tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14854226325749802612024-03-13T10:55:16.829-04:00Muzik DizcoveryNeed new music? We've got it. Reviews and interviews from the best artists out there in all genres. If you're an artist, label, promoter, or fan, and you have music to show us, email us at staff@muzikdizcovery.com.Casey Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14870849620372617163noreply@blogger.comBlogger2131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-18843637862042651002015-08-28T07:57:00.001-04:002015-08-28T07:57:20.341-04:00Album Review: Ahab - The Boats of the Glen Carrig<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Ahab is a band as steeped in maritime mythos as any you are likely to find. Since its first saliferous demos, the quartet has evolved its sound from an otherworldly dirge to a more recognizable combination of largo riffs and ominous atmosphere. </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Boats of the Glen Carrig</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> is another step forward for the band after 2012’s </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Giant</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> saw the boldest incorporation of clean singing and dual-guitar interplay into its sound, more akin to mid-era My Dying Bride than to Ahab's debut, </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Call of the Wretched Sea</i><span style="line-height: 20px;">. “Deliverance” and “Antarctica (The Polymorphess)” showcased a willingness to let songs breathe and grow, and the result was as beautiful as it was hair-raising. Here, opener “The Isle” adds another luminous moment with its pre-climactic break before transitioning seamlessly into thundering growls. Despite the group’s continued use of inhumanly-deep vocals, Ahab is a band whose appeal often lies in the subtler moments of its craft. “I think,” frontman Droste even observes, “we've made some non-doom fans along the way."</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><span style="line-height: 20px;">Carrying this idea forward, </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Boats of the Glen Carrig</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> pushes Ahab’s throttle from “dead slow” to…well, “slow.” While opening songs “The Isle” and “The Thing That Made Search” (baffling title and all) creep and crawl in their opening minutes, “Red Foam (The Great Storm)” hits like a rogue wave. Cornelius Althammer (one of the best names in all of music) bursts out of the gate with tom-tom and double-kick rolls, ushering in a series of propulsive riffs that are bound to induce hair-swinging and headbanging with the best Amon Amarth cuts. Bassist Stephan Wandernoth cited the song as “more sludge-oriented than anything on </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Giant</i><span style="line-height: 20px;">,” a sentiment that holds true over much of Ahab’s discography. “The Weedmen” follows with a gargantuan opening chord, but takes a more patient approach as it marches onward for exactly fifteen seismic minutes. Thrice in the song, eerie feedback enters from the farthest reaches of the mix to usher in a new thunderclap of guitar, training the listener to brace for impact; by the fourth, the song lets the suspense simply fade into the album’s ultimate track.</span><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><span style="line-height: 20px;">“To Mourn Job” showcases Ahab’s bread and butter – funereal riffs that undercut mournful guitar lines, Althammer’s sparse drumming that makes every hit count, and passages of tranquil beauty that stand as harbingers of a coming storm. Another signature of Ahab’s sound – the injection of tritones into arpeggiated minor triads – graces the slower moments of “Job” (see 9:12 – 10:45), while the falling chords of “The Thing That Made Search” harken back to </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">Wretched Sea</i><span style="line-height: 20px;">’s gigantic opener, “Below the Sun.” </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">Glen Carrig</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> continues Ahab’s fascination with maritime literature, as the outfit turns its spyglass to the titular horror novel by William Hope Hodgson (published in 1907, the work would prove an influence on H.P. Lovecraft). Ahab’s interpretation of the material is appropriately more spirited and chilling than its past works based on the interminable </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">Moby-Dick</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"></span><i style="line-height: 20px;">(Call of the Wretched Sea)</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> and the oft-becalmed </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">(The Giant)</i><span style="line-height: 20px;">, and more than justifies the band’s adherence to established source material.</span><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><span style="line-height: 20px;">Ahab is hardly reinventing itself with </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Boats of the Glen Carrig</i><span style="line-height: 20px;">, but at this point the band seems to be in a groove that benefits more from adjustments than overhauls. The more vivacious riffs of</span><i style="line-height: 20px;">Glen Carrig</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> are a notable departure from </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Giant</i><span style="line-height: 20px;">’s slow-burning core, but one would be hard-pressed to call either approach superior to the other, or even mutually exclusive. In fact, the former’s bonus track, “The Light in the Weed (Mary Madison),” is the band’s first with entirely clean vocals. From its most pummeling troughs to its subtlest beauty, </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">The Boats of the Glen Carrig</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> is an album of uncommon breadth; if you seek adventure and are willing to wade for it, then Ahab has served your next voyage.</span><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><br style="line-height: 20px;" /><i style="line-height: 20px;">A sullen growling from afar –<br />The dark was full of it, I swear<br />Aye, no word of which I've knowledge<br />So well describes this hunger, most awesome to the ear</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1. The Isle<br />2. The Thing That Made Search<br />3. Like Red Foam (The Storm)<br />4. The Weedmen<br />5. To Mourn Job<br />6. The Light in the Weed (Mary Madison - bonus)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AhabDoom" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Ahab on Facebook</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.ahab-doom.de/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Official Site</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153353526330357376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-36027644744075907052014-08-25T23:44:00.001-04:002014-08-26T09:35:27.117-04:00Album Review: Unisonic - Light of Dawn<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Score: B</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Unisonic is a strange sort of reunion. Three of its five members are from Pink Cream 69, three have ties to Helloween, two have played in Krokus and Khymera, two more in Gamma Ray, and the last member in Asia and Gotthard. If that math doesn’t add up, it’s because these guys just seem to end up playing together no matter how many bands they join and leave. Still, singer Michael Kiske and guitarist Kai Hansen are head-and-shoulders above most anyone else in the German metal scene for their work in the aforementioned Helloween and Gamma Ray, and are likewise the focal point of Unisonic. Founded in 2009, the project released its eponymous debut in 2012 to generally positive – and often rave – reviews. Surprisingly, Unisonic’s bassist Dennis Ward emerged as its main songwriter, penning lyrics and/or music for the majority of the debut with occasional contributions from the rest of the band.