Article

An Interview with Mike Savitkas of Death and Taxes

If you have not had the pleasure of listening to Death and Taxes debut CD "Tattooed Hearts and Broken Promises" you really have missed out on what I believe to be the best local (and possibly national) album of the year in 2007. For those unfamiliar with Death and Taxes their sound is unique, they are doing rock and roll like no one else is right now and I am for once excited about music again. Think gritty rock and roll licks like the Rolling Stones with a gritty, melodious baritone singing lyrics that are as deep and dark as anything put out by Leonard Cohen or Nick Cave. You get a glimpse into life, loss and a bit of triumph in this album and it really grabs you by the balls and says "Listen the fuck up."

One thing that has really struck me about the Death and Taxes debut CD is the musicianship. Upon first listen it is really easy to get lost in the booming vocals and the gritty, yet perfect guitar sounds of Jeff Morris; but to me what really shines about this band is its rhythm section. SteveToland's drumming is perfectly accompanied by the bass of Mike Savitkas who definitely subscribes to the less is more philosophy for the instrument. Boston Knuckleheads was lucky enough to be able to sit down with Mike, someone I have very limited knowledge of his musical history, and talk with him about music, Death and Taxes and 2008.

BKH: Mike, thanks for taking the time to sit down with Boston Knuckleheads. You've had a busy 2007, recording and Tattooed Hearts and Broken Promises with your Death and Taxes band mates Jeff Morris and Steve Toland. Also recording the Compulsive Fuck Up EP as part of the Unloved with Mark Lind and again on the new CD. Another big year planned for 2008?

Mike: Well, first off, Jeff and I contributed to Mark's new upcoming release, "The Truth Can Be Brutal." Neither one of us played on "Compulsive Fuck Up;" that CD was completed just before we first got together to do the now infamous first "Night Before Thanksgiving Fiasco" at TT's in '06. (laughing) Jeff and I did play on three internet only released songs of Mark's that were recorded at 51 Lions in Quincy back over the Summer at some point. Those were "I'll Be Around", "Be Your Man" and an electric version of "On the Outside" which was released acoustically on "CFU". That lineup really turned out to be a lot of fun considering it was originally just a one gig pickup band kind of thing; it was a blast, so we just kept on playing Mark's stuff out. Then Mark offered us the chance to do a CD with him and of course we jumped at the idea. I just recently got a copy of the master for the new Mark Lind & the Unloved CD last night, and I have to tell you I'm very happy with the results. It was quite a thrill for me to be able to have played on that and also on Death & Taxes "Tattooed Hearts & Broken Promises" That recording process (Death & Taxes) was one of the most amazing and gratifying experiences of my life. We all were really "ON" in the studio, and I think the recording really shows that off well. I don't think we left anything on the table with that recording. As for '08, I know we've got a bunch of shows coming up with some great bands. I'm hoping also to work hard at finding an audience for the new D&T material. I really think this stuff has appeal far beyond just the punk audience that has been so great to us thus far. I'm always amazed at the positive reaction we get out there playing.

BKH: Indeed, the Death and Taxes music is far reaching. Honestly that Death and Taxes CD is one of the best I've listened to recently. You guys really do your own thing and have separated yourself musically from most of Boston music - if not national music. How do you guys approach songwriting, I know Jeff does the lyrics, but is it a team effort with the music?

Mike: Hmm. Never really thought about this too hard, but Jeff usually hashes out the lyrics and basic chord structures, and then he might throw out some kind of basic idea about what the drum beat should be like and they he just starts playing. Once in a while he'll even let me know what key it is in first (laughing again)
Seriously, he just starts playing, and I try and form something that doesn't sound awful in there somewhere. Hell, a lot of those bass parts were developed on stage at shows. We'd run through a new song twice at practice on Wednesday , and then be playing it at the show that Friday or Saturday night. So yeah, a team effort. Steve comes up with the greatest little nuanced type stuff too. The guy blows my mind sometimes. There's a lot of "throwing bologna at the wall" to see what sticks musically for me while developing a song.

