Redder Records Presents: "Metaphysics for Beginners" Reviews:

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This compilation of goodness has a song for everyone. Will and Robert Creeley beatbox the intro. The Gloria Record and Snow Globe mellow things out while Saturday Looks Good to Me furthers along the daydeam process. Figurine and Satellite Grooves definitely give you something to move to. King of Like Spitting and The Ghost bring the downhome, alt-country feel, and Make Believe and The Detachment Kit’s gut-wrenched, heart-felt vocals without a doubt send this record into my frequent playlist for the summer.

Compilation albums, by nature, tend to be hit-or-miss affairs, although this sampler of Redder Records’ stable is more the former than the latter. What will strike listeners right off the bat is the amazing consistency of sound among the label’s roster; there’s definitely a college radio vibe to the disc, with the jerky, electro-rock noises of Chicago’s Detachment Kit (“Hustle”) sitting snugly beside the chiming, dreamy pop of the Gloria Record’s “L’anniversaire Triste.” Highlights include the Sufjan Stevens lo-fi sound experiments on “How Can the Stone Remain?” and the beautiful emo-pop of “Tubin’” by Hockey Night, which are offset by the harder rocking “Kodiak” by the Zykos, out of Austin, TX. For the most part, the songs on the album lean towards the softer, more contemplative—some might say esoteric—side, but for fans of shoe-gazing college alternative rock, this compilation offers a fine buffet of new sounds to taste and tempt.

The folks at Redder Records must be pretty swell to have made so many friends in only a year’s time. For Metaphysics for Beginners, they’ve cobbled together rare and unreleased tracks from some of college radio’s current favorite sons: A Walkmen-by-way-of-Muse exercise from the Detachment Kit, an unused gem from Sufjan Stevens’ electronic recordings, a bubbling remix from Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service, DNTEL)’s other-other band, Figurine. The comp also introduces new Redder discovery Kalpana, a promising mix of Chicago-style noise and post-rock atmosphere.

Metaphysics for Beginners is much more than a label sampler for upstate New York label Redder Records. While featuring the label’s impressive roster, it also has rare or unreleased tracks by some of indie rock’s best bands. It’s an interesting blend, including some songs you might not expect to hear from these artists, and the ones you won’t get anywhere else make this the kind of compilation you want to seek out.

Detachment Kit and Gloria Record both are true to form, with the former’s brand of aggressive post-hardcore and the latter’s glorious, beautiful, melodic rock on the live “L’anniversaire Triste.” Yet there’s some unique offerings by bands that you might not expect, like the intriguing remix of Zykos’ “Kodiak,” Sufjan Stevens’ odd mix of folk and electronic bleeps and boops on “How Can the Stone Remain,” and the Ghost’s suitably named Midwest reprise—read countrified—“Red Slippers, Red Wheels.” Saturday Looks Good to Me offer a surprisingly retro pop offering with “Record Store,” and one of the first ever songs from Joan of Arc side-project Make Believe here portends wonderful stuff from this new band. Another unique track is “Anchor” by Satellite Grooves, a kind of post-new-wave track that is unique enough to be enjoyable in a New Order sort of way.

The album also has the post-rock instrumental “Sic” by Kalpana, the post-rock brilliance of From Monument to Masses’ “Conclusions That Don’t Conclude,” and the laid-back electro-pop remix of Figurine’s “Rewind.” Rockets and Bluelights is a new band to me, but I like the post-hardcore/post-rock “Forest Green and Autumn.” The folky Kind of Like Spitting offers “You Got Served,” another wonderful song from another of my favorite singer/songwriter projects. And the almost singer/songwriter Love of Everything close with one of the best songs I’ve heard from this project, the laid-back “Sky Falls Down.”

Snowglobe’s almost psychedelic-feeling “Comforted” is a favorite here, mixing unique effects with a very laid-back, almost folk vibe. Summer at Shatter Creek have a lovely track of repetitive but dreamy pop; “Everything” cements this project as one of my favorite new ones. In fact, there’s not a single bad track on this release, although I’m not a fan of Hockey Night’s silly “Tubin’,” so much.

