EDITRIX – THE BIG E

Oh, this troubled beast. By far, the difficulties of remaining or creating something original become harder and harder each passing day. Locating different ways to interpret the same 3 or 4 chords utilized from decade to decade…well, it doesn’t leave much room to do a variety of things. So why not toss those chords to the wayside and work the unconventional? Your music teacher might look at you in disgust, but you’ll find solace in allowing the creativity to flow simply.

It’s safe to say the NY-via-MASS trio Editrix – guitarist/vocalist Wendy Eisenberg, bassist Steve Cameron, and drummer Josh Daniel – are on the fringe. The group doesn’t play anything many may not understand or appreciate, and with the group’s third full-length release, The Big E (Joyful Noise Recordings), I understand it because Eisenberg does have a unique voice and way of delivering it, which is reminiscent of the Wiggin sisters with its opening title track. But the band circles around her voice, and thoughts of post-hardcore and even post-punk fill my head for some reason, as the band, as a whole, more unconventionally creates walls of sonic dismay. You never actually know which way Editrix’s music is heading with odd time signatures and guitar notes flirting over rhythms. Make no mistake, the band can hold its own and you might even claim it’s a power trio (“The Jackhammer”), stroking melodies but never allowing them to come into fruition, instead leaning on the intensity of its collection of instruments.  

There’s an energy to the group, though, as it shows with the ability to hypnotize its listeners (“Another World”). It’s repetitive but not repetitious, and the group’s rhythmical output is unmatched. It may seem like a simple rhythm, but if you listen curiously to some of the other songs, you’ll find there’s more to the band than what you bargained for. Editrix’s time shift changes are crazy in the sense that they sometimes don’t make sense (“Real Fire”,) but you won’t even notice because it just might be two different songs melded together in some odd manner. It’s the buildup, though (“Flesh Debt”) that might just get your attention because here, this is when there’s something you can really hold onto without getting thrown off this out-of-control merry-go-round. But the eventual buildup of the song still morphs into something else!

With The Big E, Editrix does something quite extraordinary, offering semblances of free jazz while exposing that there’s more to music than just 3 chord changes. The movements within are astoundingly entertaining and creative.

BONEFLOWER – REVERIES

International artists are sometimes hard to pin down but when an artist comes with a self-proclaimed tag, it might seem like the easiest thing to dissect. But, not always. Styles have a way of playing on the senses offering one thing but seemingly doing another. In this case though, “post-hardcore” isn’t that far of a stretch and this one does find comfortability here within certain spaces.

Hailing from Madrid, Spain, Boneflower has just released its third long-player with Reveries (Deathwish Inc.) and yes, of course I thought it was something else before realizing where the band was going. Smoothly enough, the trio of Spaniards lays everything on the line through 13 tracks on the album. The 31-second piano-driven title track opener lays out a different path altogether right before its poignant “The Sun And The Moon.” While musically the song may come across ravagingly emotional, ala year 2000, but different. There is a sweet vocal deliver offset by another, screamo, in the background singing in unison. You might think it’s off-putting but it’s not. The band takes different approaches on the song, leaving it light and airy before pummeling and reining down the thunder. It’s an interesting combination and piece together masterfully with an infectious melody, even when it’s howled. You might find it stuck in your head for a few hours. This is the band’s method through much of it but other tracks, the vocals are shared.

The full-speed throttle of “Pomegranate” features Touché Amore’s Jeremy Bolm and it rises against the melodic clattering of instruments that barely allow for a breath here. Yeah, it’s stormy and sometimes it’s abrasive but hot damn(!), it’s smothered in gooey melodies and large wingspans of guitars. Guitars sometimes hit like lightning bolts, scraping against metal as screaming vocals match its rawness. The group’s blending of flavors is probably unmatched and its prowess utilizing instruments is off the wall. “Sad Bird” takes a different approach, sweetly caressing listeners before its explosion of shouted vocals. But when Boneflower seems to reach its pinnacle, is on “Estrella.” This Spanish-language track literally offers everything the band does best; crazed wall of sound, vocal & guitar melodies, coarse & grating voices, an over-the-top performance. Yeah, that’s what it has and it’s beautiful.

As mentioned earlier, Reveries moves differently from the rest of the pack, delving in more emotionally. The music? Bananas. It’s atmospheric & sweet but also caustic at the same time, usually within the same song(s). Easily malleable to anyone’s tastes.