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 Click for music events Widespread Euphony Two entirely different, gifted local acts: Zelienople and Cracklin Moth
Ambient noise rock is such an acquired taste, maybe more so than any other rock genre, for its sheer inaccessibility, its lack of (traditional) musical grab. And, like all music, it can be hypnotizing and effectual or completely self-indulgent and awful.
Chicago three-piece Zelienople has been crafting devoted ambient soundscapes for years now, and, unlike some peers in the genre, has resisted all manners of pretentiousness and utter dreariness. The band’s new record, "His/Hers," its fifth, continues down the road of exploration, and in its five tracks (that clock in at almost forty-five minutes total) uncovers a handful of bent sounds, from the Eno-esque lush wash to folksy under-rhythms to psyche-jazz. Singer and guitarist Matt Christensen’s vocals are hardly ever discernable, more a wave of reverb-laden monodies, a pulsing use of voice as instrument.
"I wouldn’t want to take credit as the songwriter, but I usually write the material, but leave everything really vague," Christensen says of the band’s songwriting procedure. "When we finally sit down as a band, there’s a lot of room for improvisation and everybody’s input…The record dictates what it’s to be on its own."
Percussionist Mike Weis says the band’s taken to recording live on the last few records, and its benefited the sound. "Everything seems to be immediate, and it’s sticking better with us," he says. "We’re not overthinking it. On the first couple records we multi-tracked stuff, we labored over that. It became more of a monotonous exercise so we gave up on that. We started trying to capture what we were doing live, just the three of us playing together. It is a lot more rewarding."
Rather than depending solely on a traditional drumset for percussion, Weis uses "invented instruments" as well, built by Christensen from toys and gadgets he picks up at the American Science & Surplus store, including one built from an old artillery shell. "I think it’s a matter of how it feels to us," Weis says of the band’s sound. "We’ve always kind of liked to make mysterious sounds. There have been times when we’ve written straight-ahead songs, but after you listen to them [a hundred] times, they’re not that interesting. [With this material,] stuff is always coming to the forefront after multiple listens, there’s something new to grab on to. That kind of eerie, sparse structure and atmosphere lets you grow into songs more."
"We’re not enough of any particular scene to make it [into] any scene," Christensen says of the band’s place in the local arena. "We’re not free jazz enough for the jazz people, not folk enough for the folkies, not noise enough for the noise people. We tell people sometimes [about shows] trying to dissuade them [from coming]. Like, we know there’s a lot of reasons not to like us, so don’t think you have to say anything after the show. But it’s been getting a lot of attention lately, and I think that’s cool."
Cracklin Moth
Almost entirely at the other end of the spectrum rests local five-piece Cracklin Moth, whose new EP, the band’s second, "My Heart is Leaking," proves the group’s successfully honed its skill after its debut "Redbird" release. Through five songs that drift slightly from the band’s original alt-country sound and into a decidedly alt-pop area, the tight, compact production and execution is painted with melodic, catchy hooks and advanced orchestration (leader Matt Ammerman’s voice has never sounded this convincing, either). There’s an old Wilco sound to be heard here, but you can tell the band’s moving somewhere new and undiscovered.
"Our last one definitely had alt-country stuff in it, and I like that, but I wanted to do a lot more orchestration," Ammerman says. "I’ve been listening to E.L.O. lately, and for the new one, I was on a big trip with The Flaming Lips and the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds.’"
The band is clearly comprised of technically efficient, experienced musicians, which Ammerman says is great help—he began as a solo artist, and says that he’s comfortable now writing for a band because he’s so confident of his mates’ abilities. The lap steel guitar makes frequent appearances on the record and, at times, steals the show—especially on the last track, a prom-song-like ballad called "Sword of the Word."
"Chicago is a good scene in the sense that there’s a lot of good music here," Ammerman says. "It’s really accessible, where places like New York or Austin are extremely competitive. That ups the ante, but also I think if you really want to play out, get to know people, this is a lot better. There’s some really interesting stuff happening here—obviously you had the Pumpkins, Wilco, but now there are bands like the Office. We hope we’ll look back on this twenty years from now and say we were a part of something neat."
Zelienople plays July 26 at Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600, at 9:30pm. $8; Cracklin Moth also plays July 26 at Subterranean, 2011 West North, (773-278-6600, at 9pm. $8. Choose carefully.
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