The packaging for Metaphysics is wonderful, designed by Chip Wass, illustrator for various magazines, and the compilation features an odd sort of rap introduction by poet Robert Creeley. Taken in whole, this is a wonderful release and a fine introduction to what is rapidly becoming one of my new favorite labels.

The art of the mix tape is one that almost any self-respecting, record-collecting music obsessive takes deadly seriously, and record-label sponsored compilation albums, despite the slightly commercial touch (even from the most underground of labels), can sometimes reach that holy grail of intimacy. Rochester New York’s Redder Records takes its fist stab at the art of the mix tape with a compilation that draws from a wildly unpredictable breadth of material.

Of course, everyone knows that a good mix has to be diverse, so that means you can’t have, say, four pop punk songs in a row, unless of course you work at Vagrant Records. You’ve got to keep things unexpected. Throw in some imbalance, some non-sequiturs- never let the listener think he’s got you figured out. Since the good folks behind Redder Records have brains and all that, you know you won’t be spoon-fed some sappy list of has been emo bands. In fact, the line-up on Metaphysics for Beginners is so diverse, it sounds like a cool college radio station that knows what its doing.

After the Ken Nordine-esque introduction by Will and Robert Creely, the Detachment Kit gets things rocking with its angular post-punk and embittered vocals on “Hustle.” Rochester’s Kalpana takes the rock to the next level with a tense instrumental of noisy, discordant guitars and piston-fire drumming. Letting out a bit of testosterone – so as not to alienate the ladies–The Gloria Record gets all introspective and slightly out of tune on the chiming “L’anniversaire Triste” recorded live at the Metropol.

Snowglobe’s ethereal “Comforted” slows things way down, drawing you into the heart of the compilation. The song’s soporific hook repeats throughout, as distant noises and blips whiz by your ears. Lazy, languid vocals unfurl amidst a growing chorus of soundscapes. It’s one of those songs that just makes you space out completely. Sufjan Stevens goes unexpectedly electronic on “How Can the Stone Remain?” The beat is fairly buoyant compared to his typically downtrodden songs. Machinated clashes fill the space that Steven’s usually leaves open for dramatic effect.

From Monument to Masses’ wiry, instrumental post-rock contradicts Steven’s reflective tone. Figurine’s remix of “Rewind” introduces full-fledged electro-pop into the mix, but Saturday Looks Good To Me offers the wildest curveball yet with “Record Store”, which sounds like Leslie Gore at the 1958 prom in a poodle skirt as heard through a tin can on a string. Rockets and Blue Lights (Close at Hand) peppers the ebb and flow of its dissonant guitars with random screams and expansive, tense interplay. Summer at Shatter Creek halts your herky jerky dancing with a darkly repetitive, piano laced dirge that yields dramatic crescendos.

You get the idea. Every single song moves in slightly unexpected directions. Even the bands whose music you think you know and have preconceived notions about tender small surprises. Kind of Like Spitting’s “You Got Served” adds a folkish flair and sense of resignation to Ben Barnett’s typically emotive and tortured acoustic lilts, and Make Believe’s electronic ballad defies any expectations one might have for anything involving Tim Kinsella. For one, “Brittany’s Favorite” is unpretentious, which is a big step for Mr. Kinsella, and secondly, it’s melodic and memorable.

Metaphysics for Beginners proves that compilations from record companies don’t have to be self-serving, burdensome commercials for a team roster. In fact, Redder Records goes out of its way to include music it wants to expose you to, which is the real goal of any mix-maker. Well, besides wanting to get laid.