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Two years later, Ward is even more clearly the creative force behind </span><i style="color: #333333;">Light of Dawn</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">, taking full credit for two-thirds of the album. Hansen is nowhere to be found as far as writing, which is perhaps less surprising when considering that his baby Gamma Ray released its first LP in four years this past March. As a result, the overall sound of </span><i style="color: #333333;">Light of Dawn</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> is certainly not the power metal fans have come to associate with Unisonic’s celebrity members; for that matter, most of it’s not very metal at all. Things here feel most natural when rolling along at a moderate tempo, as evidenced by early highlights “Exceptional” and “Night of the Long Knives.” Kiske’s admitted aversion to singing metal is apparent in his performance throughout – only a few times does he strive for dramatic high notes, and even then, prominent (but tasteful) vocal overdubbing relegates them to supporting duty. He’s still got some serious pipes (and is almost certainly a better singer than he was in the 80’s with regards to pitch and timbre control), so there’s something to be said for his easygoing approach to much of the album.</span><br style="color: #333333;" /><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Hinge pieces “Blood” and “When the Deed is Done” threaten to kill </span><i style="color: #333333;">Light</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">’s first-half momentum with tedious whole-note chords and kick-snare drum patterns, but therein lies a strength of Unisonic as a whole: even at its worst, the band has the effortless chemistry necessary to carry some otherwise-unremarkable songs. Drummer Kosta Zafiriou mostly plays exactly what you expect him to, which is much harder than it sounds when the material ranges from swing-beat ballads to syncopated double-kick grooves. Opening cut “Your Time Has Come” builds easily from mid-paced power-pop to a Sonata Arctica-esque anthem largely on the strength of its rhythm section. Ward, in particular, demonstrates a keen sense of throttle control as his bass lines grow in complexity and power throughout the song. “Exceptional” arrives hot on its heels with a killer four-on-the-floor groove equal parts “Turbo Lover” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You”, while Hansen and Mandy Meyer’s juxtaposing Flanger-reverb guitar lines float hazily above. Kiske’s legato high notes fit in almost perfectly, while his lyrics add to the song’s delirious atmosphere.</span><br style="color: #333333;" /><br style="color: #333333;" /><i style="color: #333333;">I ask myself, is it real or just a dream?<br />Spot lights are shining in my eyes…<br />Power and eloquence enchanting all<br />Then I ask myself, has it only just begun?<br />I can be exceptional, sensational for you<br />And I could be acceptable, expendable to you<br />I can be exceptional, invincible for you<br />But I might be delusional…pretending, all I do.</i><br style="color: #333333;" /><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Those waiting for something darker from Unisonic will likely be disappointed. Even the album’s harder-hitting song such as “For the Kingdom” and “Find Shelter” feature uplifting major-chord choruses, though (almost surprisingly) there’s nothing nauseatingly corny here. Fans of Gamma Ray have probably learned to dread </span><i style="color: #333333;">that ballad</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> that Hansen just loves to throw into otherwise rousing albums for no apparent reason, and Ward fares only slightly better with ending track “You and I” (why must lyricists continually use “I” in place of “me” when both are objects in the sentence?). “Manhunter” is another song with obvious but forgivable flaws, as it gets points for some sweet chord progressions but will have you singing Hall and Oates long before you remember the actual lyrics. With that said, </span><i style="color: #333333;">Light of Dawn</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> remains a generally cohesive album from start to almost-finish. At fifty-five minutes, there are couple tracks that could probably have been axed for a better overall package, but complaints about </span><i style="color: #333333;">Light of Dawn</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> generally remain isolated instances rather than critical flaws.</span><br style="color: #333333;" /><br style="color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Unisonic seems to have found a comfortable ground between anthem rock and power metal on its sophomore effort. Whether that’s by happenstance or design, it has worked out excellently for this relatively new project of definitely not-new musicians, as other metal mainstays are increasingly trodden on by fresher acts (looking at you, Judas Priest). Unisonic is a project that probably </span><i style="color: #333333;">needed</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> to happen, what with all the Kiske-Hansen collaborations that have cropped up through the years, and the result so far has been a welcome change of pace for all involved. Unisonic is clearly capable of churning out songs with wide-ranging appeal as easily as material that satisfies its members’ longtime fans. Supergroups and reunions have a propensity to wallow in the past, so it’s great to hear Unisonic totally at ease grooving songs like “Exceptional." While the material certainly owes debts to other artists, there is an element of jubilance in the band’s music that is hard to find in projects of this nature. This one will very likely grow on you, so make sure you pick it up if you’re a fan of anyone involved and spin it a number of times.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">1. Venite 2.0</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">2. Your Time Has Come</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">3. Exceptional</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">4. For the Kingdom</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">5. Not Gonna Take Anymore</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">6. Night of the Long Knives</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">7. Find Shelter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">8. Blood</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">9. When the Deed is Done</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">10. Throne of the Dawn</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">11. Manhunter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">12. You and I</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/unisonicofficial">Unisonic on Facebook</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.unisonic.de/">Official Site</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153353526330357376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-67921818304158934862014-07-22T22:33:00.001-04:002014-07-22T22:33:48.205-04:00Album Review: Sorority Noise - Forgettable<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A</td></tr>