BKH: How long have you been playing with Jeff? Forgive me for not knowing much about your former bands, I know you played the Bruisers' reunion show and also with your Death and Taxes band mates in the Cadillac Hitmen; beyond that what other bands and/or experience do you have?

Mike: Okay, this might get complicated (laughing again) I knew who Jeff was when we were in high school, but we weren't really friends or anything. We ran in different circles, but I knew who he was. Actually, we played on opposing baseball teams when we were much younger than that. I can remember Jeff coming up to bat, as I was a catcher, and Jeff was as good a hitter as I recall. So yeah, a long friggin' time. We actually started to be friends when our girlfriends at the time were friends. This inevitably lead to guitar talk, since we were both guitar players. Both of us had played with Jay Crowley in the past. I had played with Jay between when I was in the seventh grade and my freshman year of high school. Jeff had played with Jay later on during High School. We both had played with a lot of the same guys around town. The Newburyport Music Scene wasn't very big.

Man, this could get long winded.

BKH: Keep going this is interesting stuff.

Mike: Jeff and I started terrorizing guitar stores together; we'd get together and try out amps, and guitars, and stuff like that, due to the fact that our girlfriends were friends. Well, my girlfriend split, and Jeff married his. This is probably in the late 80's. Anyway, we were friends but I had given up playing in bands in high school. I'd go to Bruisers shows sometimes and check out what Jeff was doing. We'd hang out , and Jeff would run these guitar parts past me that eventually evolved into The Cadillac Hitmen.

I'd give those guys a hand with stuff, because I liked being around the music deal, but didn't really feel like playing in a band. I'd get brought up on stage once in a while to play with those guys, and did actually play bass for one show where Tina couldn't make it due to an injury. I helped out with sound, and various other b.s. It was fun stuff.

Then at some point Jay Crowley managed to shame me into playing a set with him with his band; playing guitar that was. Jay's a fantastic player, and an old friend and it was a lot of fun. We hadn't payed together in 12 years at that point, and it felt like not a minute had gone by. It was old hat and fun. Well, Jay managed to convince me to play a few shows with him here and there on guitar, then one day, after not hearing from him in a while, he springs the idea of me playing bass for his "Blues band." It was really down and dirty, authentic sounding stuff. Not that cheesy white boy blues stuff that was so prevalent at the time. I kind of did it reluctantly. Yeah I had a bass, and had played bass in a band back in high school but I was more a guitar player in my mind. I said what the hell, and that got me playing again. That was really one bad ass Blues band and it kind of primed me for what was coming next.

Jeff had a gig with The Hitmen that Robert and Tina couldn't do, so the idea was floated for me to join up with Steve and Jeff, and do a 3 piece instrumental thing. The show was July 4th, and Jeff asked me if I was interested in doing this at 10 p.m. on July 2nd. HA! He emailed me a list of 33 songs to learn by the Fourth. No practice. Baptism by fire as they say. Well, somehow we pulled that deal off, having never really played in that configuration, and it was decided that maybe this would be a fun side project for those guys, and Jay had just moved to California so I was doing nothing.

That lineup became the Zuni Fetish Experiment which pushed the avante guard instrumental thing pretty far out there. It was a lot more improv-based on an existing theme, kind of like the old Jazz guys would do, only in a Power Trio Rock format. I like the Hendrix meets Miles Davis analogy. We did that for a while, and at some point during that Jeff asked me if I could give him a hand with another project.

Enter The Bruisers connection. Jeff asked if I could help out playing bass until they settled in on a lineup for The Bruisers' Reunion show. I went in as a "temp". at some point Al and Jeff asked me if I wanted to stay on because the feel was so good. That was a pretty big deal and I sure as hell wasn't going to turn that down.

That pretty much covers my stuff up until the beginning of D&T. There were quite a few years in there where I wasn't interested in playing in a band. I kind of got dragged back into it again (laughing) I'm glad I was though.

