20-03-2010, 12:35
released Mar 16th, 2010
![[Image: n58984e64jq.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drn500/n589/n58984e64jq.jpg)
from the album - On Time
YouTube - The Disco Biscuits - On Time
from all music
A jam band active since 1995, the Disco Biscuits play a distinct blend of rock, techno, jazz, soul, blues, and classical music that quickly took them to the upper echelon of the jam-roots-groove scene. Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig, Marc Brownstein, Sam Altman, and Aron Magner met on the University of Pennsylvania campus and formed the Disco Biscuits there in late 1995. They started out with frat party gigs all over Philly, but quickly moved to the nightclub scene. In 1996 they released their indie debut, Encephalous Crime. In addition to their own shows, they toured in support of Merl Saunders, the Black Crowes, the Jerry Garcia Band, and Morphine. Their highly danceable style â guitarist/lead vocalist Jon Gutwillig has declared that the goal of the group is to create the wildest (or craziest) music of all time â has been dubbed "trance fusion" and has drawn some comparisons to Frank Zappa (even though the bandmembers themselves don't hear it). They've been known to break into a classical piece â or a slice of classic jazz â in the middle of an extended rock jam. The Disco Biscuits' songs are written for the live show and a record then results â not the other way around. The band was signed to Hydrophonics Records in 1998 and then released its second CD, The Uncivilized Area. Their third, They Missed the Perfume, hit the streets in 2001. With the group continually growing into a more adventurous combo as time went by, the more organic Señor Boombox came out in the fall of 2002. Altman left the group in 2005, but the band, with replacement drummer Allen Aucoin, continued to play (as well as curate its own successful electronic music festival, Camp Bisco), releasing two live albums: the two-disc The Wind at Four to Fly and the single-disc Rocket 3 in 2006. In 2009 the Disco Biscuits began recording their fifth studio album.
album reiew from high times
The Disco Biscuitâs fifth studio album, Planet Anthem (Diamond Riggs Records) was a long time coming â roughly seven and a half years. During that period, the band lost founding drummer Sammy Altman and replaced him with the fully automatic but less flamboyant Allen Aucoin, in his second decade as Biscuitsâ percussionist, and with this band, that carries a lot of responsibility. Bassist/vocalist Marc Brownstein became a father. The band moved back to their hometown, Philadelphia, after vacating the too-mellow vibes of Santa Cruz. They violated unwritten jamband law by barely touring for a couple of years, though theyâve righted that ship lately.
And then there was the utter lack of recorded material after having previously issued four occasionally brilliant albums in six years, from 1996âs Encephalous Crime through 2002âs Senor Boombox. But now finally, we have new Biscuits product, with Planet Anthem being the most overtly pop album the band has ever released. On the surface it might evoke memories of 2001âs They Missed the Perfume, but whereas Perfume was a single-minded techno tour-de-force, Anthem is far more diverse, augmenting the expected trance-fusion elements with hip-hop, dance, pop, jazz, indie and straight-ahead rock and roll experiments (for a band like the Biscuits, playing straight rock qualifies as experimental). Instead of a collection of individual Biscuits membersâ songs, Anthem is easily the most collaborative of all Biscuits albums, with a host of outside musicians, singers, producers and even writers (including Harry Zelnick) contributing to this albumâs shape (and shape-shifting). Anthem is also unique in that the songs were intended for studio production before live exploration, the opposite of the Biscuitsâ previous recording M.O.
âLoose Changeâ opens the album in almost Pink Floyd-like style with its spacey intro and cash register effects before settling into the main laidback groove led by guitarist/vocalist Jon Gutwillig. âChangeâ was produced by one of the biggest influences in the development of the Biscuitsâ sound, Simon Posford (Hallucinogen, Shpongle, etc), the godfather of the modern trance movement. Lyrically, âChangeâ recalls Rushâs âThe Big Moneyâ with its dualistic take on âmoney, the root of all evilâ¦money, makes you feel unbelievable.â
The bouncing, dance-floor friendly âOn Timeâ already signals that weâre in unfamiliar Biscuits territory, a track mixed by Posford collaborator OTT with lyrics and rapping by Tu Phace, as he compares the digital world to human relationships. This is one of the Anthem tracks that could open the Biscuits up to a new audience.