So here’s an introduction to Redder Records, who have compiled an assortment of unreleased and rare tracks for the listening ear. The first glance is certainly positive, with the compilation coming in digipack-form, the front-cover containing Swiss cheese-esque holes, which is all very aesthetically pleasing. The tracklisting is particularly impressive for a new label, with the likes of the Gloria Record, Saturday Looks Good to Me and the Ghost contributing new songs. Compilations by their very nature are diverse and varied, which needs to be taken into consideration, so what better way than to review each track separately? So, here goes:

Will and Robert Creeley — A novelty intro to Metaphysics for Beginners, with a short rap/human beat-box combo spouting verses such as “Music is my man, I make it as I can.” A relative smile-raiser, but too many listens has me reaching for the skip button.
Detatchment Kit — Drinking from the same fountain as Les Savy Fav, the Detatchment Kit’s track “Hustle” is quirky, edgy, solid and in many ways a good way to kick-start a compilation.

Kalpana — There’s not too much to get your teeth into here with discordant instrumentalists Kalpana. Their sound is quite formidable if a bit flat and directionless. The first real dud.

The Gloria Record — Another graceful breeze of emotion and subtle intensity from a band that never fails to deliver. The guitars are as twinkly as ever, the progressions seamless and Chris Simpson’s voice as timidly distinctive. This live version of “L’anniversaire Triste” is a delicate classic.

Snowglobe — Strangely compelling indie-rock. Snowglobe build on one idea, adding layers of delay and various other indescribable effects before locking into a gentle rhythm. Worthy of taking note, for sure.

Zykos — This is a remix of their song “Kodiak”, making it quite difficult to comment on the band itself. The remix is quite reminiscent the Postal Service, with a steady electronic pattern of blips and bleeps and a nice vocal riff. Quite catchy, I’d like to hear the original.

Sufjan Stevens — “How Can the Stone Remain?” ambles along with its pop sensibility, a simple keyboard pattern playing second fiddle to more bleeps and blips with raspy vocals playing an effective focal role. Not too far removed from the preceding track.

From Monument to Masses — “Conclusions That Don’t Conclude” is possibly the compilation’s standout track. From Monument to Masses shift through textured elements of post-rock, compiling a sophisticated structure of dynamic rhythms and twisting guitar-lines. Early Tortoise would be an apt starting point, but FMTM are good enough to hold their own in the instrumental rock division.

Figurine — Jimmy Tamborello’s more playful side can be observed in Figurine, whose remixed track “Rewind” is in equal parts heartfelt and poppy, taking Dntel’s elegance and The Postal Service’s bounce. Male and female vocals correspond with each other over synths that ooze pop sensibility.

Saturday Looks Good to Me — Look up "twee" in the dictionary and find a picture of Saturday Looks Good to Me. There are limits to how much sugar a song can be coated with, and unfortunately SLGTM have surpassed these limits, from the weak shuffling beats to the grating trumpet solo at the end.

The Ghost — A new country-rock side to the Ghost can be observed with “Red Slippers, Red Wheels”. It’s every bit as trite as Travis.

Rockets and Bluelights — Just when I thought Metaphysics was failing on me Rockets and Bluelights save the day. “Forest Green and Autumn”, taken from their 10-inch, is a gift of melancholy wrapped up in twinkly guitars, with sporadic cries of desperation. A prominent late-90’s Midwestern influence is present, but Rockets and Bluelights offer enough integrity to set themselves aside from the pack.

Summer at Shatter Creek — An incredibly stagnant piano/guitar/tambourine-compromised affair that lacks pretty much everything I’d look for in a song. Stale as shit.

Kind of Like Spitting — One-dimensional, dull and characterless. A few open chords played behind an easily-forgotten vocal melody.

Make Believe — Thank God. Tim Kinsella’s new Make Believe, which I understand to be Joan of Arc’s actively rocking alter-ego, are full of zip and the quirky edge usually associated with the aforementioned. Tim shouts and screams over a simple yet effective chord pattern, which descends into noodly-Owls-esque territory towards the end. Another focal point for Metaphysics.

