Customer Reviews

Anahata

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Thanksgiving 1998 brought a dream show for me. Three of my favorite bands - Fugazi, June of '44, and Elliott - all performed together in my hometown of Louisville, KY over that break. At that show, June of '44 performed all new songs I believe. It was before Anahata, and I remember thinking that they completely rocked that night.

When this album came out about seven months later, I saw bad review after awful review for it. People hated it. To this day I have never seen fans turn on a band like I saw people turn on June of '44 for this album. So I didn't buy it at first. However, a friend was gracious enough to loan me a copy. And upon listening, I am once again impressed by June of '44's willingness to expand and explore new territory. I don't care what you think...it may not be their best, but this is a good album.

"Wear Two Eyes (Boom)" rethinks the terrible "Boom" from The Anatomy of Sharks EP, and actually gives it direction. "Escape of the Levitational Trapeze Artist" succeeds in the driving drum n' bass capacity, and leads into the excellent "Cardiac Atlas". It's kind of funky. "Southeast of Boston" recalls the Coctails later work, that is if you mixed the Coctails with June of '44. "Five Bucks in my Pocket" fails to throw any kind of hook into the equation, and basically just streams along failing to catch ones attention.

Basically, this album is a far cry from June of '44's past. In stretching out like they have done, they were bound to lose some fans. Upon continued listen, though, June of '44 have solidified a waning one with this album. I'll be watching June of '44 for years to come, for they have proved consistent in one thing: not being comfortable.

This album was a great and pleasant surprise the first time I listened to it. It has a much jazzier feel than I expected and several songs include blaring horns. Very cool album.

June of 44 are amongst the most puzzling bands within the Chicago scene, alienating and reinforcing their fan bases between albums, and sometimes between songs. 'Anahata' is probably their most breezy record, lacking the aggression and speed that made 'Engine Takes to Water' such a compelling record. This makes the album a poor starting point for any person wishing to get into this group, or into the post-rock/math-rock scene, and many listeners may switch off at the first whiff of the off-key wavering vocals which open the album opening tracks. But it is worth persisting with, for from this point onwards the album settles in a gentle, pleasant hum. Easy-going indie rock from Chicago, yet again.

I have to disagree with the previous two reviews. Yes, "Anahata" is different from the previous four releases. I would have to contend, though, that each of the previous four releases have been different from the ones preceeding it. "Anahata," to me, is just another step. I think the vocals aren't lackluster, they're just tired of doing the same vocals over and over. On "Engine Takes to the Water," only Sink is Busted showed any sort of "singing." But they continued to experiment with singing, and other vocal styles. Freddie Erskine's trumpet is incredible on "Anahata." I'll agree that Boom sucked on "Anatomy of Sharks," but it rocks here, with Fred's voice (I think, maybe Sean's) taking on almost Perry Farrell proportions. "Anahata" is an intriguing listen. The sound itself is sleek, and the songs never cease to surprise and please. This is, of course, my humble opinion.

Rythmically specific, no embellishments, interesting, arresting brass arrangments, not meant for the radio - then the singer happens. I can't quite tell if he sings well-below average on purpose or if he's merely preternaturally unqualified to croon. Whatever the case, it's not fun to listen to - the singing that is. And though you are aware of the talent, thoughtfulness and intelligence of the musicians, the music can become irritatingly, almost pretentiously repetitive, to the point where you want to ask: "do you really like what you're playing THAT much?"

I have been listening to June of '44's albums with a growing sense of amazement since hearing their first record. Every single one of their albums (at least, up until now) has been quite good; and Four Great Points, which is a truly great album, pointed towards very good things to come. So I got Anahata, anticipating a masterpiece . . . and I am sorely disappointed. What made June of '44 a good band in the past was their edgy and often angry sound, perhaps best exemplified on the Anatomy of Sharks EP but also adding to the eclectic sound of Four Great Points. To be sure, Four Great Points was a departure, but not a massive one; and although the band tempered their previous edginess slightly it was still there, mixed with newfound tonality. On Anahata, though, they have completely turned their back on old sounds, with the exception of the song Boom, which was a poor song on the Anatomy of Sharks EP and is a poor song here in a somewhat different version. There are songs on Anahata that remind me of Rusted Root. I am not kidding. This is a radical departure from past efforts, and it is a departure in a totally unexpected and unpleasant direction. There are lengthy and pointless guitar meanderings here, as well as painfully lackluster vocals, which is surprising because neither of these were problems on their 4 excellent previous releases. I should note that there are also some songs with bizarre pooty synth noises. June of '44 are now fit to tour with the Horde festival, which is very sad. But I'm sure that many Phish fans will be more than willing to welcome a new jam band into the fold.

Examplary of little that can be good and mostly what can be bad with indie music, this brief (though pretentiously stretched out to not be an ep) album's superficial experimentation into what is essentially lousy songwriting sometime rises above the sum of it's dislocated parts, but rarely displays enough fleshed-out form to engage for an entire song. Works best as the textural wallpaper it feels of, as when the over-indulgent vocals and routine angularity are examined closely we see seldom (though a few profound) moments adding up to little more then generic noticeability.

what? no more nautical elements? i picked this up in the "Avant-rock" section of kim' underground, but this sounds to me more like light indie-rock with an experimental twist. well-polished, etc. not as intrusive as some of the stuff on "engine takes to the water" for example, but very solid in its meanderings.

It's my favorite album of the year so far. This is a more rhythmically obsessive record than most techno, even -- from the vocals to the drums, everything is made to advance the rhythm. The guy who said this is jam band material should listen again, because unless the often pointless natterings of Phish, et al, this is tight, thick, smoky, well-conceived, well-executed and a constant thrill.

At first I was surprised when the vocals kicked in on Wear Two Eyes, and I must admit I skipped ahead to track two, then three. Cardiac Atlas is what did it, then Southeast of Boston. When I finally listened to the album all the way through, I realized June of 44 has taken another great step forward. The vocals are languid, almost lazy, but they work well with the music. Scharin's excellent drumwork keeps everything together as the guitars and bass wander around. This album has a very relaxed feel, something that was only partly there on Four Great Points. If any of you actually care what people like us think, and have read all the way down to this review, just buy it.