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When it comes to naming albums, Sorority Noise are either terrible at it, or geniuses with ironic statements. <i>Forgettable</i> is one of the most memorable albums of 2014 so far, and the new and upcoming band has made a large impression for their debut. Equal parts cathartic and sentimental, <i>Forgettable </i>treads the line between heart on sleeve and heart on the ground if you know what I'm saying.<br />
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Sorority Noise play a style of music that falls into the quirky alt-rock genre that is becoming hazy with categorization. It's a blend of garage rock, with poppy hooks laden with sing-a-long choruses. Vocals are doubled with group lines aching to be screamed among with. The self deprecating "Mediocre At Best" is covered with angst and tongue-in-cheek self-hatred, and you can't help but smile and sing along, even with lines like "Nobody likes me. That's what I tell myself." Backboned by guitar chords that echo Pinkerton-era Weezer, the song stands out as a perfect representation of what Sorority Noise is.<br />
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Pinkerton comparisons don't stop there. The main theme of a strong personal examination is also present, without ever becoming cheesy or sappy. The guitars and drums never try to outshine the lyrics, and act more as a thickening agent to the vocals, to create a very well mixed final product. <i>Forgettable</i> is emotional and raw, and at moments very tender and sentimental. The lyrics are honest and open, and while they get personal, it never feels forced for attention.<br />
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Melodies reign supreme on <i>Forgettable. </i>Songs will work themselves into your head for days, as choruses and verse will replay as you hum along. The half-pace of "Blond Hair, Black Lungs," the honest verses of "Still Shrill," and even the simple bass line that opens the album ("Rory Shield") all stick out as glue-like ear-wormers.<br />
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<i>Forgettable </i>builds and maintains a certain level of energy throughout but does go out on a bit of a whimper instead of a bang. While I always enjoy a quiet moment on albums, for a record as powerful as this, it seems like a waste to end with two slower songs. This is of course just a small complaint when the entire album is so great, and those two slower songs that close the album are still enjoyable.<br />
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Various bands come to mind, and can be cited as influence for Sorority Noise; the short song structure of Joyce Manor, the quirky lyrics and guitars of The Front Bottoms, even the straight-forward rock of older Tigers Jaw. But the difference is that Sorority Noise does all of these better, and never feels like a cheap knock-off. They are their own contained unit and while influences are present, they never outshine what the band is trying to be. In their debut album, the band has created an amazing voice for themselves and that itself is truly rare these days.<br />
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<a href="http://sororitynoise.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sororitynoise">Facebook</a><br />
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Track list:<br />
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1. Rory Shield<br />
2. Mediocre At Best<br />
3. Dirty Ickes<br />
4. Nick Kwas Christmas Party<br />
5. Queen Anne's Lace<br />
6. Still Shrill<br />
7. Blonde Hair, Black Lungs<br />
8. Smooth Jazz<br />
9. SmokeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-53956647294828580012014-06-24T13:00:00.000-04:002014-06-30T12:58:45.387-04:00Album Review: Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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Caution: Belligerent, chaotic metalcore ahead. Every copy of Every Time I Die's new album <i>From Parts Unknown</i> should come stickered with that warning right on the front. After releasing <i>Ex-Lives </i>back in 2012 to rave reviews, the Buffalo five-piece is back with a bloodthirsty vengeance. Is it Every Time I Die's best record? Probably. Is it heavy? Oh, definitely. Do you need to hear it? Absolutely, right now.<br />
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Every Time I Die have been around for practically forever. Roughly 15 years in the making and seven albums deep, you would imagine the band's sound would soften or slow down into a commercial soup of drivel rock, but that's not the case here. Kurt Ballou of Converge was enlisted as the producer and the band went to work creating an album that rivals their gritty back catalog in every way. The result is a 30 minute onslaught of screeching chords, deep chugs, winding chord progressions and a sweeping sense of civil unrest. It's chunkier, faster, and meaner than <i>Ex-Lives</i>, so as Samuel L. Jackson once famously said, "Hold on to your butts."<br />
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Riffs drive back to the good ol' days of <i>Gutter Phenomenon</i> ( "Overstayer") and occasionally carry a song all the way without any kind of technical clout ("El Dorado)." At times, music blurs the heavy and the melodic with that all-important bluesy hardcore jangle ("Decaying With The Boys") and early 2000's metalcore with <i>Hot Damn!</i> breakdowns ("If There Is Room To Move, Things Move.") "Old Light" is a rough tumbleweed headbanger featuring the slick and warm voice of Brian Fallon from the Gaslight Anthem, and it's a good change of pace from the speedy, technical tunes ("All Structures Are Unstable,", "Thirst.")<br />
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Things get downright spooky with "Moor," the most different and weird song on the album. The haunting, chinking piano intro looms as Buckley's vocals wail like a lost soul. When the song kicks in, it will envelop your room in a mass of sludge so thick you'll be stuck for days.<br />
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One listen is all it takes to appreciate the fantastic musicianship that holds<i> From Parts Unknown</i> together. Guitarists Andy Williams and Jordan Buckley tap, slide and riff out a collage of parts into beautiful, tempo-shifting songs. Stephen Micciche puts the bass to good work, and Ballou's mixing makes sure every thump and bump is out there and audible. Most notable is drummer Ryan Leger's blitz on the kit. To put it bluntly, he's fast – the snares pop off like automatic gunfire, and the toms roll like thunderclaps. Double bass pedals almost heckle the guitars, sneering at them to keep up in the high BMPs. Despite their age, these guys still rock like like they're in their early 20's. The music, however, reads like a mature piece of assembled chaos.<br />
