Spectra Sonic Sound

This is the 3rd time Okara's track "Corona" has been posted on this site. This Song Of The Week was promted by a visit from Shawn of Spectra Sonic Sound Records who announced that he's got about 100 copies left of Okara's "Months Like Years" LP that he'd like to unload. There was a great response when I posted it a while back, so now's perhaps your last chance to own an original! Get a copy or three here or here.

So obviously "Corona" is my favorite Okara track. There's something about those tightly-wound opening measures with their frantic drumming and slightly off-time guitar riff, and the way they lead into the musical equivalent of ecstatic euphoria that sits well with me. The tracks throughout the LP are coated in a veneer of austerity, but a careful listen reveals a complex life under the surface of the songs that's pretty phenomenal for a three-piece.

"Corona"

Okara folks had some involvement in the bands Shotmaker, Three Penny Opera, 30 Second Motion Picture...

Song Of The Week: "Wednesday Night Church Meeting" (Mingus)

I'm not a church-going man, but years ago when a friend copied "Blues & Roots" for me, the first track conjured an image of a sweltering Southern church packed with lay folk dancing themselves into an ecstatic fever. It was more than satisfying when later I bought the LP and could see the song titles.

"Wednesday Night Church Meeting"

Okara Revisited

I thought I had a firm handle of what the visitors to this blog like: straight hardcore and grind! But every once in a while, someone will contact me about the less aggressive bands I like. A couple of people now have stumbled upon FE by searching for the elusive Ottawa trio, Okara. I did a post during the first weeks of this blog, but did not post an entire record by the band. So this revisit goes out to Brian who reminded me that Okara was indeed awesome, more people need to know about them, and that an immediate repost is urgently in order! Below you'll find links to the band's discography minus one 7" that I'm missing temporarily. First you'll get their playful, dazzling, and perplexing LP, "Months Like Years," where the band shows itself in full control of its faculties and had the best production of its career (which still wasn't great, but it adds grit to an already heavy piece of rock!). Equal parts jazz, San Diego rock, and New Math, every track is full of hooks and grooves, but also a fair amount of nerdery. In addition, you'll also get Okara's split with Mothman, where Okara sound different than usual, but Mothman sound uncannily like Okara. Maybe the labels were switched, but a closer look reveals that the above conclusion is correct! Finally, I've included what I call "The Rose" 7", which I believe to be Okara's second. On it you'll find some of the best and darkest of the band's output-- four chilling tracks that render the poor production negligible. All three musicians are incredibly talented, but I think on all these records

you'll find yourself drooling over the rhythm section's incredible precision and energy. If there's any interest, I may post some bands related to Okara, like Shotmaker, Three Penny Opera, and 30 Second Motion Picture, but we'll just have to see about that. If you're interested in vinyl copies of the LP and 7", try this distro, where you can also find out about members' later projects.

Okara LP

Okara "Rose" 7" and Split with Mothman

All ripped at 320 kbps with inserts, etc...

Last Call For Saké

Thanks to a kind, anonymous commenter (you rock!), I was finally let in on the last piece (?) to the Saké puzzle: "Unnatural Disasters" a.k.a. the Saké/Submission Hold split LP. Saké was a talented and awesome band, so if you're unfamiliar, click here for all Saké posts on this site...

These final five Saké tracks display the band at its most mature and contemplative (although I'm still a bit partial to their 10"). Expect the usual hard rockin' riffs, dual male/female screaming, violin melodies, and personal/political lyrics. The songwriting this time, however, is less "in your face," and tends to stay with slower, moodier themes longer, which contributes a more atmospheric dimension to their sound. To add further to this, Saké's track list is punctuated with a nice instrumental acoustic piece ("Myesis")-- a lovely swan song for a sadly under-appreciated band.

Now, Submission Hold is a band that I've been putting off exploring for some time. One thing can be said about them: within the hardcore pantheon, they are certainly one of the most innovative bands. SH combine the cacophonous, jarring chaos of the Ebullition sound, with the further unpredictability of avant-jazz and indie/progressive rock/post-hardcore. Within each track, you're sure to experience the confrontational quality of Spitboy, as well as the quiet-before-the-storm aspect of Indian Summer or Maximilian Colby (with the occasional flute trilling to accent the whole experience). While not the easiest music experience to "get into," it is admirable for its originality and its intermittent brilliance. You can view the band's discography here if you're interested in ordering their available releases.

D/L "Unnatural Disasters" HERE

Okara - Months Like Years

A little change of pace here: die hard crusties may want to look away... After they broke up, Ottawa's Okara released their only full length, "Months Like Years" (Spectra Sonic Sound Records). They had already put out a 7" and a split 7" with Mothman, which were very poorly produced. "Months Like Years" has some recording issues as well, but it is far better sounding than those previous outings. And, thankfully, it is their best material as well. On this monster, you'll find 8+ tracks of somewhat mathy indie rock that might find a comfortable home in DC, as well as in San Diego (in the early '90's). The guitar is raucous, jangly, and off-kilter, but the man behind it is in total control. Competing with this is the rhythm section, which brews a dizzying concoction of hyper-jazz rock that at times would feel danceable, if it were not for its unpredictability. The competition is a draw, and the product is a very kinetic, forceful, and edgy rock record. Fans of Shotmaker, Three Penny Opera, and 30 Second Motion Picture may recognize the vocalist. However, his vocals are basically the only similarity Okara can boast of with these bands. It is a shame this 3 piece couldn't hold it together for a second LP... I can only imagine how good such a record could have been. I was hoping to post their entire record, but there are still couple of copies left out there, so I wouldn't feel right doing that.

mp3s:

"Corona"

"New Light at Danbury's"