Some people turn up they radio, others watch one of the music channels on TV, others buy and read music magazines or on-line sites, others got their music from they friends. Some says music should be free. Some people think that music is a product, others that is an expression, a form and manifestation of art. Everybody is absolutely right. I guess. I’ve got a friend who still listening exclusively his old MCs (mechanical cassettes), other friends of mine still collect vinyl records, some people buy CDs while others are completely satisfied by mp3s. Some of my friends listening all kind of musics, don’t bother label and sort them by genre and style, others listening exclusively Metal, Jazz, Punk or whatever they prefer. Love – I doubt it, but music definitively is in the air.
Sometimes I see an interesting cover, sometimes I read somewhere something about an artist or a band, sometimes a friend recommend me something, sometimes the bands send me materials for review, sometimes the record labels or some agency. I never listen the radio, I do not watch music channels, I don’t care what’s on the top of any charts, I don’t care what the critics, “the experts” says about… anything.
I stumbled accidentally into Cartographer and I liked what I heard from the very first moment.
They reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite bands: Cop Shoot Cop. “Hats, Capes, Dark Arts” have something from the spirit of their 94’s “Release”, although this is quite different kind of music, but not so. This is contorted (Garage) Rock, eventually experimental without being falsely intellectual, simple and straight, powerful and intense, but not linear, build upon classic schemes, patterns, predictable “tricks”, but subtle and inspiredly balanced between technicality and expression. This is the essence of Rock, Metal and incorporates and anger and revolt of Punk. Might reminds me of the Cardiacs as well. And once again, maybe it “sounds like”, but still, it’s something different. Something else. 😀
“Cartographer was Ben Adrian playing guitar with a digital drum machine. Now it’s Ben Adrian, organic drum machine, Chris Bolig, and some creepy dude named André on bass. They play annoying music involving dissonance, repetition, and sometimes yelling. Ask us to play… we will.” – Their MySpace Bio. They also said “Cartographer is about process… and screechy, annoying noises.” And they are probably right. This is noisy, intense, 30 and so minutes of music.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/7249201 w=540&h=297]
Cartographer – Uneasy on the Eyes (live) from Kowloon Walled City on Vimeo.
Formed at Oakland, CA in 2001 by Benjamin Adrian (and his drum machine) the line-up was completed and consolidated in 2009: Ben Adrian – guitars and shouting, Christopher Bolig – drums, and André Zivkovich – Bass. Ben Adrian and Chris Bolig are also members of Replicator, while Ben also plays in Collisionville and Guitar vs. Gravity too, and André Zivkovich also plays in Generalissimo.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUEXmylJHBs&w=540&h=396]
Tracklist:
1. Drop A Is A Ridiculous Tuning (2:42)
2. Evil D (3:21)
3. Building A Better Amplifier (2:25)
4. Uneasy On The Eyes (2:06)
5. 40 Ton Military Inspired Crushing Machine (4:53)
6. Patron Of Wizardry (3:14)
7. Lash Your Wagon (3:03)
8. Grand Theft Horse (3:06)
9. The Biggest Asshole In The World (2:23)
10. The Machines Are Not Modern (3:18)
This is definitively one of my favorite albums of the year.
Cartographer – Official Site
Cartographer @ Bandcamp
Cartographer @ MySpace
Cartographer @ Facebook
