Hello everyone, and welcome to another beautiful Monday evening here on Looks Like Coffee, Tastes Like Juice. Instead of the regular Song of the Day post that usually occurs on Monday's, today will be reviewing a very enjoyable album. Let me tell you how this came about; Recently (a couple hours ago, actually) I got a copy of said album from the manager of said band (I'm trying to make this suspenseful) and a request to review the album on this here blog. So, what shall I do? Review! Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare yourself for the mind-blowing, mind-expanding, and perhaps even mind-shattering review of The Boxing Lesson's "Wild Streaks & Windy Days".
First off, here's a bit about the band in their own words;
"After releasing two EPs in Los Angeles, songwriter and astronaut Paul Waclawsky left the haze for the heat of Austin, TX where he promptly joined the Cassini spacecraft team and blasted of from Earth destined for Saturn. There he found a new line up and new inspirations in the form of Jaylinn Davidson and Jake Mitchell. Jaylinn was there researching the magnetometer’s detection of the presence of ion cyclotron waves in the vicinity of Saturn’s moon Enceladus (which just so happens to sound like a Moog synth when played back) and Jake was far out there floating in space collecting data on the rhythm of Saturn’s rings.
Once their mission was complete, they returned to Texas with everything they collected in space (synths, samplings, and old records that were found floating around Titan), and turned it all into Music. Jaylinn’s Moog bass and leads connect with Jake’s explosive evolving rhythms to form a hybrid rhythm section. It’s definitely psychedelic, but not in the traditional sense. Part organic. Part electronic. Part outer fucking space. Joined again by Grammy-Nominated Producer Tim Gerron, The Boxing Lesson crafted Wild Streaks & Windy Days in 2007 and played a meteor shower of shows at home and on the moon.
It’s a simultaneously modern and classic journey through the dark side of the conscious mind. These 12 new tracks explore the contrasts between dark and light, love and lust, space and time, sacrifice and indulgence. Lead boxer, Paul Waclawsky, flexes his song writing muscles and his space echoes like never before on the timeless recording inspired by the Austin indie music scene and radio emissions from outer space. Paul’s voice shows maturity and his epic sonic guitar textures are psychedelic and lush, like Cassiopeia A, the Birthplace of Stars.
Jaylinn Davidson’s Brian Eno-esque Moog synthesizer landscapes pump the haunting songs full of moogy goodness and we find Jake Mitchell, as always, in the ether, drumming out of his head. Wild Streaks & Windy Days chronicles a band evolving to stratospheric heights while maintaining a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in Austin.
Independent of comparison, the tracks on Wild Streaks & Windy Days define The Boxing Lesson’s own brand of psychedelic rock, as they traverse into the unknown territory of their own lives, their own indulgences and their future missions for all mankind.
Our record collections define us:
Bowie to Broken Social Scene.
Eno to Enon.
Can to Spoon.
The Cure to MBV.
Pink Floyd to Rollerskate Skinny.
Neil Young to Neu!.
Spacemen 3 to Stereolab.
Willie to Ween. "
They certainly don't lie about their influences though, as you can easily hear many traces of Pink Floyd, David Bowie and Brian Eno in their music. Still, there are many points in their music that you just can't pinpoint, and original spark that makes this band very interesting to listen to. They are subtle in the way, that you can keep the record on while doing other things, keeping your whole attention on it, yet not getting distracted or annoyed by it. A favorable quality indeed!
Now, for the record review. The album starts with the echo-laden single notes of a guitar, soon to be joined by a heavy soundscape of drums, keyboards and the likes. Each song on this album is drenched in this ... almost theatrical atmosphere. Phased-out guitar, wailing keyboards, furious drums and the concentrated, tense vocals all fit together perfectly. Each track contributes something to the album and would be lost without the other songs around it. What I'm saying is, this is not the album for singles. Each song fits into the atmosphere and blends into the songs around it.
In conclusion, I thought that this was a very good album, made up of point-precision instrumentals and well-written lyrics. It proves to be perfect to listen to at night, when the world is quiet and a little psychedelia is always welcome.
http://www.myspace.com/theboxinglesson to listen to their music
Til' Tomorrow