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Buckley's lyrics are still top-notch and some of the best in the genre. Direct and poetic with an urgent abrassiveness, he delivers line after line of memorable headpunchers like a new-age Shakespeare. "Idiot" cascades into a fiery ending as he cries, "All I want is for everyone to go to hell/it was the last place I was seen before I lost myself" before concluding "All I want is for everyone to come to hell/there we can be free and learn to love ourselves." It's a hypnotic delivery that should have fans clamoring for mic grabs at future shows.<br />
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In terms of substance, the album is a bitter acid eating into fine machinery. It's like scratching into sheet metal with a screwdriver - expect no catharsis in this half-hour blast of maniacal metalcore. Crank the stereo, crack a beer and mosh around your room. No one's going to judge you, especially with such a masterpiece destroying your ear drums. From Parts Unknown is a blast, so listen loud and proud because a decibel is only a unit of measurement.<br />
<br />
Be sure to catch Every Time I Die all summer long on the Vans Warped Tour.<br />
<br />
Tracklist:<br />
<br />
<br />
1. The Great Secret<br />
2. Pelican Of The Desert<br />
3. Decayin' With The Boys<br />
4. Overstayer<br />
5. If There Is Room To Move, Things Move<br />
6. Moor<br />
7. Exometrium<br />
8. Thirst<br />
9. Old Light<br />
10. All Structures Are Unstable<br />
11. El Dorado<br />
12. Idiot</div>
Max Harcsarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10042553514520042741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-14221776808646843412014-06-04T01:28:00.002-04:002014-06-04T01:28:59.041-04:00American Football - American Football: Deluxe Edition<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://polyvinyl-public.s3.amazonaws.com/d87c68a56bc8eb803b44f25abb62778697c8ba804e12fedd5bff4c52c43401c82f875e5b_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://polyvinyl-public.s3.amazonaws.com/d87c68a56bc8eb803b44f25abb62778697c8ba804e12fedd5bff4c52c43401c82f875e5b_medium.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A+</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The warm summer air on the back of your neck. The soothing and rhythmic chirping of crickets in sticky grass. These memories or calls can reach into the recesses of anyone's mind and drag forth aching nostalgia. Picturesque moments from your past, or present, with vivid colors play forth like movies in your mind, as you drown in the atmosphere around you. American Football's self-titled album brings this forward. The highly influential album from 1999, was the band's only full-length, and while in total they only ever released 12 songs, the group left a massive lasting impression on indie music. <i>American Football</i> is an album that can be played on repeat, throughout your life. There is not a single song that falls short of excellence, and no dull moment exists. The music is one of the unique and unrepeatable defying moments in modern indie rock, and has set an unreachable bar for bands to try to replicate.<br />
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The recent reunion of the band, has lead to a deluxe reissue of the classic album, complete with the original LP and a bonus disc of unreleased demos and live tracks. For this review, I will first start with the album itself, and then proceed to the bonus disc.<br />
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<i>American Football</i> opens with one of the most emotional and important songs for anyone who has ever enjoyed "emo" music. "Never Meant" does not only have the delicate lyric content that tugs at ones heartstrings, but it is supported by the jazz-influenced noodling guitar that has defined the genre since then. Coupled with drums that stand on their own besides anything else, you get a track that is a staple for any romantic's catalogue. The duel guitar work, by singer Mike Kinsella and guitarist Steve Holmes, is mesmerizing and hypnotic. Time signatures and tunings vary from song to song and while the entire album has a immensely concise tone, each individual track stands out on its own. Backed by the often underrated drumming of Steve Lamos, the band is still one of the most organic sounding units to record.<br />
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The intermittent trumpet that graces a handful of tracks, eases itself in and is never used as a crutch or a gimmick. These soft, small unexpected moments are intimate and calming, and even though the album never reaches any speeds past "moderate," the slower tracks are the most inviting and warm. "The Summer Ends" drips with the bittersweet happiness/sadness of August, where Kinsella's lyrics are brutally relatable. "Honestly?" begins with one of the greatest "bass" lines ever (bass is in quotes because most tracks of the album do not feature bass, but just guitars tuned down). The driving line builds with call and answer vocal lines that blend perfectly with the music, only to crash and explode into the extended outro, where Lamos' drums come forth and flourish.<br />
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Many times throughout the record ("But The Regrets Are Killing Me" for example) the guitar tones transcend into unexplored territory. Warm notes and intertwining riffs intersect and create beautiful monuments of sounds. All of this with Kinsella's simple, yet honest lyrics and vocals overlaid. There are an uncountable amount of moments like this on the album, and it is truly a modern masterpiece of music.<br />
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The bonus disc of the deluxe edition bring us long lost demo recordings and live tracks from the band. The subtle tape hiss present adds to the nostalgic tone of the music, and the unreleased demo songs sound perfectly encapsulated in the time period. The live track "The 7's" is a building, lengthly instrumental that would've been a great addition to the LP, but was cut due to time constraints. Many songs from the LP are found again here, as practice rehearsal demos from the production sessions. These rougher edits showcase what the songs would've sounded like live during the band's existence. The entirety of the extra disc is intriguing, and while it may not be listened to as much as the album, it deserves subsequent revisitations.<br />
<br />
The only thing missing from the deluxe edition is the inclusion of the three tracks from their only other release, the also self-titled EP (although we do get a live version of "Five Silent Miles"). This is just a minor exclusion and for long time fans of the band won't be a bother at all. The live tracks and demo recordings are a treat and a long-awaited surprise to many, and round out a wonderful deluxe reissue of a modern classic album.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/americanfootballmusic">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://www.polyvinylrecords.com/#artist/american_football">Merch</a><br />
<br />
Track list:<br />
<br />
1. Never Meant<br />
2. The Summer Ends<br />
3. Honestly?<br />
4. For Sure<br />
5. You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon<br />
6. But The Regrets Are Killing Me<br />
7. I'll See You When We Both Aren't So Emotional<br />
