Escaping the Undertow: Tool's "Lateralus"

Discussion and review of Tool’s 2001 album Lateralus

I discovered this album during the summer vacation that inspired this post

I consider this to be 2001’s Album of the Year

Finishing the Level: Crying's "Beyond the Fleeting Gales"

Given its humble new-agey album art and inscrutable title, I would have never given Crying’s Beyond the Fleeting Gales a second thought if not for one particularly intriguing review that praised its joyous complexity. When the album showed up in my Christmas booty, it immediately impressed me, especially from a performance standpoint. It had hyperkinetic drums and female vocals that threw shades of 90s loungers The Cardigans. I liked the pop-metal synthesizer and guitar interplay.  They keyboardist in particular seemed to have incredible chops that he channeled through vintage digital synthesizer sounds to paint an exuberant 80s feel throughout the entire album.

All this probably would have been enough for Beyond the Fleeting Gales to be an early 2017 favorite. After doing some research, however, I concluded that my interpretation of what Crying was up to was completely wrong, and that a deeper read of their work was in order.



I knew early on that Crying was considered a “chiptune” project, but I was blissfully unaware of what that meant. This designation specifically derives from their use of a modded Game Boy as an 8-bit sequencer for all of their synthesizer sounds. I admit that I felt a twinge of disappointment as I let go of the image of a fleet-fingered Wakeman protégé knocking out those arpeggios on a Juno, but the more I thought about it, the cooler it became.

Let’s start from the very simple fact that the Game Boy is in no way designed to be used as a sequencer. It's a video game system, and a rudimentary one by today’s standards, so I find it pretty impressive that Crying uses it to such great effect.  Guitarist/songwriter Ryan Galloway has tamed the unique sounding potential of the Game Boy and used it as a distinctive compositional tool that shapes the essence of what Crying does. Stripped of guitars, vocals, and drums, the synthesized aspects of Beyond the Fleeting Gales would not sound out of place on a Super Mario Brothers level. Its essentially rocked-out video game music, which gives rise to the album’s generally triumphant tone.



But the role of the Game Boy in Crying’s unique identity goes beyond the system’s musical affordances. As its primary use is as a gaming system, it is reasonable to surmise that video game music is a fundamental influence on the band’s overall musical concept. This assumption sheds some light on several other curious aspects of Crying’s image. For example, the band’s vibrant prog-pop aesthetic doesn’t seem to jibe with its ethereal, often playful packaging. The album art makes more sense, however, in the context of classic fantasy games. In fact, at first glance, the libretto could pass as a Legend of Zelda instruction manual.

Following along in the libretto reveals another possible layer to this influence. Although the melodies on Beyond the Fleeting Gales are compelling, the vocal performances are somewhat unassuming and are readily overshadowed by the Crying’s compelling instrumentalism. Its easy to overlook the lyrics.  A close read, however, reveals a succession of descriptive and surreal narratives that very well could be the story of an adventurer traveling through an imaginative platforming video game escapade.



Although I loved the idea of a band that purposefully collapsed the guitar histrionics of Neal Schon with the energy of 99 Luftballoons, I sense that these are my personal interpretations more than Crying’s intentions. Beyond the Fleeting Gales might be less about capturing musical nostalgia than reinterpreting the 8-bit gaming experience. This grants the album a genuine sense of exploration, and gives Crying a refreshing freedom that reminds me of the local bands in the 90s Dallas scene. Unlike those bands, however, Crying is not bound by any adherence to what is mainstream.  They instead seem to be taking quite a bit of personal satisfaction in using their unique background as a reservoir of inspiration to push their own musical boundaries.  

Math Rock pt. Three: Battles' 21st Century Virtuosity

Battles is somewhat of a “supergroup,” with its members coming from other well-established bands and backgrounds.  They showed up on my Amazon recommendations when I began to show interest in Don Caballero.  Although their 2004 releases EP B and C EP were both separately recommended, I didn’t really take an interest until I saw the official “Atlas” video in 2007.  At the time, this tune was everywhere (even as a background song in the PS3 game “Little Big Planet”) and judging by its DJ-ish sound, I assumed that Battles was primarily a studio project.

As I became more familiar with Battles, though, the math rock pedigree of the musicians opened up a different mode of technical and structural listening.  I realized that there if they were doing what I thought that they were doing, it would be even more impressive than if they had constructed their work in the studio

Well, they were doing what I thought they were doing.   Don't blink....
 

These guys are not only skilled musicians and brilliant conceptualists, but they also have a unique 21st century virtuosity that transcends and includes multi-instrumentalism.  The way that they use technology in a live setting makes it difficult to tell where their technique ends and the tech begins.  For example, Ian Williams is noticeably more proficient with his loops than he was on “American Don,” and he also expands those layers beyond just his guitar into keyboards and samples.  Williams is just one of the four musicians in Battles, and each one is similarly and uniquely virtuosic.  Listening within this framework, “Mirrored” shot up my personal charts, and was probably one of the top albums of 2008.

As an aside, I took an interest in the band exactly one week after they played down the street at Rubber Gloves in Denton.  Let's hear it for stubbornness one more time.... 

Last week, I finally ordered the “EP B/C EP” package, which combines the two EPs that were released before “Mirrored.”  Another fan once told me that they liked these releases better than “Mirrored” and while “EP B/C EP” is still simmering for me, I can certainly say that it does not disappoint in the least.  It has actually reinvigorated by interest in Battles.  There are fewer vocals and perhaps a bit more soundscaping, so it comes off a little more avant-garde than “Mirrored.”  It is, however, still precise and intense enough to satisfy my expectations.  There are lots of videos of them playing this material live, most of it in low-fidelity on phone cams.  

Now, this is the exciting part - it seems that “Gloss Drop,” Battles’ follow-up to “Mirrored,” is scheduled to be released this summer.  This is cause for joy, but there is a catch.  Lead singer/weird voice guy Tyondai Braxton left Battles to pursue his solo career (which looks really interesting – he’s on the list).  This is definitely an album I am looking forward to, but I will admit that I have a little apprehension over losing him.  We'll see....