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Admiral Browning, Give No Quarter: Command Voyage

Posted in Reviews on August 12th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Now more than a decade on since getting together in the formidable Maryland heavy underground that now regards them as stalwarts, mostly-instrumental trio Admiral Browning arrive at their most progressive space yet with their fifth album overall, Give No Quarter. The album is something of an enigma, because with it, the band depart the relative comforts of the visual and musical narrative they put to such effective use on 2011’s Battle Stations (review here), opting instead for a collection of seven individual pieces less tied together than last time out, while at the same time, the individual complexity and personality of the tracks themselves is much more varied and individualized. Invariably, they touch on some of the seaward thematics they’ve brought out in the past — the title comes from a quote attributed to the pirate Edward “Blackbeard” Teach: “Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarters… or take any from you” — but musically, with elements of progressive rock, jazz, flamenco and psychedelic jamming, they’re far less tied to one aesthetic than they’ve ever been. That’s not to mention that Give No Quarter also marks the first time an Admiral Browning long-player features the vocals of guitarist Matt LeGrow, who’s joined in the trio by  bassist Ron “Fez” McGinnis and drummer Tim Otis, with the track “Zee Birds” providing an early and unexpected curve. Helena Goldberg of fellow Marylander outfit Akris also guests on vocals alongside McGinnis for the following centerpiece, “Malachai’s Lament,” so from whatever angle you want to approach it, Give No Quarter presents a more textured and complex Admiral Browning than has been heard on any of the band’s prior outings, be it Battle Stations, 2009’s Magic Elixir (review here) or 2007’s Dead Pets. Seems unlikely that the fact that Give No Quarter is also the first album they recorded completely by themselves would be a coincidence, but in concert with that, the sonic boldness that much of the record shows is easy to read as a signal overall of the band having simply decided to do what they want and said screw it to the rest.

That would seem to imply some level of settling in terms of their sound, but again, Give No Quarter in no way feels still. Beginning with some post-tuning guitar drums and a quick six-count, “Theme for Evil” shows with an immediate rush that Admiral Browning are continuing to refine their balance of technical intricacy and overarching groove. They are initially and remain unpretentious for the duration, and though it was recorded as they note in the CD liner in Otis‘ garage, the production throughout is no less tight and crisp than the band themselves, who’ve always walked a line between sonic dirt and delve-into-it mathematics. The real miracle of Give No Quarter (though perhaps “miracle” is strong since they’ve been at it for over a decade; man, time flies) is that even as the album rounds out with the captured-live exploration “Rogue Planet,” there’s never much sense that LeGrow, McGinnis and Otis are wholly indulging themselves rather than composing a song. Don’t get me wrong, “Theme for Evil” rounds out with some prog-noodle guitar leads met with bass-fill righteousness underneath — Otis being a steady hand in holding the string section together — and instrumental music by its nature is bound to have some indulgent elements, but Admiral Browning are never out of control either of their own play or of the course of the album’s 41 minutes, and on “Leeroy Jenkins” — which includes a gang shout of the titular name that’s every bit as countrified as you could hope — the impression is more that they’re having fun than they’re showing off. “Leeroy Jenkins” is the shortest of the collection at a blink-and-you-missed it 2:48, but efficient for its quick course, launching with a rush of fast riffing and fleet turns made smooth by consistency in the guitar. Just before a minute in, there’s a stop and the aforementioned shout, McGinnis‘ bass signaling the return, soon joined by LeGrow and Otis as the rush rebuilds, somewhat different but headed in roughly the same direction. They build it to a fitting cacophony before returning to the opening progression to bookend and cap with suitable intensity to lead via feedback to the somewhat more foreboding opening of “Zee Birds.” The intro is the slowest thing yet on the album — it still moves — and some coinciding Korg weirdness from Otis provides a hint of the different approach still to come once the speedily-delivered vocals get underway. The Korg continues behind the vocals in a kind of semi-siren sound, almost Theremin-esque, to add to to the unepxectedness of the track itself, and underneath, McGinnis delivers more jaw-dropping runs on bass while LeGrow‘s guitar fleshes out thick and memorable riffage and Otis proffers a controlled chaos on drums that underscores just how lethal Admiral Browning have become.

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Admiral Browning Streaming New Album Give No Quarter; Tour Dates Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 9th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

There’s nothing not to like about this latest update from Maryland-based progressive mostly-instrumentalists Admiral Browning. Between the fact that they’re hitting the road and the stream they’ve put up of their new album, Give No Quarter, I’ve been over it and over it, and I have no response here but to think it’s resoundingly awesome. I hope you’ll take a listen to the record and agree.

You’ll note in the tour dates that they’re headed to — among other places, obviously — Mt. Sinai, New York, to play at Kreators Bar. Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe not, but the joint is owned by Ken-E Bones of sludgy stalwarts Negative Reaction (who are also playing that show), and if you happen to live in that part of the world, both the place and the bands are worth your time and effort to support.

Behold the newsliness:

You can find Admiral Browning’s new album “Give No Quarter” streaming now at SoundCloud this month.

https://soundcloud.com/admiral-browning/sets/give-no-quarter

We will be hitting the road with it in hand come August and November. Upcoming dates are as follows:

Jul 14 Knoxville MD Lallo’s Pizza (w/Romanov) and Black Blizzard)
Aug 1 Knoxville MD Lallo’s Pizza CD RELEASE AND TOUR KICKOFF PARTY!! (w/Black Blizzard, Moontooth and Waste Down Rebels)
Aug 2 Philadelphia PA The M-Room (w/Kouhotek)
Aug 3 Mount Sinai NY Kreators Bar (w/Moontooth and Negative Reaction)
Aug 4 Portland ME Gino’s (w/Hessian)
Aug 5 Leominster MA Captains Lounge (w/ Pathogenic)
Aug 6 Rochester/TBA (need some help!)
Aug 7 Cleveland OH Now That’s Class
Aug 8 Columbus OH Cafe Bourbon St.
Aug 9 Pittsburgh PA Gooski’s (w/Molasses Barge)
Aug 10 Morgantown WV 123 Pleasant St. (w/Hovel and West By God)
Aug 20 Baltimore MD Sidebar (w/Pathogenic)
Aug 21 Frederick MD TBA

The second leg is still being finalized as we speak. Some dates are already on lockdown:

Nov 4 Harrisonburg VA TBA
Nov 5 Asheville NC TBA
Nov 6 Nashville TN Springwater (w/Elder Skull and Black Tar Prophets)
Nov 7 Atlanta GA TBA
Nov 8 Charlotte NC The Milestone (w/Musket King and Irata)
Nov 9 Richmond VA Strange Matter SHoD XIII

We hope to see you out there!

Matt, Tim, Fezz from Admiral Browning

Admiral Browning, Give No Quarter (2013)

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