8. Stay Home<br />
9. The One with the Wurlitzer<br />
10. Intro [Live at the Blind Pig, Champaign, IL, 1997]<br />
11. Five Silent Miles [Live at the Blind Pig, Champaign, IL, 1997]<br />
12. Untitled #1 (The One with the Trumpet) [Boombox Practice Session, 1998]<br />
13. Untitled #2 [Boombox Practice Session, 1998]<br />
14. Stay Home [Boombox Practice Session, 1999]<br />
15. Untitled #3 [Boombox Practice Session, 1998]<br />
16. Never Meant [4-Track Album Prep, 1999]<br />
17. But The Regrets Are Killing Me [4-Track Album Prep, 1999]<br />
18. I'll See You When We Both Aren't So Emotional [4-Track Album Prep, 1999]<br />
19. The 7's [Live at the Blind Pig, Champaign, IL, 1997]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-83145156674118901762014-05-14T18:04:00.000-04:002014-05-14T18:04:01.345-04:00Live Review: Warm Digits and Parastatic, Cumberland Arms, Newcastle (09/05/2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YkO8VYDiQ-qhG6ccSyQPDlG_iIu_mU354yhjMpKtCt3lNLYa0YSPnd-asnGsUSHtopfbrGBiVD4a_U9Weu8q1GLIHArVDlIf3he72QzDgdLEAALButGKaNYy06IOMbuyEDX08pLGsYU/s1600/alcohol_1604237c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YkO8VYDiQ-qhG6ccSyQPDlG_iIu_mU354yhjMpKtCt3lNLYa0YSPnd-asnGsUSHtopfbrGBiVD4a_U9Weu8q1GLIHArVDlIf3he72QzDgdLEAALButGKaNYy06IOMbuyEDX08pLGsYU/s1600/alcohol_1604237c.jpg" height="200" width="142" /></a></div>
Krautrock is, as everyone knows, the crop of 1970s Germany, yet in North East England it seems to have found an unlikely second home. Sporting a wealth of cult outfits, this mini-scene was granted a thrilling showcase on Friday night at Newcastle's Cumberland Arms, with two of the region's finest exponents delivering a terrific exhibit of the genre's enduring appeal as well as its remaining creative capacity.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, my own lousy timekeeping saw to it that I missed opening drone merchant Charles Dexter Ward, however I did show up on time to catch the group who initiated the night's proceedings - the ever-excellent Parastatic. Optimised by their customary strobe and shimmering sea of reverb, the trio's eclectic marriage of robo rhythms and drawn-out celestialism essentially melds the sonic imprint of Jason Pierce with more familiar kraut reference points (Nue! Can, etc) to powerful and often mesmerising effect. With new single 'Oscillations' (preceding their second LP, due later this year) among the highlights, the coming months promise much for an outfit whose next hometown appearance can't come soon enough.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Of course, were we to embark on a fully fledged debate regarding the region's most exciting live propositions, you can bet that the group sitting atop this bill would also feature prominently. Comprised of drummer Andrew Hodson and multi-instrumentalist Steve Jefferis, Warm Digits are very much champions of the genre's more propulsive face; the former providing the engine room with a frantic percussive charge, the latter focusing and fleshing-out the vigour with an array of guitars and electronics. Building gradually throughout their 50-minute stay, the duo's dynamic sonic pallet and trademark cowbell gallop were as infectious as they were enthralling, and had the ram-packed crowd moving long before they'd gathered a head of steam. Indeed, with the UK experiencing something of a kraut boom, you'd be hard pushed to find two more fulfilling contemporary outfits, nor a finer night on which to sample their respective talents.<br />
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<div>
<br /></div>
<u>Warm Digits</u><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/WarmDigits">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/warmdigits">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://warmdigits.co.uk/">Official website</a><br />
<br />
<u>Parastatic</u><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/parastaticband">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/parastatic">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.parastatic.co.uk/">Official website</a><br />
<br />Ali Welfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423877891939035759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-14913061350421213802014-05-01T21:22:00.001-04:002014-05-01T21:22:03.121-04:00Album Review: Frameworks - Loom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogDIGP-wAACWL5398nHZ2olhOrKtE8zlg4ElkhwG0ppQqxyDKIr2khvNNr7_0SYsZITKr3Am5JgmGvSYlZSDuMtcKpO41Y4AnudJaW8049TS9zRVbvrkGe8Btbaf5Z_Rof0r8At57oSg/s1600/frameworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogDIGP-wAACWL5398nHZ2olhOrKtE8zlg4ElkhwG0ppQqxyDKIr2khvNNr7_0SYsZITKr3Am5JgmGvSYlZSDuMtcKpO41Y4AnudJaW8049TS9zRVbvrkGe8Btbaf5Z_Rof0r8At57oSg/s1600/frameworks.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A-</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For me, <i>Small Victories</i> was hardly representative of its humble moniker. In 11 crushing minutes, Gainesville, Florida's Frameworks handily made a name for themselves, seamlessly flowing from one "wave"-approved genre to the next, without so much as a three-second pause between songs. <a href="http://www.topshelfrecords.com/" target="_blank">Topshelf</a>, expectedly, picked up on such compositional expertise, and with their assistance, LP1 was given the time, care and nourishment it deserved to bloom into the appealingly unconventional beast that <i>Loom</i> is today. For a band that's already showcased so many different sides of themselves,<i> </i>there sure seem to be a lot more to uncover.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>While Frameworks were never plagued by structural issues on the <i>Small Victories </i>tracks,<i> </i>teaming up with Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Joyce Manner, Comadre) was not, by any means, an ill-advised choice from a mixing standpoint. Where the <i>Small Victories</i> masters sat in the immediate and robust rows of the audible spectrum, <i>Loom </i>finds more comfort in an intriguing exploratory haze of dusky frequencies, not unlike Have Heart's 2008 election for the muddy over the mighty with <i>Songs to Scream at the Sun</i>—a choice that quickly cemented the group at the forefront of modern heavy music, and one that similarly situates Frameworks as an outfit able and willing to take such chances.<br />
<br />
The propensity for rawness over gloss is far from <i>Loom</i>'s only risk, with the sheer brightness of much of the music, seeping even into the advertised <a href="http://couchkingemo.tumblr.com/post/83418311550/couch-king-interview-frameworks" target="_blank">"darker" latter half</a>, quickly coming to mind. "Rosie", settled comfortably in the middle of the tracklist, proposes to shift the surprisingly positive introductory sequence of tracks (from "Loom" to "Splinters") to a melodically drabber setting, but "Bright and New" refrains from adhering to any obvious aural direction, opening with ascertainable scales, then interjecting with rock-bottom erratic chaos and finally concluding with pastoral serenity. In a genre-bending twist no one could have ever predicted, its crunchy, muffed bass surprisingly recalls some of the best moments of Restorations' earthy <a href="http://restorationsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/lp2" target="_blank">2013 offering</a>.<br />
<br />
