Wall Of Sound Festival

LaGrave Field, Fort Worth, TX
September 22, 2007




I got to Wall Of Sound mid-day, somewhere around 2:30. So obviously, festivities were well underway. The set up was a lot different than I imagined. They said that there would be three stages, which there were. But they had combined stages one and two together, with bands switching back and forth between, rather than competing for noise. These two stages were set in the outfield, with plenty of grass to lounge on in the hot sun. Stage three was on the complete other side of the park, outside the walls, but within the perimeter fence. It was incredibly small, but so were the acts. These bands got less time to play, but definitely carried some interesting performances. I went to these with my best friend Amie, who will play great parts of the entire adventure throughout the event.

But I digress; we entered at 2:30 or so, meaning following the winding maze of seating arrangements out into the field, and finding a nice plot of grass to catch the performance of Pleasant Grove. We basically walked in on what I assume was the second song in their set. I hadn't heard of Pleasant Grove prior to Wall Of Sound, but they intrigued me when I saw them on the line-up; I was glad to be able to catch them. They played some very interesting music, to be true - experimental-ambient type, but with a beat, and good instances of harmony among the dissonance. They really reminded me of a tweaked version of Grizzly Bear. They put on a very nice show, especially for a band playing in the dead middle of festival.

Following was Ian Moore, who was a real trooper, for in the mid-day heat, the sun was scorching everything in sight. It was blazing hot, so Amie and I retreated to the cover of the seating. We couldn't see any of the action on stage, but the music could be heard perfectly. We bathed in the shade while Moore put on an pleasant, upbeat performance. Following Moore was Record Hop. I wasn't particularly fond of them, personally, but judging by the cheers of the crowd near the stage, they were putting on a solid performance. We used this time to check out stage three - we weren't sure, but I could swear Ghosthustler was playing. Unamused to say the least, we spent more time in the stage chatting and listening to the music - also trying vainly to find a schedule on paper so we wouldn't have to wander back and forth from the stages to the entrance, where the only schedule was.







But when 4:00 rolled around, there was no question as to who could possibly be next. None other than the infamous Paper Chase. I caught Paper Chase last with Explosions In The Sky at Granada Theater, where needless to say, they rocked away. The Paper Chase blows minds and ear drums with their bizarre form of experimental post-rock. Using powerful thematic elements with their music, especially with the inclusion of very repetitive yet wholly disturbing chords on keyboard, The Paper Chase blare music detailing neglection, violence, suicide, and any number of other sadistic lyrics in the contorted, sinister, menacing way that only they can pull off. This was my first opinion of The Paper Chase - which remains the easiest way to explain their act; they sound like the gruesome cutouts of a 16 year old's diary.



As for live performances, The Paper Chase didn't let down. John Congleton ripped and twanged away violently to the song while, throwing his voice from low to high volumes following the songs, and of course contorting his body in a sick dance while away from the mic. The band rocked out, especically daring in the evening sun, which was really taking it's toll. The toll was their drummer throwing up before their last song. "A Paper Chase first," Congleton boasts, "...just for you all."



Following The Paper Chase was Black Tie Dynasty (who I noticed setting up on the next stage over - they seemed thoroughly amused/intrigued/disturbed by TPC). Now, if I had to hazard a guess, Black Tie Dynasty has one of the larger egos of the guests to the festival. They are more nationally known than most of the acts, and have been getting a good deal of radio airplay, especially here in the DFW Metroplex, via 102.1 The Edge. In fact, I caught them last at How The Edge Stole Christmas, 2006 - they were a sponsored artist on night one of the concert.

With their groovy electronica-inspired tunes, they played a very solid, very admirable set last Christmas. Sadly, I can't say the same for the summer. Their Wall Of Sound show seemed to be lacking a certain spunk I found appealing in them last time. Though it could be the fact they were following Paper Chase. But with honestly, they didn't seem to hold their own at Wall Of Sound; I blame the outdoor environment taking its toll on them. Credit given, they were their very energetic selves on stage - but the overall set could have been better.




It was time for a break, so me and Amie decided we'd play hookie for a bit, as we had no artists we were truly interested in after Black Tie Dynasty. 21 and under weren't supposed to leave the park, but we ignored the rule and ran to downtown to grab a bite to eat. By 6:10, we returned mid-way through Micah Hinson's set. It was sub-par at best, but we decided to brave the sweltering evening temperature and head to the stages, because there was another artist we were both keen on seeing.





