Hybrid Music |
Muncie is one of those towns. Folks there don't intend to be exclusionary, they're just comfortable in the assumption that you know where Doc's is without the benefit of an address or telephone number. There's an endearing, if frustrating innocence in this belief that anyone in Muncie was born there, and therefore has the map to Village Green Records imprinted in their mitochondria. It's this lack of worldly savvy that renders the Everything, Now! website nearly useless but adds an undeniable intrigue to us outsiders. It's almost as though they don't want to make it outside of Muncie . It's one of those deals like The Fluid or Admiral Twin where only locals know them and they seem to be fine with that. "Turn left where Jimmy Dayton used to live until he burnt down." What I'm getting at is that it's taken me a year of research to find out this much; Jonathan David Rogers now goes by Crafty, and some other fellows perform various hazardous duties. Also, the paint on the cool handcrafted CD sleeves is peeling off, lending true credibility to the DIY ethos. My assessment of 2005's Police, Police! holds true when measured against Bible Universe. These boys may as well be from Norman, OK. Though EN (as Munsonians call them) carry on the tradition the F-lips abandoned when Wayne Coyne joined the WB. That's not to say that Crafty has not progressed, because progress he has; just not at the cost of accessibility. The suitably absurd thoughts on robots and religion are randomly documented in a hand-scrawled tract. Some of the finer points are left to the imagination like a cryptograph. The music is well-crafted while oddly-grafted into ungodly abominations. Powdery AM Gold pop slips into stomping Stonesy choruses (Exile in Bible Universe.) Prog-gospel borrowed from Styx's "Renegade" turns to Beatley vaudeville. (The Myth of the Wizard Bird.) Somehow a heart monitor seeps magically into a Kraftwerk version of Three Dog Night. (Assimilation.) Bowie echoes through "Freedom Sex With Bible Women," which ends in a swarthy chorus of debauchers. Bible Universe succeeds in piecing together all the styles that cross Rogers' ADDled mind into a comfy quilt. |
| Rate Your Music By Dipsoid |
The album is a collection of nothing but standard indie-rock fodder. The songs are simple, catchy, and quirky. There's almost nothing too exceedingly interesting or creative to besides the absolutely stunning Freedom Sex With Bible Woman. |
No Ripcord |
Bible Universe begins with the end. Denial sounds like the kind of track that rolls with the credits of A Fistful of Dollars or Unforgiven. Set against the iconic image of Clint Eastwood riding into the sunset, mariachi trumpets flare and jangly, spaghetti-western guitars amble on as frontman Jon Rogers sings in Richard-Hell-doing-country-drawl, "Lie down on the operating table / we'll cover you with a bride's white veil / and give you away to radio ghosts." It's an ominous beginning to Everything, Now!'s finest record to date. Bible Universe is a concept record about St. Backbone, an angry, suicidal kid who jumps off a cliff and slips into a new dimension (via Wormhole 1) called Bible Universe and then slips into yet another dimension (via Wormhole 2). It's a tale about reinvention in the face of trial and the cost of religion - a parable that sheds as much light on Bible Belt America as on the psychological and pathological reasons people have for believing in God. Everything, Now! has always had a quasi-religious element about it. From the cult-like atmosphere that surrounds both the band and the fans to former band member Justin Clark's decision to quit the band to start his own cult to Rogers' assertion that "heaven is a lot like trailer park," Everything, Now! has never strayed from issues of spirituality and religion. Bible Universe is a great way to summarize Everything, Now!: mysterious, mythical and mystical with riddles hidden in riddles obscured by riddles. But there's clarity on Bible Universe. Where previous records flirted with an idea because copping out in Beefheart/Waits-inspired weirdness, Bible Universe is a unified record. But it is clear that while it has a specific message, listeners are meant to create their own meaning. The influences here are different too. While past Everything, Now! records dabbled in country and reggae while sticking to T-Rex and David Bowie glam-punk, Bible Universe abandons the rage that typified Police, Police! and Sunshine of Doom for baroque pop and 60s psychedelic rock. It's a switch that works, for the most part. Some of these songs have been around for a while - particularly Exile in Bible Universe, Freedom Sex with Bible Woman and Searching for the Invisible Man. Others are new. While the production on Bible Universe may seem minimal compared to Police, Police!, there are small inflections that help do Rogers' voice and his songs justice - pretty much the purpose of production. Elsewhere, the lack of production or a guiding hand hinders the project. The drumming is less than spectacular. Erick Sherman, Everything, Now!'s drummer, didn't play on this record. It's an absence sorely noted - Sherman is the kind of drummer who can elevate a band and give a song the kind of intensity it needs. That intensity is missing on some songs. The deft production and conceptual songwriting pays off in dividends. Call Her 'Auto' uses an echo effect on Rogers' voice, and there's a slight sense of reverb present in the minimalist arrangement - giving the track a Sgt. Pepper's feel. Towards the middle the record begins to falter a bit. Both Searching for the Invisible Man and The Last Vegetable in Our Verb Salad plod along and could have been cut. But I'm nit-picking. This is a thematically strong record that justifies its every move. Perhaps the finest moment of the record is the final song, The Birth of Ugly Magic, with its rousing chorus and heart-melting harmonizing. While Denial emits a dark, psychologically dense feeling, The Birth Ugly Magic emits a happy, resolute and peaceful vibe. It makes sense. St. Backbone has exited Bible Universe a new man. He's rejected The Church, but his experience has also freed him from the anger he had at the beginning of the record. Rogers' sings in the final coda: "If the heaviness of your load can get you down / Then let the lightness of your soul carry on." That sentiment is as apt a description of Everything, Now! circa 2007 as any. |