Shit, that was pretty long! Sorry.

BKH: That was great Mike, I'm sure the people who read the Knucklehead blog will love it. Mark Lind recently said of you, "I honestly think Mike is the best bass player I've ever seen or heard. No bullshit. Everything he plays is perfect. Never overdoes it but never leaves a stone unturned. And he isn't playing like a frustrated guitar player EVEN THOUGH he is still 100 times the guitar player I'll ever be and even rivals Maestro on occasion. Lots of taste and that's what makes good bass playing." I have to admit, your playing on Tattooed Hearts is phenomenal. Are you self taught? Lessons? I have heard you can not read tablature but read music, so I am assuming you've had some formal training.


Mike: I have a disclaimer - I can read music but haven't for well over 20 years now. I also never could read music as it applied to guitar or bass. I'll try and explain and be brief.

I started playing music when I could reach the keys on my dad's piano at about age 4ish. I had some formal training with piano and saxophone as a kid. I could read pretty well when it came to sax. I picked up a guitar for the first time around age 8. Started playing seriously around the seventh grade, and got some lessons that taught me the basic chords, and a bunch of songs. All chord stuff, not reading actual written music as it applies to guitar. I got a cheap-o Spiegel Catalog used bass in the eighth grade, and managed to get myself a used Fender Precision around the ninth grade. I am completely self taught at bass and mostly self taught with guitar, beyond the basic chordal stuff. I play by ear. I have no idea what notes are on the fretboard past the E and A stings beyond the seventh fret. I just don't care what they are. I just pick the ones that sound right.

Tab is a mess. It's all upside down and stuff. Makes no sense to me.

BKH: Do you have a favorite bass to play? I know you're a big supporter of Rondo musics' gear.

Mike: Oh yeah, I love Rondo's stuff. A little bit of tweaking and those things can really smoke for short short money. Really well built and with a couple of upgrades can rival stuff that cost many many times more. The blue P-bass copy that I play out most of the time is an SX bass from Rondo. That's kind of my main "workhorse" these days, although I do have a few others. Another SX P bass copy, that I got for $75 with a gig bag used, an Epiphone Jack Cassady Signature bass, and a Bacchus single coil P-style bass. That one (the Bacchus) is a Japan market only, hand-made bass and is awesome. I do play the Blue SX the most though. That thing just rocks like crazy. My favorite will always be "Mary Anne" though. That's the old worn looking Fender Precision that I still will drag out to a show now and then. That one kind of went into semi-retirement after The Bruisers reunion show. That was my main and only bass for a good long time and will always be my favorite. We have a long history together, and she's the one that brought me to the dance so to speak. That's the bass that's on all the studio stuff.


BKH: Do you have a favorite track to play of the new CD?

Mike: Let's see... (thinking)... to play....I guess I like the bass line in "Hold On" . That's a fun one to play. Nothing real fancy. There's just something I like about that one. I love to listen to the tile track "Tattooed Hearts & Broken Promises" but it's my least favorite to play live.

BKH: Mike, I really want to thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Do you have anything you want to add?

Mike: Yes, I should probably go get a hockey helmet, because Jeff is going to smack me upside the head for being so long winded. (Laughing) As my mom would say, "Michael, when someone asks you what time it is, don't tell how to build a watch" Words to live by.

BKH: How about a plug for your next show before you go? I've also heard you'll be on the Hometown Throw Up this year opening for Darkbuster.

Mike: Yup, that one's on the weekend of my birthday. The (edited) anniversary of my 23rd birthday. Can't wait. We're playing with Darkbuster, Far From Finshes , Energy, and the 86'ed in Nashua N.H. tommorow night (Friday January 4th), and I can't remember any of the other ones. I have to go check on line to figure out where I'm supposed to be (laughing agian) Thanks Tony, and everyone else for the interst in the band. It's been great getting out there and playing this stuff.