Brothers and Sisters followed Micah Hinson. A troupe of merry members began to board the stage, and launched straight into their set. They played very nice, drawing strongly from a home-bred country style. They were definitely standing alone in their music stylings amongst the more indie at the concert, but needless to say they put on quite a jovial performance. I was particularly fond of their solo guitarist. Finally, at the end of their set, the sun retreated past the horizon, and they shed their sunglasses to aid the dancing of crowd-members with a few last songs. Brothers and Sisters earns a solid B performance, though they didn't seem to use the large stage they were given; overall though, a very solid performance.

But near the end of Brother and Sisters', the ominous pop of the amps on stage, and the drop of the strong bass that was pumping out of them shot through the ballpark. This was foreboding in the works, but as the speakers were fixed in a few minutes, it was played off as a simple mistake. Om was next up. I had only heard of them, but was made aware that they played mostly instrumental heavy-rock, and thought they would be interesting to catch live. I was sorely mistaken. HOPEFULLY, for their sakes anyway, their first song, the only of which Amie and I heard, isn't a representation of them. They drowned out all noise in the entire stadium with their ugly, repetitive, one-guitar-chord metal-ish trash. Anyone who was drunk slowly made their way to the front of the stage in a very zombie-esque fashion, slowly drinking their beer and bobbing their heads to the dilapidated beat. They were... TERRIBLE. There are no two ways about it. Amie and I retreated to stage three.


Though the droning zombie-rock could be heard past the massive ballpark walls, the merely muffled noise was drowned out by delightfully more folk-ish music played by Doug Burr. We found him past his half-way point, and he was slowly winding up his set with slow songs. His set wasn't about watching - it was about listening, and was a great opportunity to find a nice plot of grace to lay down with good company, and watch as the streetlights flickered on and the night sky faded into existence.



By the time sky had darkened, the sun had set, and the night became alive, White Denim took the stage. I hadn't expected to catch their set, but it offered to be an interesting treat. Think of it as a mix of Arctic Monkeys and Freedom Club, with just a dash of The White Stripes. Their music was very loud, fast, and sporadic - they paid no attention to song structure. They were there for good time, even inviting some guy amongst the crowd no stage for his birthday. Messy on purpose, White Denim may not be the most moving, introspective music you've heard, but definitely no how to create some musical havoc.



Following White Denim was another band Amie and I had been waiting through the day for, Peter and the Wolf. This is one of the artists, upon seeing on the schedule, I took an honest interest in, and actually did some research on. Their tracks seemed interesting enough, and as it turns out, Pitchfork beat everyone to Peter and the Wolf.

In a simultaneous act, Peter and the Wolf stood up to the prominence of their name by single handedly being one of the strangest and best bands of the entire festival. Peter and the Wolf sets themselves apart from all their peers with their strict use of minimalism. Red Hunter, lead singer/guitarist/percussion (to be noted, he plays both drums and guitar at the same time, while singing), is the predominant artist, though he was occasionally joined by the rest of his little group who aided in percussion and vocals. His songs shift from fast to slow paced, but remain steady and strong willed. I would easily compare Peter and the Wolf to a boiling pot of water with Architecture In Helsinki, Grizzly Bear, and Iron & Wine all mixed together. Standing alone was the eerie, lonely performance of Ghost Sandals, as well as their bouncy, jovial song Bonsai Trees, played with a cimbalom, if I remember the name correctly. Peter and the Wolf truly set themselves apart from the regulars that had been playing I suggest you get their new album, The Ivori Palms; I did!



After Peter and the Wolf finished their set, Amie and I returned to the main stages. We also returned to confusion. We couldn't figure out which band was playing; either some band played too fast, or someone played too slow, because the times didn't sync up with out schedule. We didn't know the severity, but it turned out to be a delay, and to my enjoyment we were mid-way through Pinback's performance. I had never listened to them before, but they were surely notable. They proved to be very good, putting on a spunky, high-energy performance. Their music was a delightful treat.



Following Pinback was another of the best performances that night. It was time that the duo that comprises The Books stepped on stage with their acoustic guitar and electric cello. Very calm, very coyly even, The Books introduced themselves, and launched into their audio and visual escapade. Mixing absolutely fantastic ambience with random, repetitive, and poignant video on a screen behind them, they hushed the entire audience that engulfed the field. In complete silence, The Books wove their odd, beautiful songs in circles around the crowd, leaving everyone very enthused (and the drunks thoroughly confused). They put on an amazing performance; I would have picked up one of their albums, but I was out of money.



As mentioned before, there was great foreboding with the sound mishap, and then the delay in band times. These problems escalated to a head as soon as The Books left the stage. Midlake, apparently a notable indie band, was up next, and the speaker for Wall Of Sound said they would be on momentarily. They had been setting up equipment for some time during The Books' performance, so I was confused as to why they weren't ready. But the crowd waited in enthusiastic anticipation. Nearly 20 minutes later, everyone still waited. It was a horribly grueling delay, focused entirely on the sound team with thorough mishaps. As if this extended delay wasn't poor enough, they were apparently already 20 minutes behind, not including this delay, totaling to nearly 40 minutes of wasted time. But more on that later; the crowd continued to wait, and become far more anxious as the delay extended onward.