| My Old Kentucky Blog By Dodge July 9, 2007 |
Everything, Now! was the first band I ever interviewed when I started this site back in 2005. It was atrocious. No fault to them. They were funny and welcoming, sitting on their big, converted school bus and eating raw corn off the cob. I was ridiculously ill-prepared and cut things short after about three minutes. Anyway, they're back with a great new album. They still take you in every direction on this one, but there is a greater vision this time. There is much more cohesion than with their previous releases, more stability. It is a concept album, so the ideas are obviously more concise. The execution is clean, and the results are tremendous. I'm really proud to see the maturation process at hand from this Muncie, Indiana band. All the cd packaging was put together/done by hand. Secretly Canadian provided the cases for the band to re-use even. So they recycled as well. Remaining ever aggressive, they are also planning to release another full-length this Fall called Ugly Magic. There are so many varying entities in Everything, Now's music, psychedelia, glam, punk, surf, noise, synth-pop and more. In this new one, you hear lots of Bowie, Flaming Lips, Beach Boys/Panda Bear-stylings, a little Man Man and Gogol Bordello and they throw in the kitchen sink for good measure as well. Everything, Now! takes it all in a whole new incredibly interesting, sometimes absurd and amazingly original direction, and you should check them out. |
| Baby Sue September 2007 |
We were mighty impressed with this band's last release (Police, Police!). The good news is that...Bible Universe leaves the same wonderfully lasting impression. The guys in Everything, Now! create odd, unpredictable modern pop that sounds something like a cross between The Flaming Lips and The Kinks. What we like best about this band is that...despite the fact that some of their songs are rather odd and goofy...melodies are the real driving force behind the music. So...while all the odd arrangements definitely add extra punch and flavor to the band's sound...if you stripped it all away to nothing but chords and vocals, these songs would still stand solidly on their own. Imagination runs wild on Bible Universe...sounds from the 1960s all the way through to the twenty-first century collide and combine to create a cool and heady sound that is instantly addictive. Clever cuts include "Denial," "Exile in Bible Universe [or How I Spent My Bummer Vacation]," "Freedom Sex With Bible Woman," "Take a Gawk at the Weird Side," and "The Birth of Ugly Magic." This album is an excellent example of what underground bands are capable of producing. Highly recommended. (Rating: 5+++) |
| Nuvo By Josh Flynn |
2007 music year in review Everything Now! visits Bible Universe: Everything Now! created the state’s best Indiana indie rock album this year withBible Universe. The band’s gritty glam rock and dark lyrics trap the listener like a heroin nightmare. But in the end, Jon “Crafty” Rogers does what he does best: save our souls with rock ’n’ roll. Grampall Jookabox debuts Scientific Cricket: Dave Adamson transferred his creative energies from BIGBIGcar to Grampall Jookabox, releasing the challenging but rewarding album Scientific Cricket. Jookabox was also one of the best live acts during the later half of the year, as Adamson’s apocalyptic folk music took on tribal qualities, mesmerizing audiences. Amo Joy! arrives: Newcomers Amo Joy! arrived in February armed with kazoos, slide whistles, flutes and melodicas. The result? Joyous pop music brimming with energy and originality. A carefully crafted homemade debut album, The Dictatorial Soiree, soon followed. All that’s missing is a label. Somebody sign this band now. Dorsey celebrates Borrowed Pens: Dorsey stacked the decks against themselves when it came to their May CD release show. With the difficult job of following CABIN and Mason Proper, they played their new album in its entirety, featuring guest performers and a string section, which created a memorable night of music. |
| Terrascope August 2008 |
| Undeniably psychedelic, the universe inhabited by Everything Now, is a strange and slightly disturbing place, judging by their album “Bible Universe”. Beautifully loose and shambolic, the music is dense and drifting, the stories concerning death and re-birth, mystic visions and probably the kitchen sink as well. With titles such as “The Myth of the Wizard Bird” which has a messed up Todd Rundgren feel, “Take a Gawk at the Weird Side” Guitar boogie for acid casualties everywhere and “The Birth of Ugly Magic” The Beach Boys down the rabbit hole, it is obvious the band are deep into their own myths, and so they should be. One of those albums that suddenly comes into focus, a grower even. (www.everythingnowmusic.com) http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_August08.htm |