I can't emphasize enough how impressed I am with Death and Taxes, and strongly encourage anyone who loves music, especially rock and roll, to pick up this CD. Tattooed Hearts and Broken Promises is available through I Scream records online and at Newbury Comics stores. For more information, tour dates and music samples please visit the band's myspace page at :

http://www.myspace.com/deathntaxesband

Poetry

I Went Tonight


I went tonight

To see young punk bands

and came through the late, slushy March snow

To see the young grafiti/hip-hop artists

creating a mural across the street at the local YMCA

& my old friend

Yeah, the same age as me

old, as I've known him awhile

old, as we're both middle-aged

he's feeling a bit bored with life and it all

& I'm thinking

The vitality of the young ones are keeping me feeling young

& I'm thinking

I'd rather hang with these

than retire with my own

into their caves

into their adult responsibilities

I never eally believed it before tonight

age was just a number

a state of mind

Now, I've learned something

Latest Commentary

Complain, Complain, Complain

I was going to complain about a couple things that happened at work today, but instead I'm going to relay a magical embarrassing incident that happened to me while I was in college. This is a true story.

On a crisp Fall afternoon, I geared up to exit Ryder Hall at Northeastern University after class and I prepared myself for the lovely experience that always ensues when one takes the Orange Line out of Ruggles station. I gazed up at the clock and smiled as my fellow students also triumplantly gathered their belongings in a rush to scoot out the door. Afternoon classes had finished and everyone was psyched. Before I made my way to Ruggles station, I decided that I better stop and use the can. I can't stand the feeling of having to pee and not being able to do anything about it. I entered the girls bathroom on the first floor of Ryder Hall and unfortunately had to wait for there were about 3 other girls ahead of me in line. Surprise surprise. After impatiently waiting for several minutes while listenting to the three clucking hens talk about he said she said bullshit, I quickly ran into the stall, did my business in one swoop, pulled my jeans up in a huff, exited the stall, washed my hands, and abruptly left the restroom. Feeling on top of the world after that...I proceeded out the doors of Ryder Hall and strolled over to Ruggles station. Now mind you...I was wearing jeans, a belly shirt, and my big black minnie mouse shoes (for those of you who know me, you know the shoes)...I LOVE those shoes. Sure they make me about 6'1...but I absolutely adore them. They're my power shoes...I feel good when I wear them. But considering that this is Northeastern University, I stuck out like a sore thumb next to all the Abercrombie jocks and American Eagle ho's. So I walked my bum over to Ruggles feeling like a sexy beast in my cool outfit. I waited for the train...got on the train...and took it all the way to Wellington where my car was parked in the garage. Wellington is QUITE the place! Well not really...but you used to have to take this mechanical tram over to the parking garage. They recently got rid of the tram because it was a big pain in the ass to upkeep and it kept breaking. Regardless...I pressed the button to call the tram to come over from the parking garage to pick me up. I stood there waiting patiently with one other guy....he was rather clean cut...maybe in his 40's...he looked like he left work early or something (by this point it was about 3 pm). The tram comes...the nightmare begins.

The two of us entered the tram and the doors closed. I stood despite there being available seats because the ride over to the parking garage is literally 1 minute long. The other man stood as well. All of the sudden...he says:"Um...I don't know how to tell you this, it's kind of embarrassing..." My cheeks turned red...was he speaking to me? "You have...something hanging out the back...there..." His stubby finger pointed gingerly toward my nether-region. To my horror...I pulled a trail of toilet paper about 2 feet long out of the butt of my jeans...out of my Hanes underwear...out of...my asscrack. My heart leapt up into my throat. Had I not just so confidently strutted my stuff from Ryder Hall to Ruggles to Wellington with a 2 foot piece of dangly toilet paper trailing from my butt??? Had I seriously done that?? I HAD!! And this poor soul told me. I don't know what would be worse...if he hadn't of told me...or the fact that he DID!At that point, the embarrassment set in so badly that tears formed in my eyeballs...and I utilized the empty seat. In a matter of 15 seconds...I had gone from Queenie to TP Trailer! I held that balled up piece of toilet paper in my little sweaty hand and prayed that the guy wouldn't look me in the eye again. The tram stopped...I stormed out...and threw that piece of ass toilet paper on the ground. Take that!I guess the moral of the story is...whenever you think you're hot shit...I've got a news flash for you...you probably aren't.