Where <i>Loom</i> stylistically traverses, vocalist Luke Pate methodically refrains. His delivery is easily Frameworks' most static characteristic, which would, in most cases, become a hitch, but is instead adapted into a point of intrigue. As Pate's familiar throat is adeptly presented across an impressively expansive spectrum of sounds, from the sunny euphoria of "Loom" to the spacious post-rock of "Mutual Collision", then to the gloomy, trudging "Familiar Haze" and classic screamo aggression of "Autonomy", we, the audience, experience decades of soundscapes without feeling like dilettantes. <br />
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Ostentatious displays of genre-hopping may generally be best presented in a "progressive"-ly labeled setting, but the plague-like avoidance of something as harmless as compartmentalization prohibits so many of these bands from achieving precisely what <i>Loom</i> can. Frameworks' debut LP is a dense, dynamic package of emotional power that requires less than 30 minutes to travel from Point A to B and can still fill up an entire sonic photo album along the way. While the esoteric listener's impetus for investigating <i>Loom</i> would often be the band's "<a href="http://www.underthegunreview.net/2014/03/28/utg-interview-frameworks-discuss-loom/" target="_blank">mutt influence</a>" and consequently expected mutt output, the record's true creative triumph lies in its sameness—its crafted uniformity stemming from such an ocean of sonic resources. If Album One found this much success in deviating through overall normalcy, we can only hope that, to quote an <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyXBolm" target="_blank">oft-compared colleague</a>, they "won't fake what's expected to succeed with Album [Two]."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://topshelfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/loom" target="_blank"><i>Loom</i> on Bandcamp</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/frameworksband" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://frameworksband.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a><br />
<br />
Track List:<br />
1. Disquiet<br />
2. Loom<br />
3. Mutual Collision<br />
4. True Wealth<br />
5. Splinters<br />
6. Rosie<br />
7. Bright and New<br />
8. Affordance<br />
9. Familiar Haze<br />
10. Autonomy<br />
11. Agreeable Thoughts<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09222020681120222569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-44395044196799976382014-04-24T13:05:00.002-04:002014-04-24T13:05:21.812-04:00Album Review: The Menzingers - Rented World<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.noisey.com/content-images/contentimage/25370/rentedworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://assets.noisey.com/content-images/contentimage/25370/rentedworld.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A-</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Menzingers are a band that has paid their dues. The Scranton, PA natives have been playing music for almost a decade, and have built themselves up from playing YMCA's in suburban Pennsylvania to full-fledged world-wide tours. It comes as no surprise then that their fourth full-length album, <i>Rented World</i>, is as mature and focused as they are. Following up 2012's highly acclaimed <i>On The Impossible Past</i>, must have been a heavy weight to bare, but The Menzingers have succeeded in creating an album that transitions easily from their past work, while also injecting a different tone and style.<br />
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<i>Rented World</i> can be said to be the best Weezer album since Pinkerton. From the basic artwork featuring only the title and the band members, to the actual music itself, <i>Rented World</i> has a distinct early Weezer vibe. Guitars are distorted heavily enough, but never too much, and melodies are catchy. The distinct "sing-a-long" mentality is present from the opening track, and single, "I Don't Want To Be An Asshole Anymore." It has a powerful chorus that's backed up by gang-vocal "whoas." The song kicks the album with a burst of energy and leads it forward through 12 tracks ranging from early 90's poppy punk ("The Talk") to the Bob Dylan-esque closer "When You Died."<br />
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The band equals out each fast, more punk sounding track with a slower more melodic one. Tracks like "Transient Love" and "Where Your Heartache Exists" bring the tempos down slightly and give room to breathe for both the listener and the band. These slower moments only help accentuate the louder more powerful moments such as the opening riff to "In Remission" or the pre-verse section of "Sentimental Physics." Both tracks showcase heavy power-chord riffs that are infused with copious amounts of distortion.<br />
<br />
Where The Menzingers are really finding their sound is in their choruses, with each song have memorable hooks and catchy lyrics. Quickly scanning over the track list, you are able to recall each and every song's chorus with ease, and it only makes you want to listen to the album one more time. The band's last record, <i>On The Impossible Past</i>, was their breakthrough, and <i>Rented World </i>may fall a tiny bit short of the heights reached by its predecessor, but it is only because it is a slightly different direction for the group. <i>Rented World</i> seems like The Menzingers have become very comfortable with who they are and what music they make, and as their fourth album, it feels more like a new beginning for the group.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/themenzingers">Facebook</a><br />
<br />
Track list:<br />
<br />
1. I Don't Want To Be An Asshole Anymore<br />
2. Bad Things<br />
3. Rodent<br />
4. Where Your Heartache Exists<br />
5. My Friend Kyle<br />
6. Transient Love<br />
7. The Talk<br />
8. Nothing Feels Good Anymore<br />
9. Hearts Unknown<br />
10. In Remission<br />
11. Sentimental Physics<br />
12. When You DiedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-9282690477246114672014-04-20T05:47:00.001-04:002014-04-20T06:13:12.589-04:00Album Review: Woods - With Light and With Love<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U5EIWGwy4qE/U0-TOmViXII/AAAAAAAAAMk/tnU9ZYNSATA/s1600/04a0954f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U5EIWGwy4qE/U0-TOmViXII/AAAAAAAAAMk/tnU9ZYNSATA/s1600/04a0954f.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: B+</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Woods have always been on the precipice of perfect moderation, and their seventh album in nine years is no exception. Their prolific churning has cumulated into some of the most forthright Indie Folk released in years. Applying the Goldilocks formula, <i>With Light and With Love</i> finds the balance between the rustic without being played, introspective without being over-indulgent and fondly familiar without the innocuous resin that laces most seasoned folk acts by this stage in their career, conditioned facial hair included. <br />