Satellite Grooves — Another dose of electro-pop is provided by Satellite Grooves. “Anchor” is cute and bouncy, drawing from the same bag as, although perhaps trailing, Figurine; a positive aspect to Metaphysics none-the-less.

Hockey Night — A lucky dip of bland clichés and corny riffs you’d expect from musical beginners.

Love of Everything — Although indistinctive, “Sky Falls Down” ambles along with a sense of gentle charm. An endearing acoustic number with placid drumming and slightly off-key vocals ends the compilation off nicely.

So there we have it—a journey characterized by crests and troughs. Despite the troughs, Metaphysics has acted as an introduction to bands and artists worthy of a second glance, which is essentially a fundamental role for any compilation album. For every Hockey Night there’s a For Monument to Masses, which proves that Metaphysics for Beginners is successful in serving its purpose as an insight to new music. Hats off to Redder Records for having the balls to put this out.

*7 of 10 rating

I like good comps. I like good comps that have a mix of bands that I already love and a collection of great artists I’ve never heard of, and though comps are a dime a dozen, that one really trully good compilation record is indeed rare. I’ve gotta say that Redder Records’ newest compilation, Metaphysics for Beginners, is one of those good comps. After just one glimpse of this record’s artwork—really cute comic-book style imagery by Chip Wass—it’s really hard not to fall for this record.

As for the music, it’s a great collection of young indie-rock bands, many of whom already were on my crush list. Zykos’ remix of “Kodiak” transforms singer Michael Booher into a diva of electronica. (I still owe him a hug.) Saturday Looks Good to Me offers up “Record Store,” a great track from one of their impossible-to-find Cd-R releases. There are great songs by Detatchment Kit, the Gloria Record, Kind of Like Spitting, the Ghost and Sufjan Stevens, too. I’m most in love with the exclusive Make Believe song, “Brittany’s Favorite Version.” It sounds like classic Joan of Arc, yet it also sounds like something completely new.

Metaphysics for Beginners is simply a nice little compilation of some great—and unfortunately obscure—indie-rock artists. If you’re looking for a fun record, then you could do a lot worse than this little collection.

Variety makes for a good compilation, but a comp must also have something that keeps your attention. Redder Records’ Metaphysics for Beginners keeps the sound progressive throughout this recording, which makes it enjoyable to listen to and negates that “ho-hum vibe” that label collections usually have lurking in the shadows, just waiting to spring on you.

The bands the Gloria Record, Detachment Kit, From Monument to Masses and Make Believe all have strong cuts on the album, each one ranging from lo-fi mellow-whiny rock to straight-up pop and then back again. The best thing a compilation can do is deliver bands you’ve never heard of and sound good while doing so. Pick this up if you can.

*3 of 5 rating

I hate comps. You might get a few good songs from bands, but generally, I only like about 3-4 songs on most comps. What Redder Records has done, though, deserves some merit. Each song on here is either un-released or rare or live (which could really fall into either previous category). And most of these songs are sweet. Seriously.

”Hustle” by Detachment Kit is a garage-rock Hot Hot Heat sorta thing. It’s followed by the instrumental “Sic (Version)” by Kalpana, featuring noises and metal riffs. I don’t know how to describe it better. But it’s not bad. And then it gets slower and spacier for a live track by Gloria Record. Which isn’t bad, but the vocals are out of tune, so I generally have to skip it. If you don’t know Gloria Record, it’s sort of poppy, melody laden indie-rock.

Snowglobe’s “Comforted” deserves a lot of credit for being awesome. They deliver a sort of ambient Sigur Ros-esque track, complete with a shit-ton of layers and even some strings and a muted trumpet. A lot of dial turning. And spacey, almost chanted vocals. Really a stand out track.