Finally a represenitive announced that Midlake was taking their sweet time, so they're flipping them with the band after them. To this, the crowd gave a thankful cry. But it wasn't shouts of thankfulness, per se, so much as cries of sheer exuberance; now on stage was Ghostland Observatory.


I knew nothing of Ghostland Observatory, but apparently everyone else did. The stage was quickly rushed upon by a horde of listeners as the duo of guitar player and a silly boy in a cape with an electro-synthesizer came on stage. Ghostland plays electronica/techno music, and wasted no time in ripping straight through the delay and starting the party. They blew the crowd away with strobe lights and pumping bass with Aaron Behrens high pitched singing voice and accompaning guitar amply contrasting. The crowd, as they say, went wild - everyone danced, many climbed the amp stands and went wild. Wall Of Sound was in complete control of Ghostland, who took no hesitation in turning it into a crazy rave. They had tons of energy, and blew entire stadium away with amazing tunes.

Finally, after Ghostland Observatory destroyed their competition, Midlake followed. They had a solid performance, but dull to my tastes. Very generic indie rock, they played their straight to general acclaim from their onlookers. But I was busy putting my handy-dandy foam earplugs in - was I ever going to need them, because there was only one band left...





Explosions In The Sky. They stand alone as a beacon of modern independent rock, and push the envelope with their experimental,instrumental post-rock oh so iconic of picaresque vistas of the barren west Texas landscapes. Their textured, ambient waves of harmonic rythmes are only rivaled by their sheer volume and intensity. When they named themselves Explosions In The Sky, there was no exaggeration.





Explosions opened up slow, quickly building into an epic-as-usual performance, only seen in their company. Nearly in the front row (behind the safety of my earplugs (which I assure you, are necessities if you intend to be up close in an EITS show)), I got a special feature of Mark Smith and his high notes twinkling like stars. Micheal James insured that everyone lost their hearing with his deep, low chords, and both he and Munaf Rayani were going particularly crazy. Their performance of The Only Moment We Were Alone was immaculate, and their set as a whole magnificent and unrivaled by any previously performers... until...











At the end of The Only Moment We Were Alone, for those of you who just watched the video saw, Munaf stepped up to the mic to speak. Instrumental bands don't need mics! What is this tom foolery?! the crowd protests. It turns out this was their last song for the night. They announced that Wall Of Sound had to obey by a curfew of 12:30, and everyone had to disembark. But Explosions had only been playing for 20 minutes, at least a mere 1/3 of their full scheduled set. But unfortunately, Explosions left the stage without hope of return.


"Towards the end of the day some unexpected conditions arose that forced the schedule off a bit. We immediately spoke with each band left to perform and asked if they were OK with cutting one song from their set to allow us to catch up and end the evening as originally planned. Each band was very understanding of the situation and we thank them for that. Through a miscommunication between the sound company and the event's stage management team, Explosions in the Sky was incorrectly told they could only play until 12:30 AM. The reason for cutting songs from previous sets was to allow EITS to play their full set. Unfortunately, the band was never told otherwise, and this miscommunication we very deeply regret!"
-Wall Of Sound team.





But with these mishaps, overall, Wall Of Sound was a very fun, very great experience. The bands were wonderful, the day (though hot), was full of great music and fun times. I can only hope to be visiting Wall Of Sound a year from now for another day full of music.

Smashing Pumpkins

The first song I had ever heard by Smashing Pumpkins was "1979," and while it is a decent song, it's definitely not my preference. But, everyone and their mother should listen to the song "Daydream," because it's simply fucking amazing.


The end.

Post-Rock

Post-rock. It's a fairly new genre, with roots merely beginning in the mid-to-late 90s, starting with bands such as The Sea and Cake and Laika. Post-rock really started picking up some steam when Tortoise emerged on the scene, and has only grown sense. Boasting bands that have gained an undeniable amount of credibility with their music such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Do Make Say Think, Sigur Rós, and even encompassing bands such as Mouth of the Architect and The Books under the genre's wing. But what IS post-rock?

Most simply, post-rock is a clash between a wide variety of music, new and old, mixing forms of minimalist, shoegaze, with genres like jazz, minimalist, and even classical. Post-rock can be classified as "rock," in so much that it uses modern instruments (electric guitar, electric bass, drums, etc.), in a somewhat contemporary fashion. But this is about as near that post-rock encroaches upon the realms of contemporary rock music.


