communications seems to have a lock on the nation’s airwaves, which is part of the reason behind satellite radio’s success. And the recent Grammy nominations demonstrate a clear rush to reward mainstream success at quality’s expense. Sure, a song called “Fuck You” may be catchy, but is it really one of the five best songs of the year? And could Kenny G’s latest album really be one of the year’s best instrumental albums?

It’s almost too easy to deride the Grammies for their mainstream sensibilities. And tears flow with our bitter laughter, as so many of our favorite artists languish in virtual obscurity. Erik K Skodvin’s album is considered a success because it sold out a run of 450. Piiptsjilling pressed only 500 copies of its latest effort. Even when downloads are included, it’s a safe bet that fewer people will hear these albums than the number enrolled in many individual schools – an artistic travesty in a world that purposely prevents the sublime from supplanting the mediocre.

Most artists featured on our site never make enough money from music to give up their day jobs. They make music because they are internally driven. And none of our reviewers make a dime writing reviews. They simply feel compelled to share their opinions and enthusiasm.

It may seem pretentious to say that the music we cover here, even at its worst, is better than what the mainstream calls its best, but we know that you agree – and we’re glad to celebrate together the quiet successes of the small, the accomplished, and the visionary.

1) Maserati ~ Pyramid of the Sun
Temporary Residence Limited
It’s been eight years since Maserati released their stellar album, The Language of Cities. In the ensuing years, they’ve worked on perfecting their unique blend of krautrock and instrumental rock, and their efforts have paid off with their best album to date. Pyramid of the Sun brims with energy and raw emotion. It’s a testament to the thumping bass lines of the late Jerry Fuchs and a nod of gratitude to the band’s influences. The album may have been born out of a feeling of grief and loss, but the feelings it evokes take a more uplifting tone. Fuch’s soul clearly reverberates within the rest of the band, and one can’t imagine a better tribute than this. (Mohammed Ashraf)

2) Talons ~ Hollow Realm
Big Scary Monsters
What’s the special something that helps albums rise above the cream? Urgency. Such albums satisfy our burning need to be catapulted to a higher plane. This UK-based 6-piece is a revelation for post-rock fans who have grown tired of tepid redundancy. Talons offers seamless progressions and transitions, impeccable drumming, dynamic rock elements, and steady heapings of intensity and synthesizer. The dueling violins help make each track a gem among gems. The songs burst from the speakers with passion, and the adrenaline carries over into the artier segments. In short, these people know how to rock, and this album is an easy candidate for post-rock album of the year. (Nayt Keane)

3) Erik K Skodvin ~ Flare
Sonic Pieces
A flare is an eruption of autumn color before a swift descent to the curled and drab; or a sudden burst of anger from an individual or a nation. A flare burns brightly, calling attention to itself in a desperate, final frenzy. Erik K Skodvin’s Flare implies all of these things and more. The album is a sudden, unexpected outburst of creative energy from the man formerly known as Svarte Greiner: a searing yet controlled burn. We’ll remember it long after its heat has dissipated and its embers have turned to mulch. (Richard Allen)

4) Piiptsjilling ~ Wurdskrieme
WordPress
Frisian poetry and guitar drones may seem like something of an unlikely pair, which is all the more proof that Piiptsjilling deserve the praise they’ve been getting. Jan Kleefstra’s recitations are augmented by the sculpted sound, and our ignorance of the words’ meaning somehow makes us listen all the more closely. It doesn’t hurt that one of the three players manipulating guitar and electronics is Rutger Zuydervelt, better known as Machinefabriek, a true master of affective noise. The ensemble have benefited from the experience of playing together live, and their reception to one another is apparent in the sophistication of the drones, which build a perfect backdrop against Kleefstra’s vocals. This is precisely vocal music, but the contemplation of sound it demands situates it in a very different tradition. A tradition of poetry honors poetry as being constructed of the the word, its building blocks raw sound. (Joseph Sannicandro)