From there, we get Zykos’s “Kodiak (Appogee Remix)” which is an electronica take of what seems to have been a general indie rock song. It’s not bad and the programming is nice and interesting. The CD continues with it’s electronica theme with Sufjan Stevens’ “How Can the Stone Remain?” It’s a poppy track that features lots of fun noises and layers and mods. People would probably draw comparisons to the Postal Service, since that’s probably the most popular piece of indie-electronica out these days.

In order to keep things fresh and exciting, this comp then heads in a completely different direction with a live track from “From Monument to Masses.” It’s a jazz-influenced mostly-instrumental jam that features excellent technical musicianship. And then we get Figurine’s “Rewind” remixed by Jimmy Tamborello of DNTEL and the Postal Service fame. Which is extremely obvious when listening to it. It’s nice to hear the soft, poppy vocals over Tamborello’s beats.

And then it changes directions again completely. Saturday Looks Good to Me’s “Record Store” is a 60’s pop throw-back reminiscent of the later 70’s Velvet Underground (not to mention the vocals remind me of Nico). It’s even recorded and mixed to sound crappy like it actually was recorded in the 60’s. It’s definitely pleasing to the ear. And after that, the Ghost pops out a country-tinged acoustic ditty entitled “Red Slippers, Red Wheels (Midwest Reprise).” Definitely a different style for this band. It really reminds me of the Weakerthans’ live, country version of “Confessions of a Futon Revolutionist” that appears on the Hopless Records Sampler.

Rockets and Bluelights change things up with their noise-indie-technical-post-hardcore. “Forest Green and Autumn” is the name of the track. And it’s loud. And it’s layered. And it’s good. And there’s screaming, but no trace of guitar distortion. And lots of time-signature changes and syncopation.

Summer at Shatter Creek’s “Everything” starts out with some slide guitar work that reminds me of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You.” But it also features an annoying guitar piano line, and a repetition of “Everything that goes down will come back again” that will annoy the hell out of you. After this atrocity, Kind of Like Spitting brings a fresh-air acoustic song entitled “You Got Served.”

Tim Kinsella’s new project Make Believe comes next with a minute guitar intro into a track that reminds me more of Tim’s Cap’n Jazz days then Joan of Arc. At least in the vocal stylings. Definitely a killer track, but I’m a huge Tim Kinsella fan.

Back to the electronica, Satellite Grooves kicks out “Anchor,” a really uptempo, yet chill piece of work featuring beats and melodies that remind me a lot of Múm. After that Hockey Night delivers a soft indie tune with the sound of running water in the background and some “Whoa-oh” vocals. That is, until it breaks out into power-pop track that’s a bouncy toe-tapper.

The record closes with Love of Everything’s “Sky Falls Down,” which is a laid back acoustic track with soft and high vocals. Not a strong track, but an interesting way to close out such an up-tempo CD.

All in all, this CD is worth buying. It’s even got pretty packaging with a monkey on the cover. The fact that most of these tracks are rare and un-released is worth your money alone. But it’s a comp. So every song is taken into consideration. So it’s overall score is a 7.

Chip Wass—you are a legend around here. Since we stumbled upon your collection of Chippies dingbats/fontheads, we have shamelessly used them to express our emotions on plenty of projects. So, to you Wass Vector King, we say (many) thanks. … So, why such a celebration over a font you may say. Well, Chip Wass is the man behind the slick digi-packaging on NY’s Redder Records fine compilation by the name of Metaphysics for Beginners. We know, school’s out for the summer—all they ask you to do is listen. There’s rare/unheard/vinyl-only goodies packed in these 70 minutes, so bring a lawn chair and take a peek.