Typically, post-rock is associated with a few main details: the music is instrumental, it uses repetition by one or more instruments to produce a complex, textured sound, and gives off a very cerebral, ambient vibe. The easiest way to view post-rock is viewing it in relation to post-modern art. As modern artists painted their works, following doctrined rules to make detailed compositions, post-modern artists rebelled against these rules, and made intricate pieces without restraint. Post-rock uses this same concept in it's inception: direct opposition to the formally unwritten dogma of modern rock to produce ambient rock, disconcordant to that of previous stylings, yet encompassing everything that makes modern rock interesting. Post-rock is a direct rebellion from the typical styles you'll hear from anyone else.

But what makes a post-rock artist tick? What makes them specifically different than other artists? This is still a debate that is highly contested among critics and average listeners alike. Sure, there are those bands which, if post-rock was uttered in casual conversation, would instantly have fingers pointed at them, for their higher notability in the field such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai. But there are other bands as well who, since post-rock's inception, are now on the border of post-rock and indie rock, or other similar genres, such as experimental music or space rock, et cetera. Bands such as Grizzly Bear, The Arcade Fire, and Broken Social Scene have occasional dubbed post-rock. Particularly speaking on Grizzly Bear, who uses strong amounts of harmony and ambiance within their music to create a very post-rock-ish feel, are generally labeled as indie rock, even though they directly share many of the the qualities of post-rock bands. Furthermore, there are bands, namely Mogwai, who most would say lie directly within the realms of post-rock, who put down the term in relations to themselves.

Generally though, bands with a strong emphasis toward instrumental, ambient music, with strong use of repetition or far fetched composition styles are generally coined post-rock. Despite there differences (and their similarities for that matter), post-rock generally follows those few trends. Vocals can be used, but will generally not be used in direct relation to the song, rather as a part of the composition itself, such as harmonizing of several singers. Otherwise, lyrics will generally be perpendicular to the music itself, either speaking phrases that don't necessarily fit together cohesively, or simply spoken word, not in time with the song itself.



Several bands within post-rock, despite criticism against their being inducted with the genres boundaries, are worth noting. Most prominent are those from the self-made capital of post-rock, Montreal, Canada. This primarily references Godspeed You! Black Emperor. GY!BE, as they're often referred to, has slowly built their music completely in opposition to modern rock. Rather than creating music styled with verses, chorus, hooks, and bridges, GY!BE composes movements in example of classical music, earning them the genre of avant-garde in modern day society. Their compositions generally stretch upward of 10 minutes a piece, their longest reaching above 30 minutes. The entire composition is effectively issues a wide range of repetition and depth that can only be achieved through such drawn out musical content, and GY!BE is not shy to put strong crescendos in their music.

But as of 2003, Godspeed announced that they would enter into an indefinite hiatus. In the wake of the bands hibernation from music, there has been an influx of bands spawned from former GY!BE members to continue the post-rock movement so related to Montreal artists, names like A Silver Mt. Zion, Fly Pan Am, and Set Fire to Flames.

On further note of large bands becoming newer, further intricate bands, the discussion of post-rock can't continue without Broken Social Scene. BSS is one of the borderline post-rock artists, only setting themselves apart from the genre with emphasis toward lyrics, though they tend to be disconcordant at times to the entire piece of a song. Broken Social Scene already uses strength of repetition to their advantage with their music, particularly in songs like KC Accidental from You Forgot It In People, but their lull in music-making has influenced their huge company of musicians to take on solo projects, some of which are in the realm of post-rock. Most notably would be Do Make Say Think, formed by Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit. Incorporating a more electronic style, with a mix of jazz, they use everything from keyboards to brass instruments to create their ambiance. Bands such as Valley of the Giants, coined "post-rock supergroup" by their Wikipedia page, is a direct alignment of Canning and Spearin from Broken Social Scene, and Sophie Trudeau from GY!BE and A Silver Mt. Zion, bringing direct relation between Broken Social Scene and post-rock. Furthermore, bands like Bell Orchestre, a completely instrumental band with full-time members of The Arcade Fire among their party, bring in borderline post-rock bands in a full circle of inclusiveness.

Explosions In The Sky is a another leader of the post-rock music. Coming from deep in the heart of Texas, Explosions In The Sky quickly live up to their name. Going from cool, solemn high notes, played discreetly and serenely, even complete and total ambiance, to an all out castrophonic ejection of sheer explosive noise in mere moments. From the violent and turbulent, to the peaceful and soothing, the trio of electric guitars mixing their delicate sounds into intricate textures, balanced out with drums, summarizes perfectly that picaresque American view of middle-of-nowhere west Texas.