The floating psychedelia of âWidgetsâ is one of the standout tracks on Anthem, and little surprise it was also produced by Posford, with fine complimentary Aucoin percussion and strong contributions from keyboardist/vocalist Aron Magner both on synth and voice. âWidgetsâ is made memorable by its beguiling chorus, âIâm on the outside, looking in,â a lyric that could serve as both a personal statement and a window to the Biscuitsâ own position â theyâve produced some of the most innovative sounds of the last 15 years, yet many bands that have copied their âBiscoâ style have achieved greater commercial acceptance and success.
âYou and Iâ abruptly changes gears with a face-punching riff that becomes part of an up-tempo industrial pop excursion, punctuated by some excellent bottom-of-the-swimming-pool bass from Brownstein. âYou and Iâ was co-produced by Magner and Tom Hamilton, of fellow East Coast trance rockers, Brothers Past. With this track, the Biscuits may be on to something, but the style needs further development.
âKonkreteâ gets more sinister, with Gutwillig channeling Jim Morrison both lyrically and vocally, poetically reciting: âThe words are garbled like alphabet soup, served by an image of your mother, dressed in last nightâs clothes, covered in her big wet smile.â All this is interspersed with Gutwillig feedback, ominous Magner synth breakdowns and old school vinyl scratching.
The celestial, (mostly) instrumental âUber Glueâ is already a staple of live Biscuits shows, and serves here as a fitting interlude in the albumâs mid-section. âRain Songâ continues on the mellow path with its ethereal lead female vocals, gentle strains and storm sound effects (and no, itâs not a cover of Zeppelinâs âRain Songâ â song titles cannot be copyrighted).
Gutwillig and Zelnickâs âFish Out of Waterâ is sure to raise some controversy, due to its commercial intentions; its very name seems to indicate its relative status versus the rest of the Biscuitsâ catalog. And while âFishâ signals an attempt at indie pop diversity by the band, it ultimately falls flat as a studio effort (even with The Duo and Furthurâs Joe Russo on guest drums), but maybe this âFishâ can be rescued in the live setting, still the Biscuitsâ dominant domain.
âSweatboxâ pushes the aural envelope and lives up to its name with its phasing Magner synth and click-clack Aucoin rhythms. And while the chorus of âI got to do, born to do; maybe Iâm the man for youâ is a total head rush, the pedestrian rapping (âWhatâs good pimpin? Disco Biscuits can you dig it?) drops less fulfilling.
Marc Brownsteinâs introspective âThe Cityâ is perhaps the most âold schoolâ Biscuits track on Anthem. Not so much musically, but as far as vocals and melody are concerned, in that it recalls Brownsteinâs work during the Biscuitsâ artistic peak that ran from 1999-2002, with its sing-a-long, prescient chorus of âSitting on a mountaintop, 15 miles above the city, swimming in a melting pot, where you could see the future with me.â Unfortunately, the momentum is not sustained, as Gutwillig and Zelnickâs âBig Wrecking Ballâ ventures in the same space as âFish out of Waterâ and the results are even more lackluster â at least âFishâ is catchy.
Things improve drastically with the pop progressions of âVacation,â penned by Gutwillig, Brownstein and Magner. The rare lyrical triumvirate yields impressive results: âAnother year still not there, fade away into the air, old man in his rocking chair, silently became you.â Musically, âVacationâ ends in a whirlwind, a transcendent cacophony of seemingly every instrument at the Biscuitsâ disposal â if Anthem had been more of this, it would be an instant five-pot leaf classic.
At first listen, album closer âQuad Dâ is about as unexpected a Biscuits song as it gets with its smooth jazz underscoring sexy vocalist Nikki Jean and her own heartfelt lyrics of combating a life unsatisfied, âI give it away, before I give it a chance.â Later, the music picks up in a brassy fade-out, and surprisingly, it all works â a very compelling ending to the album, confirming the suspicion that the more ambitious facets of Planet Anthem are its most rewarding.