Joining forces to put a joy on your brain are some of indie music’s bigger players including Sufjan Stevens, the Ghost and (the) Detachment Kit—the Kit having just released one of the best albums for 2004 Of This Blood. Things get rearin’ to flow with Will and Robert Creeley tackling a beatbox-below-rhyme track by the name of “Lackawanna Lives”, with the word “Lack-a-wanna” serving as the meaty part of the main course beat. Catchy as hell, you may just be humming this one for a week or two—you bastards. Those aware of the wealth that (the) Detachment Kit can bring to the ears should take note, their rambunctious offering “Hustle” is nothing to miss out on. I can’t think of a better band on the comp to follow, Kalpana toss out a 2-minute “no-worder” by the tag of “Sic” that blurs the senses a touch, giving me the impression that I may need to know more about them. A fine Appogee remix from Post-Parlo crew Zykos (see: Comedy Horn) gives a fresh “clickity-clack:static” format to an already grand track titled “Kodiak”. Sufjan Stevens, a guy you’ve seen practically everywhere—even if you haven’t been looking, adds “How Can the Stone Remain?”—a 5-minute swirl of beeps, sweeps, drums and his angelic voice to the cause. It brings to mind a Sufjan/Jimmy Tamborello project, if that sounds as good to you as it does to us.

When I see the Ghost’s name, I immediately think of their intense debut This Is a Hospital (Some Records) from 2002. “Red Wheels, Red Slippers”, the final track from Hospital gets a “Midwest Reprise” re-working that is hardly recognizable. The electric guitars and shouts have been replaced with an acoustic and a whisper—my pick for the most impressive track out of the 18. Summer at Shatter Creek, Redder’s very own Mojave 3, cast memorable shadows in every song they create. If you are/were lucky enough, you grabbed the three Mogwai tracks they added vocals to on Redder’s official site. “Everything” is the piano-led beauty they offer Metaphysics, and again—it’s a true keeper. Soon (but when, sweet Jesus?) to have a Redder EP we have been anxiously awaiting, Kind of Like Spitting make this release worth his name. “You Got Served” continues in the tradition of bedroom folk we have come to know and love from Ben—at just under two minutes, I need to hear more. Again—if you keep your eyes set on Redder’s site, KOLS offer rare stuff quite often [heavy hint]. Once the Gap-like guitar workings dissipate, you get the stranger Kinsella’s (and my fave, Tim) new Flameshovel outfit Make Believe and a quirky little bitch named “Brittany’s Favorite”. If you approve of the Joan of Arc of the past, and how could you not, Make Believe are your new favorite band—in a make believe kinda way.

There are way more grand offerings than I am giving text to—but the above has to spark some interest in your musical mind. Fans of KOLS should pay close attention to the final artist Love of Everything.

“Please don’t put this online or give it’s contents away—we made the box pretty for a reason,” states the back of the package—for $10 and 18 tracks, I think you can manage to own this set. Now play fair.

First off, the packaging for this is great. At first I thought that the monkey on the cover was sitting on a toilet, but it is actually a rock. I need to start wearing my glasses again. This is a fairly decent compilation that features some impressive unreleased or rare indie rock and electronic-based songs. Here are my favorites from the disc:

The Gloria Record – “L’anniversaire Triste” (Live) This is “The Immovable Motorist” with a different set of lyrics. It’s nice recording to hear though, especially for those who never got a chance to see the band live.

Sufjan Stevens – “How Can the Stone Remain?” I think I finally see why everyone has been talking about this guy. None of the other songs that I heard by him clicked with me, but this one really did.

Saturday Looks Good to Me – “Record Store” The girl who sings this has a ridiculously sweet voice. I love it. The band’s pop sound is so retro, but they manage to keep things fresh. Check out their album All Your Summer Songs. It came out on Polyvinyl last year.

Summer at Shatter Creek – “Everything” This is a solo act that just released an EP titled Sink or Swim. The music is centered around the piano, and the haunting vocals of Craig Gurwich. Pure and simple, this song is just beautiful.

Kind of Like Spitting – “You Got Served” I’ve been an off and on fan of KOLS for a few years now. I didn’t enjoy their last record, but this song is a return to form. Catchy, nostalgic, and it even has an organ.

That isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy any of the other 13 songs though. “Comforted,” a contribution from a group called Snowglobe, is also quite enjoyable.