It should also be further noted that just because some of these bands are taking a break from their music, while fans await future music by bands such as Mogwai and Tortoise who continue to produce new material, it is not to be said that the giants among the genre are the only artists making post-rock. Post-rock is constantly attempting to evolve with new artists springing up in example of more recent talent such as Explosions In The Sky. New artists such as This Will Destroy You, destroyalldreamers, God is an Astronaut, All About Max, From Monument to Masses, The Paper Chase, Post Harbor, Astrobotica Supra De' Nova, and Japancakes are pushing the boundaries of post-rock as we speak, testing out new sounds, new harmonies, and new formulas to take this new genre to heights never before imagined.


Post-rock is a testament to music, one which states loudly and boldly, in ways truly unique to it's own, that music is an evolutionary movement, which will never die, but slowly grow into new plains that defy the realms of that which is labeled modern and standard.

The Arcade Fire

To be perfectly truthful, when I first heard about The Arcade Fire about two or three years ago, I was very analytical with them. This was before I was really immersed in this dense music scene known simply as "indie," so I was thoroughly out of the loop at the time.

But I caught wind of several of the songs off their latest album at the time, Funeral, and was intrigued. The mix of harmonic lyrics that were quite deep though vague, with extended instrumental ritornelles featuring heavy emphasis on string instruments like violin and cello, was a huge shift in most of the general music trends I had been hearing. Not only did that make them thoroughly stand out, but also their blaring electric guitar riffs are truly unique - hearing them paired with the already thematic elements that the string instruments (as aforementioned: violin, cello, etc.) invoke, the waves of sound plaster your senses with thoughts and feelings.

When the video for Rebellion (Lies) premiered on MTV2 (I was an avid viewer at the time - this was when I began to realize how grotesque and poisonous MTV is to independent artists), I was hooked. I soon after got the cd, sat down, and gave it a listen.
But somehow, I was more disappointed than I figured I'd be.

Neighborhood #1 introduces the album, starting quiet until it builds into a crescendo which sets a strong mood and speed the album is to follow. Neighborhood #2 comes next, taking that speed to another level. Une Annee Sans Lumiere is your breather with a slow song before they burst forth again with Neighborhood #3. The entire record thus far is a steady, progressive ride, and quite exciting.

But to change the mood, they follow with Neighborhood #4. Now don't get me wrong, it's a great song. But the switch from VERY fast, to significantly slower threw me off. Then they slowed even more with Crown Of Love, a very emotional, very slow tune. It's not like I'm against slow songs or anything, but this huge switch in mood and speed turned me off to the rest of the album. I got frustrated with Funeral, and at this point in the album would tend to put it away. I would usually be found calling Arcade Fire "good, but overrated."





Well, a long time of disinterest passes until I find myself wandering iTunes and see their self titled EP. I thought, hey, why wouldn't I give it a go? I can't have a well rounded opinion without hearing more of their material, right?
I really love their EP - it's unique compared to their other works. Almost the whole album takes a slower speed, therefore making you be patient with their music. They also tended to stay on the quiet side; their form developing had not granted the long, mind numbingly symphonic instrumentals that I adore in their style. But all the songs have some sort of hook, and can keep you interested. I gained a better opinion of them, but was stubborn; The Arcade Fire now regained my listening pleasure, but they haven't proved themselves just yet.


This year, they finally released their latest album, Neon Bible. I still held the idea that they were put on their pedestal by pretentious snobs who read too many Pitchfork articles. But eventually, I broke down and gave Neon Bible a chance.

I was dumbfounded. The ENTIRE album is progressive; Neon Bible takes advantage of their speed with mostly fast songs. When they do transition into slow songs, they have their rightful place inbetween their more hasty counterparts. Also, calling them quiet is an injustice in itself, they keep them progressive, and they can have their strong outbursts of noise; the transitioning from fast-to-slow-to-fast works well, and only the song Neon Bible seems a bit forced into place, but is quickly forgiven with it's content.

Furthermore, the heavy instrumental breaks I fancied from Funeral were given strong emphasis, and are always a delight to hear, especially since the songs are crunched down in to hyper, fast paced rushes of sound.


I have since fallen in love with Arcade Fire, and have a strong respect for their music now, new and old. It's hard to say whether Neon Bible or Funeral is better. I'd almost be willing to say Funeral due to the more complex songs, but with moving tracks such as Keep The Car Running, (Antichrist Television Blues), Intervention (with some ASTOUNDING church organ playing!), and a reprise of No Cars Go, it'll forever be debated with myself, I predict.