HAHA Reprinted by the kind permission of Cindy Lou Spoiler

Poetry

Fitting In

Fitting into the boxes

That society asks you to check off

Don't realize that these boxes were created

By those who desired and therefore made new ones, 'cause none existed

Now ripped off, acclaimed & museumed

While the spirit of youth boils over & causes a mess

on the neat, suburban, linen cloth, dinnerware ideals of the dull

Youth, truth, love

it will always disturb

cause problems, and you'll always co-op, corrupt it

But the truth and beauty

will shine

beyond your vacant money dreams

your empires and enterprises

your corrupt, diseased, desires will not live on

But the truth, the lust, the passion, the fun

will piss on your accomplishments

and show how vapid and meaningless

they really are

Like they really had to

Yeah, purchase your cheap, overpriced luxury

It's what you deserve, by all means

You deserve the best

Article

Getting Church
An Interview with Nick Blakey
by Eric Doberman
Photo by Chris Keene

Church, Boston’s newest rock club, sits in the shadow of Fenway Park and the Medical District on the corner of two nondescript streets called Kilmarnock and Queensbury.


It is diagonally across from the plot where Jumping Jack Flash, the first nightclub I ever attended as an “adult” (according to a fake ID), once stood.

I had been to many all ages shows of course, but club shows are a whole different animal and I would soon learn that at Flash, as it was called. For me that summer night in 1985 marked the beginning of a long and often bizarre journey through the world of nightlife.

Along the way I met Nick Blakey, back in the mid 1990s when I was doing house sound at T.T. the Bears in Cambridge and he was playing in a band called Pretty Flowers. Those were wet days for me, and he recalls a conversation we had better than I, but I still remembered him fondly the next time we got to chat a good decade later. This time around it was he who was working at a club and I who was playing and I remember the conversation clearly. We were talking about the soon to be opened club Church where he would be assuming the role of what he likes to refer to as “booker”.

As the impressive, medium capacity venue got off the ground I decided to continue the discussion in interview form. Here is Nick Blakey in his own words.

BKH: Could you describe your first experience as a patron of a nightclub?
Nick: This would be late 1986 when I was 12 and seeing Chris Isaak and Silvertone with my mother at The Design Centre in San Francisco.

The Design Centre was not a nightclub per say but hosted rock shows from time to time (American Music Club played there around the same time as well, though I sadly did not see them then). My mother was a big fan, as was I and still am (particularly his first album, Silvertone, engineered beautifully by Tom Mallon). I was a bit precocious as a child and I hung around a lot in local record stores, saving up my milk money to buy records (mostly Beatles related at that time). I got to know one clerk by the name of Roy Loney, who I just knew as a cool guy and had no idea then of his significance as a founding member of The Flamin' Groovies.

Anyhow, Kenny, Chris Isaak's drummer, had played with Roy so when we entered the Design Centre I spotted Kenny leaning against a rail and asked him if he was Chris Isaak's drummer. When he said yes, I told him I knew Roy Loney and that he said hello and the conversation went from there. Kenny was very gracious and even asked my mother for a date (which she sadly turned down). After the show, Kenny took me back stage and introduced me to the band and got me their autographs. I remember in particular Chris was very tired and sweaty but very funny and kind.

As to the performance, I thought it was pretty cool that it wasn't overtly loud. I was also quite fascinated by Jimmy Wilsey's constant swapping of guitars, and I asked the soundguy why he was doing that and he told me that one had effects and one didn't. He was cool, and didn't give me any of that "get away kid, you're botherin' me" shit.

For the encore, Chris came out with a squeezebox strapped to his chest and announcing the song as one that he and Jimmy knew from their childhood. The entire audience erupted, and people took to dancing on the stage, so much to the point where the song couldn't really be heard save for the drums. I know I thought that the whole thing was pretty cool.