Track Listing
1 Loose Change Brownstein, Gutwillig ... 4:27
2 On Time Chiger, Magner, Tu Phace ... 3:35
3 Widgets Aucoin, Gutwillig, Magner ... 4:41
4 You and I Chiger, Gutwillig, Zelnick 2:54
5 Konkrete Gutwillig, Zelnick 4:05
6 Ãber Glue Brownstein, Magner, Zelnick 4:50
7 Rain Song Brownstein, Gutwillig ... 5:16
8 Fish Out of Water Chiger, Gutwillig, Zelnick 3:45
9 Sweatbox Gutwillig, Zelnick 2:56
10 The City Brownstein 4:48
11 Big Wrecking Ball Chiger, Gutwillig, Zelnick 3:22
12 Vacation Brownstein, Gutwillig ... 5:23
13 Quad D Gutwillig, Jean, Magner ... 5:52
from the album - On Time
YouTube - The Disco Biscuits - On Time
from all music
A jam band active since 1995, the Disco Biscuits play a distinct blend of rock, techno, jazz, soul, blues, and classical music that quickly took them to the upper echelon of the jam-roots-groove scene. Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig, Marc Brownstein, Sam Altman, and Aron Magner met on the University of Pennsylvania campus and formed the Disco Biscuits there in late 1995. They started out with frat party gigs all over Philly, but quickly moved to the nightclub scene. In 1996 they released their indie debut, Encephalous Crime. In addition to their own shows, they toured in support of Merl Saunders, the Black Crowes, the Jerry Garcia Band, and Morphine. Their highly danceable style â guitarist/lead vocalist Jon Gutwillig has declared that the goal of the group is to create the wildest (or craziest) music of all time â has been dubbed "trance fusion" and has drawn some comparisons to Frank Zappa (even though the bandmembers themselves don't hear it). They've been known to break into a classical piece â or a slice of classic jazz â in the middle of an extended rock jam. The Disco Biscuits' songs are written for the live show and a record then results â not the other way around. The band was signed to Hydrophonics Records in 1998 and then released its second CD, The Uncivilized Area. Their third, They Missed the Perfume, hit the streets in 2001. With the group continually growing into a more adventurous combo as time went by, the more organic Señor Boombox came out in the fall of 2002. Altman left the group in 2005, but the band, with replacement drummer Allen Aucoin, continued to play (as well as curate its own successful electronic music festival, Camp Bisco), releasing two live albums: the two-disc The Wind at Four to Fly and the single-disc Rocket 3 in 2006. In 2009 the Disco Biscuits began recording their fifth studio album.
album reiew from high times
The Disco Biscuitâs fifth studio album, Planet Anthem (Diamond Riggs Records) was a long time coming â roughly seven and a half years. During that period, the band lost founding drummer Sammy Altman and replaced him with the fully automatic but less flamboyant Allen Aucoin, in his second decade as Biscuitsâ percussionist, and with this band, that carries a lot of responsibility. Bassist/vocalist Marc Brownstein became a father. The band moved back to their hometown, Philadelphia, after vacating the too-mellow vibes of Santa Cruz. They violated unwritten jamband law by barely touring for a couple of years, though theyâve righted that ship lately.
And then there was the utter lack of recorded material after having previously issued four occasionally brilliant albums in six years, from 1996âs Encephalous Crime through 2002âs Senor Boombox. But now finally, we have new Biscuits product, with Planet Anthem being the most overtly pop album the band has ever released. On the surface it might evoke memories of 2001âs They Missed the Perfume, but whereas Perfume was a single-minded techno tour-de-force, Anthem is far more diverse, augmenting the expected trance-fusion elements with hip-hop, dance, pop, jazz, indie and straight-ahead rock and roll experiments (for a band like the Biscuits, playing straight rock qualifies as experimental). Instead of a collection of individual Biscuits membersâ songs, Anthem is easily the most collaborative of all Biscuits albums, with a host of outside musicians, singers, producers and even writers (including Harry Zelnick) contributing to this albumâs shape (and shape-shifting). Anthem is also unique in that the songs were intended for studio production before live exploration, the opposite of the Biscuitsâ previous recording M.O.
âLoose Changeâ opens the album in almost Pink Floyd-like style with its spacey intro and cash register effects before settling into the main laidback groove led by guitarist/vocalist Jon Gutwillig. âChangeâ was produced by one of the biggest influences in the development of the Biscuitsâ sound, Simon Posford (Hallucinogen, Shpongle, etc), the godfather of the modern trance movement. Lyrically, âChangeâ recalls Rushâs âThe Big Moneyâ with its dualistic take on âmoney, the root of all evilâ¦money, makes you feel unbelievable.â
The bouncing, dance-floor friendly âOn Timeâ already signals that weâre in unfamiliar Biscuits territory, a track mixed by Posford collaborator OTT with lyrics and rapping by Tu Phace, as he compares the digital world to human relationships. This is one of the Anthem tracks that could open the Biscuits up to a new audience.
The floating psychedelia of âWidgetsâ is one of the standout tracks on Anthem, and little surprise it was also produced by Posford, with fine complimentary Aucoin percussion and strong contributions from keyboardist/vocalist Aron Magner both on synth and voice. âWidgetsâ is made memorable by its beguiling chorus, âIâm on the outside, looking in,â a lyric that could serve as both a personal statement and a window to the Biscuitsâ own position â theyâve produced some of the most innovative sounds of the last 15 years, yet many bands that have copied their âBiscoâ style have achieved greater commercial acceptance and success.