One note that sets Neon Bible apart from Funeral is their recording processes. While Funeral had a significant amount of it's material recorded at the infamous Hotel2Tango, (think about bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Bell Orchestre, Wolf Parade, A Silver Mt. Zion), Neon Bible was recorded at a series of churches, most notably at St. James Anglican Church in Quebec, and most profoundly at Eglise St. Jean Baptist, Montreal, where they were able to record Intervention and other songs with a real pipe organ. But the audio recorded within these churches brings a whole different feel if you have room to respect the quality. It's hard to shake the imagination of the band just playing away near the altar, the wonderful melodies bouncing off stone walls and shaking the stained glass.





It is the bands I listen to, such as The Arcade Fire, which make me love music. I'm eternally indebted to my music the items of: one infinity, and maybe a cup of warm, sweet tea, for teaching me how to think, feel, and be. This is why I love music.

The Rescue - Explosions In The Sky

The Rescue
by Explosions In The Sky
(Review written: April 15, 2006)

Music can be frustrating. That’s a given. I’m sure just about anyone has tried something musically, and I can almost assume that most of aforementioned people are mere amateurs at anything musical (myself included). I can willingly accept my faults, which are many.

There are a lot of things that go into making an album, and being able to present a message you’d like to express, but how about for an entirely instrumental band?

That’s the task that forever awaits Explosions In The Sky. After releasing Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place though, Explosions has decided to take a step back in the song writing process with their release of their 2005 EP, The Rescue.

Normally, a song could be written with great haste, and quickly recorded. But sometimes, songs for Explosions would take literal weeks to come up with as they searched for perfection. The novel concept behind The Rescue though is that the band aimed for a simple, somewhat daunting, but still interesting build of a record: write and record a song every day for two weeks. No riffs were allowed to be written beforehand, making the album essentially an instrumental improvisation.

Two weeks eventually turned into 8 days, but this surely doesn’t diminish the presence this The Rescue exudes. The album still has everything we’ve come to know and love about our favorite Texas post-rockers, but with many innovations and experimentations (including vocals, gasp!).
The songs are much shorter than your typical Explosions track, but each track boasts unique novelties, such as Day 1’s bells, that more than make up. The obvious “ambient song” of an instrumental band shows up on Day 3, a real gem on The Rescue, which includes very distant textured instrumenting along with audio clips from an occasion when their van broke down on their very first tour. The real shining piece of The Rescue shows on the diligent combination of instruments on Day 5, from a result of mixing everything from a piano and xylophone to a tambourine and jingle bells, with everything in between.

Explosions In The Sky proves that with a little ingenuity and abstract thinking, very interesting things can occur, and also show they aren’t a one trick pony and still have something to surprise their fans. Hopefully some ideas drawn from The Rescue EP will rub off on their next full length album.

What Is Voilà!?

used to call attention to or express satisfaction with something shown.

Voilà! is a music blog that favours well written articles over industry gossip. It all started off in October 2007 in reaction to all the other music blogs cropping up who had sucky authors no sense for journalistic integrity or talent with the written word. They also pretentiously featured bands, and that was getting old.

Voilà! focuses itself firmly in the midst of music, literature, and independence. The intention of Voilà! is to make a difference in the online music community with thought-provoked, well written articles; articles that are keen on their understanding and use of eloquent language, without the clouding over of the opinions of the authors. The result is (ideally) a very well produced, astute, humble, diligent collaboration between friends from all over, speaking on the one thing that unites all of us: the unfathomable joy and love we all hold for music, in all its permutations.

Voilà! works best as a collaboration: a collection of musically inclined writers who all have a say and an opinion on the music styles and genres of their choice. All of our writers have their own style of discourse. They write about whatever they choose to write, however they choose to write it, and express their passion for whatever music they listen to; this collective mindset allows Voilà! to divest a sense of bias, for a sense of communal acceptance of all forms of music. This is what makes Voilà! so cool, fool.

Voilà! is a passionately independent music blog. Music journalism should be free of the constraints of advertising and promotion. So we're entirely non-profit, and don't schmooze with businesses whatsoever. We also have a love for the atypical. The mainstream of music culture is something of a stagnant swamp, so Voilà! intends to offer up musical artists flowing to their own current. You can expect to see many foreign and independent musicians being featured, along with creative kooks who've got a musically inclined talent.

Finally, Voilà! is always intrigued in gathering some new writers who are as intrigued as the rest of us are. If you'd like to write for Voilà!, we accept submissions! Send an email to chris.voilamusic@gmail.com titled "Submission," include a brief summary of the article at the beginning of the email, and we'll give it a look over. If you want to join the Voilà! team, drop an email telling us so at chris.voilamusic@gmail.com. We'll send you an application. If you're wanting to get some journalism cred and experience, we can be an excellent reference. And the fun part about writing for Voilà! is that our editors are lax and you can pretty much say anything you want! It's worth it, promise.