BKH: How did Church come about, and how did you come to be its talent buyer?
Nick: The first part of the question is best answered by Church's owners, Kristian Deyesso and Chris Tocchio. It is 100% their concept and baby. Me I just book the music and DJ's. I have always wanted to be the booker at a club. I've been booking and brokering shows independently since 1995 in the Boston area and handled most of the bookings that The Takers, a band I was in 2000-2002, did. Kristian was a good friend of our drummer Chris Keene and used to come and see us play a lot. When Church was being set up, Chris built the new sound system and when Kristian and Chris asked about who he thought would be a good booker for Church, he graciously suggested me. "Talent Buyer" sounds so too Hollywood Boulevard to my ears, so I just go by booker.

BKH: You’re a musician yourself. Tell me about some of the bands you’ve been involved with in that capacity.
Nick: I'm currently the bass player of The In Out having rejoined the group last September after leaving the band back in the Summer of 2000 (to join The Takers as bass player). I had initially joined The In Out in Spring of 1998 as their drummer (I have played both bass and drums since I was a teen).

Prior to this I served as Peter Prescott's bass player for the last two Kustomized gigs in 1996 and the first two years of The Peer Group 1996-98. Before then I was in a number of bands that revolved around a core crew of myself, Ron Gittens, and Tim Morse (Tim is now the drummer in The In Out). Some of the groups had nasty names just for the sake of having nasty names, but the better known ones were Pretty Flowers (whose first gig was playing with The In Out at TT's with sound being done by a certain Mr. Doberman) and Black Arkatechs.

Some of my rewarding and/or educational experiences came with my serving as a substitute player in Black Helicopter (one gig as drummer), Cul de Sac (one gig as bass player), and The Nightingales (one tour as bass player).

BKH: What is your philosophy of putting together and presenting shows?
Nick: Pure eclecticism and balance, perhaps? Make things interesting but keep things right. Leave both the bands and the audience happy, though know that you can't please all of the people all of the time no matter what you do. Be upfront and honest, practice clear communication. Know that whoever goes up the ladder will eventually come down it. I think that would be it in a nutshell.

I learned a lot about how I didn't think things should go show-wise in my initial years playing around Boston 1996-98. Frankly I think things are better for bands in the Boston area now than they were then, though the audiences have changed. However, there seems to be less competition in this city and more of a sense of both the clubs and the bands working together towards a more common goal of great shows overall rather than working against each other.

I also like to be pro-active and go in pursuit of bands rather than letting them come to me. Being pro-active paid off a lot when I worked in the liquor industry so my application of that philosophy to the booking side of things has at least birthed some interesting shows.

Along these lines as well, so many times you hear a band and go "Wow, they should really play with…" I like to make those kind of things happen rather than merely think about it. John Powhida of The Rudds always told me how much he loved The Upper Crust and how he'd never played with them, so that is part of the reason The Rudds and The Upper Crust are on the same bill together at Church New Year's Eve.

BKH: I’m curious as to any demographic and economic changes have you observed in club land over the past ten years. Could you discuss this?
Nick: I take the fifth on this one as things seem to be ever-changing still.

BKH: What have you found to be the biggest challenge in your work thus far? How have you coped with it?
Nick: Filtering and predicting how some shows will do. A couple of shows I thought would be sure things turned out not so well owing to a variety of reasons. That theoretical roulette wheel that can be spun some times when it comes to live shows can be damn frustrating, but the thing to do is to learn from it and put that into practice.



BKH: I’m a big fan of your practice of ending shows by one so that people who want to stay until last call can hang out. How did you come up with it?
Nick: I've missed too many shows and bands that I wanted to see simply because there was no way I would be able to see the bands I wanted to without having to shell out an extra $20 which I didn't really have for a cab ride home. So part of this was based on wanting to make it so folks could catch the T home or at least have an option.

