well written, critical review of ‘Seconds’ by Tome to the Weather Machine

Seconds (Already Dead, 2010)

For: Axoltol, Robin Walker, Alpha Beta Cigarette Corporation

Byline: Eclectic and engaging, Joshua Tabbia’s bursts of harsh noise are tempered by moments of otherworldly beauty.

Amateurism may be the only escape from the tyranny of culture. I am not saying that Joshua Tabbia’s bedroom noise manipulations are terribly done or that Tabbia isn’t an ace musician, all I’m saying is that Problems That Fix Themselves tape destructions are do not adhere to any “professional” rules regarding style or aesthetic beyond their limited means of production. There isn’t any attempt to capitalize on being lo-fi, being wasted, being young, being ironic, being ecstatic, being depressed, being hard, being naïve, or being (or doing) anything beyond just creating sounds. With this in mind, Tabbia hits almost every base in terms of what is possible with a tape machine and some scattered instruments lying around a messy bedroom.

Seconds jumps around from surging downer drones, to ridiculous, cracked hip-hop beats from a consumer grade keyboard, to Books-style found-sound sampling, circuit bending aural terrorism and at least two heartfelt passages by guest vocalist (and wife) Tori Blade. With his avoidance of sticking to one idea for too long, Seconds is one of the more intriguing noise records to show up in our inbox this year. I enjoy a good pummeling every once and awhile. A 40 minute full-nelson of cochlear destroying slabs of noise hits the spot every once and awhile. Harsh tones are plentiful on Seconds. They show up, at times, in spurts and fits, completely jarring the listener if the headphones are turned up too high. But Seconds isn’t harsh per se, it certainly isn’t menacing, or violent, it is just…abrasive even seems too intentional. It is just loud. The oscillating tones of “Jesse Duke” and the sand storm guitar squalor on “Song w Someone” get the closest to keeping the listener at arms length. When the noise is tempered just a bit we get downright gorgeous tones. The submerged drone of “JOB” is an excellent case in point. Heavy handed keyboard lines are plunked over submerged drones that lap gently underneath the ocean-upon-ocean of feedback static. “Ladies of Harley” does a similar thing.

In terms of real beauty on Seconds Tabbia has chosen to bookend his album with two overtly gorgeous tracks that feature the vocals of Tori Blade. The opening melody of “Noelle”, with its faux-organ (or melodica) chord progression and Blade’s almost operatic delivery is truly stunning. The melody is later repeated and recycled on the album’s closer “Jason Deeblecourt (seconds edit)”. Tabbia’s decision to begin on end on an otherworldly beauty swirling beneath the pall of tape hiss, simple keyboard lines and buzzing noise encapsulates the spontaneous and eclectic nature of Seconds, where every idea is a good one. 

Ryan H.

Link to the article: http://tometotheweathermachine.com/reviews/2010/11/problems-fix-themselves

‘Seconds’ review by Neon Musical Insight

Fresh Track: Problems That Fix Themselves – “To Help You Stop Smoking”

Joshua from Problems That Fix Themselves recently sent over his latest experimental LP Seconds and I have to admit, it’s definitely one of the more challenging albums that I’ve heard in a while, which most certainly is a good thing. Not too often do I feel an inaccessibility towards music these days, and I feel like Seconds is the perfect antidote; We need to revisit music more often in the age of the digital download. The fresh track found above entitled “To Help You Stop Smoking” may be one of the more dancier/straightforward numbers on the album, but it still manages to incorporate Josh’s affection for noise.

Problems That Fix Themselves recently dropped Seconds on cassette via Already Dead Tapes. Be sure to grab that.

Link to the article: http://neonmusicalinsight.com/freshtracks/2010/11/15/fresh-track-problems-that-fix-themselves-to-help-you-stop-smoking/

‘Seconds’ reviewed by Be Bop Kids

mo’ money, mo’ problems that fix themselves

Chicago, Il’s Josh Tabbia of ‘Problems That Fix Themselves’ just sent me over his new record, ‘seconds’ that Already Dead Tapes have pressed to cassette.

it’s full of those swirly-whirly post-noise idm-revival type tracks that melt your brain when you’re trying to make a to-do list.

the dude’s opened for Xiu Xiu, Health and Little Women to name a few so you get the idea.