The Rules:

I.
What Voilà! wants to do is have thorough music discussion by all it's members to all of our readers. We're looking for posts such as:
a) Previews on bands, songs, albums, events, concerts, et. al.
b) Reviews on bands, songs, albums, events, concerts, et. al.
c) Discussions on music, such as with a genre, style of composing, instruments, musical theory, or anything else you can dream of!
d) Discussions on bands or artists specifically; whether it's their history til present time, or just your thoughts about them in general. This is very open to interpretation.
e) High Fidelity-esque lists: top 5/10 best [insert topic] lists. But please turn such articles into discussions on why so-and-so's song deserves their placement. If you don't understand this concept, you should go read High Fidelity.
f) Playlists! Mixing CDs for people is like a hidden sub-culture these days. If you feel like that last CD you burned was particularly profound, feature it. Trying to make playlists with themes in mind is interesting too. If you're intrigued, check out this site for more ideas/examples.
e) Finally, anything NOT listed that you can think of, that relates to music. Remember, if you're a writer for Voilà!, our blog is your blog. Speak as you wish about what you want, just try and keep it related to music.

One thing to note, Voilà! doesn't support numerical reviews. Don't compare a band/album/song to a number scale unless it's a top 5/10/etc. List of your own personal opinion. All sites grade albums and bands on a numerical scale, and we don't need them.



II.
This blog was made in the United States of America. Voilà! uses one of the most fundamental principles respected by the US people: freedom of speech. You can say what you want, how you want. Whether you're eloquent or profane, your writing is welcome. You can cuss if you wish, or choose not to; it's your choice. This is a liberal place; if you don't like naughty language, don't read it. We promise we'll keep it PG-13 though [see rule III].


III.
Be entirely aware, rule II is not a free invitation to spout off rudely or talk like a sailor (or rapper, for that matter). Cussing is welcomed, but still frowned upon; there are better words to use. Don't be racist or violent - there's nothing cool about that. If you're prone to the profane in your articles, and you cuss too much, you will be warned by the admin. to tone it down. If the down is not toned, you will be reprimanded; AKA, if you don't watch your mouth you could get kicked off the squad, kid. Try not to cuss too much. Also, verbally attacking or abusing ANYONE in any fashion, via comment or blog post, is serious business, and will not be tolerated. You will be in trouble, no exceptions. Just don't do it.


IV.
If you spam, you will be removed not only from Voilà!, but from Blogger. DO. NOT. SPAM.


V.
People who belong to bands: I know what you're thinking, "Tons of music lovers in one place, sweet! I'll plug my band." Good thinking. Yes, if you are in a band, you may post articles about your band. BUT BUT BUT, the deal is, don't over-expose yourself. This is not your band's blog, so updating about every step of your tour is not news to us. Don't blubber on and on about how great your own band is; that's just conceited, and you'll be removed from the blog. Futhermore, if you spam your band, you'll be kicked off. This doesn't mean you can't speak of your band though. We want to hear about it!, in a nice, proper manner. Talk about your new EP/LP, if you're launching on a new tour, or whatever, but limit it to a only a few posts; don't go crazy.


VI.
Unless you are the owner and/or proprieter to musical content, videos, or songs, don't upload downloadable content on Voilà!. File Sharing is nice, but generally no bueno, señors y señoritas. Voilà! wouldn't like to be involved in legal disputes. Any use of file sharing sites, unless you have permission to the content, will be deleted from your articles. BUT, if you still want to share stuff, feel free to post videos from YouTube, or share songs through 3rd party websites like Virb or iMeem. You can also link things in your blog to other sites, like Myspace pages with their music players, or anywhere else imaginable. Just nowhere with viruses please - make sure the site you link is safe and secure. You give bad link, you get in trouble.

Be warned though, if you're uploading the content to those 3rd party sites that doesn't legally belong to you, you do it on your own accord, and this blog claims no affiliation with your actions. We don't like the illegalities against music sharing either, but we're obeying the law, thanks.



VII.
Don't tamper with anything that is not yours or you know you shouldn't be tampering with. If you do something strange on this site, we'll notice, and you'll regret it. If you have any ideas or suggestions of any kind, approach one of the admins., and they'll help you out. Being a vigilante is so 90s.


VIII.
Don't post personal information on this site that could get you in trouble, or stalked and/or hunted by sexually hungry women (wait, that may be attractive... hunted by sexually hungry, CREEPY MEN!). You've heard this hundreds of times, of course. But if you post something personal on this blog, on your personal blog via blogger, or on your blogger profile, assume that anyone and everyone, including their newborn puppies, can see it. And who wants to be stalked by creepy men with newborn puppies?