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Off the the back of 2012’s stretched and brittle <i>Bend Beyond</i>, Woods have varnished themselves off to a gleaming example of progressive Indie, retaining their coiled psych influences and creative instrumental breakdowns in lieu of some recycled melodies and themes. Frontman Jeremy Earl further embraces his infatuation with mortality and fleeting sentiment performed with an unsupposing resonance, teeming with existential wordplay.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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And this rings apparent throughout the whole record as showcased with title track and album centrepiece “With Light and With Love”, a nine minute heavyweight of tectonic dynamism. Scattered guitars jitter while Earl sings with ironic uncertainty considering this album demonstrates his writing with the most determination and craftsmanship he, and Woods, have ever showed in nearly a decade. Though, at the backend of the track, without grandiose climax, the galvanic middle eight fizzles back into it’s spritely chorus, no blown fuse or anything - a mist of disappointment over what could have been Woods’ first contact with stadium potential, but maybe retaining their forlorn intimacy is a more effective tactic for a band that have climbed the ranks through humility and patience.<br />
<br />
But not all of this record is constructed of behemoth micro-symphonies. On the opposite side of the range, tracks like “Shining” and “New Life”, possessing some of the most propitious and infectious grooves on this album, end too soon leaving no room to digest or mull the reflective balladry Earl recites. <br />
In spite of this lyrical beguiling, Woods dig deep and shed light on some instrumental intonations unheard on previous records. On “Leaves Like Glass” the sober and translucent cadences of the clean guitars drain swelled hearts and “Twin Steps” is an arcane transportation to the psyche-realm as modulated vocals and waltzing guitar squelches are the order of the day - Woods are never shy to uphold their stature as jacks of many genres.<br />
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On the closing trifecta of songs, Woods play true to their name, navigating what appears as familiar terrain but are intrinsically varied soundscapes like visually enticing “Full Moon”; it depicts a rich lunar atmosphere and imagines of still bodies of water with a palpitating wah effect. Or take the reminiscent lull that seeps through “Only the Lonely", sounding closer to The Shins than Woods have ever ventured, and that not need be a bad thing.<br />
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Final number “Feather Man” sees Earl loom and sift his way through a wincingly familiar blues melody as chewed and brewing accompaniments teeter in the background; what echoes at the forefront of this track is the overwhelming significance of Woods’ music. They capture timeless elements and homely progression without ever sounding like we are revisiting, for those well-versed in their discography, previous records. With unhampered production and a gleaming finish, <i>With Light and With Love</i> is a welcome addition to the Woods family, one that’s effortlessly easy to accept with open arms.</div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
<div>
<u>Track List</u></div>
<div>
1) Shepherd</div>
<div>
2) Shining</div>
<div>
3) With Light and with Love</div>
<div>
4) Moving to the Left</div>
<div>
5) New Light</div>
<div>
6) Leaves like Glass</div>
<div>
7) Twin Steps</div>
<div>
8) Full Moon</div>
<div>
9) Only the Lonely</div>
<div>
10) Feather Man</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/woodsfamilyband?fref=ts">Facebook</a></div>
<div>
<a href="https://twitter.com/WOODSIST">Twitter</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.woodsist.com/">Website</a></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-36588613567734696702014-04-18T17:38:00.000-04:002014-04-18T17:38:42.549-04:00Actually buying things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMX0CdOj0RA03roqAE1U8CQ5OGDQ3_yMYU6tqDfx-j28x_1reJ2M9k-AViJbHKDxKnRdFd3qr6Xa0ZfmbDCPUmAc6H6sqOriz3fU0LM2lG2Y2uFGVnujVc6i52j6AhkW0f_Ja5sHXtyO0/s1600/pirate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMX0CdOj0RA03roqAE1U8CQ5OGDQ3_yMYU6tqDfx-j28x_1reJ2M9k-AViJbHKDxKnRdFd3qr6Xa0ZfmbDCPUmAc6H6sqOriz3fU0LM2lG2Y2uFGVnujVc6i52j6AhkW0f_Ja5sHXtyO0/s1600/pirate.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Everyone knows music is free nowadays. I had a look at wikipedia and it pointed me toward a survey done in 2012 in which 29% of respondents admitted to downloading music from peer-to-peer networks. If we factor in the fact most of the others are lying and a lot of them probably don't care for music at all, then do a bit of faux maths, everyone and their mum has a what.cd account. You don't even have to go behind the back of the law any more in order to satiate your music fix thanks to Youtube, Soundcloud and Spotify. Hell, as a writer on Muzik Dizcovery I struggle to listen to promos faster than they arrive. <br />
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This has had a profound effect on how us music-nerds listen to music: we don't. A pile of albums are prepared, they are skimmed through and then they are dropped because on first glance they are not quite as good as <i>OK Computer</i>. <br />
<br />
We are always looking for the next big thing, and when albums come in their thousands it's natural to want to cast your net as wide as possible. The problem is that in looking forward to the future you forget to engage with what's right in front of you. The result is a kind of constant numbness and disappointment. It doesn't have to be like this. An album might not be perfect yet there could still be a lot to draw from it. Take DjRum's ill-fated attempt at an LP last year: not fantastic in any sense but it had flashes of absolute genius. <br />
<br />
For me, just slowing down wasn't much of an option. Firstly, I've tried it a couple of times and it didn't even come close to working. Secondly, I didn't really want to: despite the drawbacks of gluttonously devouring music it does have the obvious advantage of putting me into contact with a lot of brilliant, unheard-of music I'd otherwise be oblivious to. There's a lot of crap out there and someone has to sift through it. May as well be me. <br />
<br />
The steady medium came in sectioning off a little of my student loan to buying music with actual real money. I don't buy everything I listen to, neither do I only dish out cash for the very best, but every now and again (pretty regularly, actually) I'll treat myself to something. Often only small things -again I'm a student, so money is primarily for food, rent and intoxicants- but things nonetheless. <br />
<br />
It works, you know. I have a reason to sit down and properly experience an album even if I don't have the intention of reviewing it. “Getting to grips” with a random album purely for my own sake is something I haven't done since the days of dial-up and it's strangely liberating. I may not even like it too much: it's just nice to have listened to an album enough to know the tracklist by heart, which would only otherwise happen with the best albums of the year. There's also a lot to be said for understanding an album instead of just being vaguely familiar with it. <br />
