Page 30 - the Noise April 2017

Y BEVERLEY NAPALM ALBUM REVIEWS B
KARIMA WALKER
Hands in Our Names
(Orindal Records)
Tucson native Karima Walker is a regular friendly visitor to the Northern Arizona live cir- cuit, (and everywhere else for that matter!). Previously a member of Human Behavior and The Wanda Junes, Ms. Walker truly comes into her own with this, her wonderfully ac- complished debut full length. Hands in Our Names was previously only available to a lucky handful in tiny numbers as a cassette on Tucson-based Baby Tooth Records.
It now sees a worthy and welcome vinyl release through Ordinal. Vinyl is a medium per- fectly suited for the folk minimalism and psyche-drone of these songs. It is largely experi- mental music, but not in a chin-scratching artsy or difficult way. It is experimental in a glori- ous off-the-cuff self exploratory manner. Ambient found sounds and barely audible vocal loops lurk in the background gently propping up Ms. Walker’s staggeringly beautiful vocals.
I’m not usually an advocate for listening with headphones, but would encourage you to pop a pair on, close your eyes, block out the rest of the world temporarily, and enjoy the hidden charms lurking beneath the surface. There is a depth and progression of Ms. Walker’s music displayed within these grooves, and a great confidence to couple such sonic subtleties with Ms. Walker’s previous folk leanings. This LP deserves your undivided attention, so listen to this work as a whole. “Lullaby” is an LP highlight, which demonstrates Ms. Walker’s fragile strengths perfectly. Sparse plucked guitar, and stereo (hey! pop them headphones on now!), vocal loops sound like they were recorded in a separate room to Ms. Walker’s dreamy wel- coming vocals. There’s also a superb reworking of the Wanda Junes song “DWF,” re-worked and re-titled as “We’ve Been Here Before.” It bears little resemblance to the Junes song, just crystal clear vocals over an otherworldly keyboard drone. Wonderful and inspired. Pick one up next time Ms. Walker hits town, or from orindal.limitedrun.com
HIGLEY
self titled debut
(self released)
Hard rock punk pop all the way from Rimrock! Yes, Rimrock, AZ! That caught me off- guard a little, as I didn’t realize Rimrock was such a hotbed of punk-pop action. This is Higley’s debut offering and is remarkably accomplished. As well you would expect from a band that boasts members from such critically adored bands as The Descendents, ALL, G- Whiz and River City High. I am sure if you are au fait with any of those bands, you already have a good idea of what to expect:-
Taught and precise punk pop, with great production, very much bang on, clear sounding that is very genre specific for Higley’s very American sounding ‘90s alt-rock style. For the most part the band come across as frantic and melodic, and riff heavy, with the bangers loaded towards the start of the LP. My personal favorite is “4 Bit Man”, breezing by in just 57 perfect power pop seconds. There is respite with a few gentler introspective moments such as “For a Minute” that very much has a melodic Replacements-esque vibe. I wonder if these boys play out locally?
I am not sure from the limited info I have found on them whether they are a full time touring band, or recording project, but I have little doubt they would tear it up in any live environment. There is a CD forthcoming on a Japanese label, or you can hop over and check them out at Higley.bandcamp.com .
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CLOSENESS
personal therapy
(Graveface Records)
This is a pretty interesting and fresh sounding record to my ears. Closeness present an updated present day take on cold-wave / dark-wave ‘80s electronics, with some great dual vocal performances from Todd Fink (born Todd Baechle) and his wife Orenda Fink. And, as a married couple, you can feel the warmth the two project as a unit across the 6 tracks. Many of you may know Todd as the front man in The Faint, and Orenda as one half of the band Azure Ray.
Although I am aware of both bands, I am not very familiar with their work. This is probably a blessing, as I am able to judge Closeness purely on their own merits. I like it. It’s refreshing, Germanic sounding and feels laconic in intent. Plenty of sweeping cinematic synth-scapes, dreamily drifting over spacious programmed beats. But it is the vocals that shape the songs into something special. My only criticism is all the songs are all of a similar relaxed tempo.
It works well for me, and many others I don’t doubt, consuming the EP as a whole in terms of continuity. But possibly this limits the band’s full potential for the casual listener. The whole EP is most enjoyable, but the opener “More Romantic” is clearly the pop hit of the bunch. Instantly inviting with a slight familiar feel, and the highlight of the EP for me.
graveface.bandcamp.com/album/personality-therapy
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30 • April 2017 | the NOISE arts & news | www.thenoise.us