I also played a lot of shows where the last note would be hit and the clubs would basically say "Thank you...now get the fuck out". Most bands like to ease off the stage after their shows, meet the fans, thank their friends, sell merch, and generally mosey on out rather than feel like they are being kicked out. It tends to cut down on equipment being left behind or bad feelings being formed. Also, the hour between 1 and 2 AM after a show seems to be when some of the most interesting and/or funny stuff goes down.

BKH: Tell me about the most hilarious thing that’s happened at Church to date.
Nick: Definitely ask our bartender Matt or bar manager Adam about this. They've seen more stuff in the post-midnight hours already in just the nearly six weeks we've been open than most folks see in their entire lives.

BKH: How does Church’s proximity to Fenway Park affect your work?
Nick: We're still looking at that aspect. Don't get me started on this.

BKH: Lastly do you have any specific goals regarding Church for 2008 or any big shows on the horizon people should be aware of?
Nick: Goals would be to just keep things going at a steady and strong pace and keep the shows cool and interesting. I would really love it if folks just started showing up because they felt the music was good, regardless if it was metal, rock, punk, cabaret, or avant garde, and worth seeing. I'd love to host a Zulus or DMZ reunion, the eventual live re-appearance of Certainly, Sir, John Cale, Tuxedomoon, The Fall, Bob Welch, Harvey Sid Fisher, and many more that reside on my wish list.

We've got some cool stuff coming up, including NY multi instrumentalist and artist/inventor Brian Dewan with The Army of Broken Toys on 12/22, a Lars Vegas reunion on 12/27, The Upper Crust plus the return of The Rudds and TRiPLE THiCK on New Year's Eve. Coming up in 2008 we've got Cheap Time from Nashville on 1/6, Eugene Robinson of Oxbow doing spoken word on 1/14, the vintage psychedelic band The Maypole on 2/15, two nights of The Figgs on 2/29 and 3/1, and the A.C. 20th Anniversary Show in May. We keep the Church MySpace site as up to date as possible so tune in there for more.

CD Review

Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)

A friend ripped me a copy of this CD recently and I had no idea who Burial was prior. After listening I'm intrigued to learn more, but as I'm finding out, not many people know who this guy is.

This album is downright eerie, but in a good way. Dark beats which come off sounding mechanical and simplistic combine with deep textured bass and keyboard patterns to form a melancholy back drop for the manipulated vocal samples that are often soaked in reverb and delays. There's also a constant record crackle throughout the album which pretty much ties it all together.

Burial uses the vocal samples more as an instrument and less as a "lyric" in standard song structure. There are no verses or choruses in these tracks, which makes the album have more of an instrumental feel. But that's not to say there is no meaning in the few words that are present. In fact, he says very little in order to say a lot. Take the album's title song "Untrue", with the lone vocal being "The pain I feel inside, and its all because you lied".

Pain and anguish is the common theme I get from this disc which is rare to find in UK club music. To read an interview with Burial from the UK's Guardian, he explains how he would wait for nightfall or summer to end in order to work on the album. He said he enjoyed working on it while knowing everyone else was asleep. The music and its mood reflect this notion throughout. If you're into darker underground UK club music, this is a great album for you. It reminds me of early Tricky, The Baby Namboos, or even The Streets. I'm not sure where in the States you can find it in CD form, but is available through i-tunes.

Poetry

Poem for the Holidays

Reject from a toy factory

My friend Andy liked to say

And as Christmas rounds the corner

Presents!

And I think of the underground rock scene

How I think of them as

The Island of Misfit Toys

Another Xmas reference

Rejects, misfits

Square pegs in round holes

Seems to be what we seem to be

Finding a common passion

A freedom from judgment and compromise bind us together

We’re rejects

Unwanted, unneeded

Rejected, passed on

But it’s from a toy factory

That’s what life is-so should we really care?

We’re privileged to have the guts

To attempt our own way

And I find myself blessed

To be amongst

The most retched, disgraced, scarred

Beautiful souls

I’ve known