âYou and Iâ abruptly changes gears with a face-punching riff that becomes part of an up-tempo industrial pop excursion, punctuated by some excellent bottom-of-the-swimming-pool bass from Brownstein. âYou and Iâ was co-produced by Magner and Tom Hamilton, of fellow East Coast trance rockers, Brothers Past. With this track, the Biscuits may be on to something, but the style needs further development.
âKonkreteâ gets more sinister, with Gutwillig channeling Jim Morrison both lyrically and vocally, poetically reciting: âThe words are garbled like alphabet soup, served by an image of your mother, dressed in last nightâs clothes, covered in her big wet smile.â All this is interspersed with Gutwillig feedback, ominous Magner synth breakdowns and old school vinyl scratching.
The celestial, (mostly) instrumental âUber Glueâ is already a staple of live Biscuits shows, and serves here as a fitting interlude in the albumâs mid-section. âRain Songâ continues on the mellow path with its ethereal lead female vocals, gentle strains and storm sound effects (and no, itâs not a cover of Zeppelinâs âRain Songâ â song titles cannot be copyrighted).
Gutwillig and Zelnickâs âFish Out of Waterâ is sure to raise some controversy, due to its commercial intentions; its very name seems to indicate its relative status versus the rest of the Biscuitsâ catalog. And while âFishâ signals an attempt at indie pop diversity by the band, it ultimately falls flat as a studio effort (even with The Duo and Furthurâs Joe Russo on guest drums), but maybe this âFishâ can be rescued in the live setting, still the Biscuitsâ dominant domain.
âSweatboxâ pushes the aural envelope and lives up to its name with its phasing Magner synth and click-clack Aucoin rhythms. And while the chorus of âI got to do, born to do; maybe Iâm the man for youâ is a total head rush, the pedestrian rapping (âWhatâs good pimpin? Disco Biscuits can you dig it?) drops less fulfilling.
Marc Brownsteinâs introspective âThe Cityâ is perhaps the most âold schoolâ Biscuits track on Anthem. Not so much musically, but as far as vocals and melody are concerned, in that it recalls Brownsteinâs work during the Biscuitsâ artistic peak that ran from 1999-2002, with its sing-a-long, prescient chorus of âSitting on a mountaintop, 15 miles above the city, swimming in a melting pot, where you could see the future with me.â Unfortunately, the momentum is not sustained, as Gutwillig and Zelnickâs âBig Wrecking Ballâ ventures in the same space as âFish out of Waterâ and the results are even more lackluster â at least âFishâ is catchy.
Things improve drastically with the pop progressions of âVacation,â penned by Gutwillig, Brownstein and Magner. The rare lyrical triumvirate yields impressive results: âAnother year still not there, fade away into the air, old man in his rocking chair, silently became you.â Musically, âVacationâ ends in a whirlwind, a transcendent cacophony of seemingly every instrument at the Biscuitsâ disposal â if Anthem had been more of this, it would be an instant five-pot leaf classic.
At first listen, album closer âQuad Dâ is about as unexpected a Biscuits song as it gets with its smooth jazz underscoring sexy vocalist Nikki Jean and her own heartfelt lyrics of combating a life unsatisfied, âI give it away, before I give it a chance.â Later, the music picks up in a brassy fade-out, and surprisingly, it all works â a very compelling ending to the album, confirming the suspicion that the more ambitious facets of Planet Anthem are its most rewarding.
Track Listing
1 Loose Change Brownstein, Gutwillig ... 4:27
2 On Time Chiger, Magner, Tu Phace ... 3:35
3 Widgets Aucoin, Gutwillig, Magner ... 4:41
4 You and I Chiger, Gutwillig, Zelnick 2:54
5 Konkrete Gutwillig, Zelnick 4:05
6 Ãber Glue Brownstein, Magner, Zelnick 4:50
7 Rain Song Brownstein, Gutwillig ... 5:16
8 Fish Out of Water Chiger, Gutwillig, Zelnick 3:45
9 Sweatbox Gutwillig, Zelnick 2:56
10 The City Brownstein 4:48
11 Big Wrecking Ball Chiger, Gutwillig, Zelnick 3:22
12 Vacation Brownstein, Gutwillig ... 5:23
13 Quad D Gutwillig, Jean, Magner ... 5:52