Link to the article: http://bebopkids.blogspot.com/2010/11/mo-money-mo-problems-that-fix.html

‘Seconds’ reviewed by DIT(K)

Problems That Fix Themselves ‘Seconds’ released on Already Dead Tapes

The third release from Kalamazoo/Chicago-based label Already Dead Tapes is ‘Seconds’ from Problems That Fix Themselves, the focus of former Kalamazoo resident and Rotten Wood Moon member Joshua Tabbia, who recently migrated to Chicago.

“Seconds” finds Tabbia (with a little help from Tori Blade and Grow Fangs’ Ray Jackson) exploring a wide palette of sound in the electronic/noise territory, but that double-description unto itself does not do justice to this widely varied release.  The instrumentation ranges from synths, samples, and static to acoustic guitars, something that sounds like accordion and maybe a melodica (if they aren’t organ or keyboard imitation), recurring pieces of an oddly-phrased man doing spoken word and even bits of Conway Twitty songs.  More often than not, there is a beat, groove, pulse or melody to latch onto, maintaining enough hooks amidst the madness to encourage even somewhat-sensitive ears to come back for repeated listens and find more to behold in the less-accessible sections.

The album begins with a peacefully sparse, subdued lullaby sang by Tori Blade entitled “Noelle”, a complete surprise to me upon first listening. It’s a wonderful album opener and, despite the reappearance of Blade’s singing toward the end of the tape and a reprise of the melody to “Noelle,” this is definitely an anomaly on ‘Seconds’. If this opening piece does nestle the listener into the cozy Land of Nod, their slumber shall quickly be disrupted by the jagged edges of sonic shrapnel which follow.

Despite the abrasive tone of much of the sound found on ‘Seconds’, it should be noted that little-to-none of it feels aggressive or, more specifically, violent.  This is FUN noise, colorful and inviting.  Even “Gone,” which ends side one and is a bit eerie, is far from threatening.  Side two opener “Virginia Woolf” contains the random previously-mentioned Twitty bits bookending  the most industrial soundscape found on this release, falling very close to sounding like Nurse With Wound before the electro drum beat kicks in half-way through the piece.  This track can currently be heard at Problems website, http://www.problemsthatfixthemselves.com/

An exciting adventure that only gets better with repeated listens, this release shows a man (with a little help from his friends) on top of his game.

-Peter Cook

Link to article: http://ditkalamazoo.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/problems-that-fix-themselves-seconds-released-on-already-dead-tapes/

‘Seconds’ reviewed by Olive Music

Joshua Tabbia’s Problems That Fix Themselves project manages to explore just about every nook and cranny of bedroom production capabilities. In utilizing so much on his sophomore album Seconds, Tabbia quickly transports from genre to genre; from mournful folk balladry (with vocal accompaniment by his wife, Tori Blade) to fractured IDM to peaking blasts of noise, Seconds salvages a diverse combination of influences— which is not much of a surprise considering that Tabbia has shared the stage with the likes of Daniel Francis Doyle, Xiu Xiu, and even AIDS Wolf.

Problems That Fix Themselves would fall under any of the aforementioned labels if it weren’t for how shrouded each of these dabblings are in their own amateurishly recorded mystique. Luckily, Seconds doesn’t gaudily present its diversity by way of abrupt changes; it smoothly and naturally departures from one concept to the next. Acoustic guitar buried in decaying noise manages to inconspicuously transition into hissy, sample-laden hip-hop beats. Though it may seem like a stretch, the plethora of directions taken nestles itself into the homegrown obscurity that this album’s theme retains.

Seconds shows both plentiful creativity and variety in its minimal compositions. The low and, at times, harsh fidelity adds to the charm of each of these 10 pieces. Its variety lends it an open-ended structure, leaving the listener completely unaware of what will come in the following tracks. Seconds’s unpredictability creates a certain intensity, one that conjures unease within each piece, even at its most digestible moments.

Link to article: http://olive-music.blogspot.com/2010/11/review-problems-that-fix-themselves.html