IX.
If you post pictures, be entirely confident in doing so. Technically, if you are not the photographer, you need their photographer's permission. You can also give them credit. Give credit where credit is due, and leave a note about the picture you stole off of Myspace for whoever took it. A nice (and easy) thing to do is provide a link to the picture you use, or to the photographer's personal website.

Furthermore, don't go crazy and regurgitate pictures all over your article. It's very cluttered, that way. The only exception to this rule are coverages of live concerts, but even in this event, don't go overboard; provide a link to a photo-sharing site with more pictures. Use the rule of thumb that for every 2-3 paragraphs you write, you can upload a single picture.


X.
This is a MUSIC blog. Now, music encompasses a wide variety of things, from films, to motion picture soundtracks, music technology, music instruments, song composition, radio - what have you. Therefore, the term "music related" is relative to general interpretation. As long as all articles are directed sort-of toward music, there is no problem. But if it is deemed that your article isn't living up to the standards, it'll be asked to be removed via e-mail, or comment.

XI.
To maintain some sort of normalcy to Voilà!, I [Chris] might make an edit or two to an article you post. Like add a photo, or spell check, or make some links out of some of the words. Very minor stuff. I have no right changing your actual material, so I'm definitely not going to.





Just remember, rules about your personal writing aren't too strict. These rules are open to personal interpretation. You won't get kicked off the blog if you review a movie once or twice, or discuss something random. Just remember, this blog is directed to music, and isn't your personal blog - everyone will see everything you say, and likely will respond to it.

Furthermore, this isn't your online diary, or LiveJournal. Again, we're looking for MUSIC discussion, not what your weekend was like. I know the story of you getting hammered with your friends is hilarious, but don't forget, you can always create a personal blog with your Blogger account. We can find out about you there.


If you have any questions, feel free to ask me [Chris], further information. I can tell you everything you need to know. Welcome to Voilà!

Who Is Voilà!?

The point of Voilà! is to collect a handful of diverse, unique, and wholly interesting people together in one place, to do one thing: write about the music they all love.

All of the writers are our favourites, and all of the writers are our best. There is no discrimination due to what music they like, how they write, or what they write about. Everyone is an equal, and everyone has a say.


These are some of the fantastic writers that are our backbone, and that Voilà! prides itself in:

Chris

Fort Worth, Texas, United States
(college student/author/photographer/vegetarian)
[follow him]

Noor
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
(secondary student/future design student)
[follow her]

Legal Jazz

The following are disclaimers and all that legal blabbery that everyone hates to deal with. Sadly, in the day and age we live in, nothing is legal anymore, so one can't be too careful.
[last updated: 22/3/2011]




All written content appearing on this site is © 2007-2011, Voilà! Music.
Of course, that's unless otherwise noted.
No plagiarizing please (without permission anyway).
Creative Content stuff can be arranged when we're not listening to music too loudly.

Voilà! is a nonprofit blog.
We have no ads or advertisements.
We support nobody for personal profit.
If any writer promotes or suggests another website/company/record label/etc., it is sincerely out of the lovingness of the writer's heart.

All images used are found freely on the internet, and thus assumed to be copyleft or of the public domain. If any images that appear here are in violation of copyright law, or you just don't want them posted, please let us know and we will remove them immediately.

All music that appears on this site is uploaded by the given author of an article, at their own discretion. This will always be done via a third-party website [YouTube, Last.fm, et. al.]. All music that appears on this site through third-party outfits is for sampling purposes and listening pleasures only. If you represent an artist featured on this site and would like a song, video, or any musical content removed, tell us. Or rather, tell those silly people who posted it on the third-party source in the first place, those devilish souls.

All written content is the sole property of the author who posts the article.
If the article is signed with their name at the bottom, it's copyrighted to them.
It's also copyrighted to Voilà!, but that's mostly because we're hosting it.
If content is not a writer's original material, tell us and prove it.

Voilà! loves to support folks!
Especially folks who are independent.
If you want be featured on the site, or have something interesting you'd like to show other folks who read Voilà!, let us know - or send it our way - and we'll more than likely make room for it in an article. If you want to write an article for submission, by all means, send it in! We might edit it a bit. But that's how the journalism game works, kiddos.


We here at Voilà! are all humble little younglings who are scared of lawyers and pencil-pushing corporatized business-people, and don't intend to break any laws. If you have any concerns, comments, complaints, questions, suggestions, interpretations, exclamations, presentations, aspirations, or legal jargon you'd like to throw our way, do so!
(chris[dot]voilamusic[at]gmail.com)