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Are you someone looking to spice up the day-to-day grind of a music addiction? Here's my answer: start paying for some of it.Jonny Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08596543212544004208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-13569556748651887562014-04-17T09:00:00.000-04:002014-04-17T11:47:21.606-04:00Album Review: Animals as Leaders - The Joy of Motion<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoxkjXzVxGo8VbzM6MUwVxoV5hu5STMJPJFiqlPDgXOsIXhrA0Feq4e0lnNxSWb1l4J_maTs-7KsDOQi_ZGmMvjprqGSK8sbX5Libnji12JoTk6N7Sk0pEwmhj-tbe_Vmdo2vYmT-a7w/s1600/AnimalsAsLeadersCover-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoxkjXzVxGo8VbzM6MUwVxoV5hu5STMJPJFiqlPDgXOsIXhrA0Feq4e0lnNxSWb1l4J_maTs-7KsDOQi_ZGmMvjprqGSK8sbX5Libnji12JoTk6N7Sk0pEwmhj-tbe_Vmdo2vYmT-a7w/s1600/AnimalsAsLeadersCover-300x300.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A-</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whether it's because of the real drums, Misha Mansoors' widely regarded return to the drawing and mixing board, or simply the group's newfound preference for <a href="http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/features/interviews/377933/animals-as-leaders-talk-side-projects-songwriting-fangirl-moments.htm" target="_blank">exploration over critical reverence</a>, there's no denying it—<i>The Joy of Motion</i> sounds mind-bogglingly huge. It's explosive, yet composed; volcanic, yet regulated. The showy instrumentation on <i>Weightless</i>, while certainly far more apparently impressive than much of what comprises the 2014 record, was ultimately hindered both by its excesses and an additional unintrusive mix.<i> </i><i>The Joy of Motion</i>, contrastingly, is easily the progressive band's most "normal"
release to date, very much content existing within the musical confines of the djenty present,
but it's additionally, without question, Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes' most successful effort thus far. If this is what the present sounds like, why do we ever try to break free in the first place? <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The three years between records has done the trio well, as an aged sense of focus and discipline now command Abasi and Reyes' pristine fingertips, where a simple, but strong melody can accomplish so much more than the expected masturbatory fretboard acrobatics. While the opening of "Crescent" finds the group teetering dangerously close on the familiar edge of stringed extravagance, the album-three-wisdom promptly kicks in to construct a real-life, actual <i>composition</i>, with a beginning, middle and end, complete with transitions and an expertly operated emotional release valve.<br />
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"Another Year" masterfully brings such a low simmer to a boil and takes a ton of chances while doing it—its delicate and refined cleans owning the reigns for nearly the entire duration. The 3/4 bridge (with a healthy dose of 13/4 sneaking in at the end of each refrain) preceding Abasi's expertly crafted methodical solo, made more of melody than magniloquence, is about as close as Animals As Leaders gets to the assumed obligatory head-banging here. "The Future that Awaited Me" follows a similar trajectory, with the six-strings willingly stepping aside to make room for the cinematic electronics, and never once opting to fabricate catharsis through volume. With the subsequent all-flamenco "Para Mexer" slowing things down to a near halt, djent fans will, despite the oxymoronic acoustic China cymbal breakdown, most certainly be crying foul during the latter subdued half of <i>The Joy of Motion</i>.<br />
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It's not really until the penultimate "Mind-Spun" that everything picks up once more, just in time to provide a slick sense of balance that the raging mid-record "Tooth and Claw" cannot simply provide on its own. Both the heaviest and most straightforward track on the album, "Tooth and Claw" is the best metal song that any accessible modern act could ever hope to write but just can't, because they'd either want to repeat <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=809lUMdAtBw" target="_blank">this</a> for eight minutes or helplessly couldn't come anywhere close to Animals As Leaders' current compositional prowess. <br />
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By choosing to focus their immense talent on the songwriting, rather than the overt fretboard stunts, <i>The Joy of Motion</i> manages to raise the bar somehow without raising any bars on their past musicianship. To deliver something so tame, something so unexpectedly<i> normal</i> to such a notoriously exacting progressive fanbase was, ironically, as big of a risk as ambitiously breaking free from all contemporary genre shackles in the first place, as they attempted to with their self-titled. This time around, though, Abasi and company know that, to succeed, they don't need to change the world as we know it—it already changes on its own. A great record reminds us why we fell in love with music in the first place, which just so happens to manifest itself strictly through humility, not the guitar sweep.<br />
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Track List:<br />
1. Ka$cade<br />
2. Lippincott<br />
3. Air Chrysalis<br />
4. Another Year<br />
5. Physical Education<br />
6. Tooth and Claw<br />
7. Crescent<br />
8. The Future that Awaited Me<br />
9. Para Mexer<br />
10. The Woven Web<br />
11. Mind-Spun<br />
12. Nephele<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/animalsasleaders" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/AnimalAsLeader" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09222020681120222569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-29105965127577817742014-04-08T21:41:00.000-04:002014-04-08T21:41:36.856-04:00Album Review: Save Face - I Won't Let This Take My Life<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOloNSYACy_rYJ9FUm6tIGkizvlda6Y9-8oNeOxi5ATavA592QUMKiNSLbJAeOsc2yHdz7uoDVJkCIqL59QU2Q8hzRsz7p6GxpPpUvChyphenhyphenBuqBjmC_xYdSYxtpdQ9y6QckkYCC4KVknbGw/s1600/Save+Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOloNSYACy_rYJ9FUm6tIGkizvlda6Y9-8oNeOxi5ATavA592QUMKiNSLbJAeOsc2yHdz7uoDVJkCIqL59QU2Q8hzRsz7p6GxpPpUvChyphenhyphenBuqBjmC_xYdSYxtpdQ9y6QckkYCC4KVknbGw/s1600/Save+Face.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A-</td></tr>
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<i>I Won't Let This Take My Life </i>combines brisk and intensified hardcore with memorable, hooky pop-punk from the great Garden State. The raw energy and fervor found on this record is undeniable - further blurring the lines between brutal new-age hardcore and jovial pop-punk. If you dig bands such as Counterparts and New Found Glory, Save Face might just be the new band you are looking for.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>As the song, "Debt" starts, the song immediately detonates into a cohesive display of impressive syncopation that sits on the edge of a blade. It's a cunning start that sets the bar high for the rest of the record. Around one minute into the song, there is a certain lead riff that idles amongst the controlled chaos - a nostalgic undertone that compliments that vocals. This pattern could be found on the rest of the EP passing in the slightest of seconds.<br />
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"Clockwork," the middleman on the EP, showcases a melancholy tone that changes the pace for a short time. The chorus is golden thread of the track, reminiscent of a song off Silverstein's <i>Discovering The Waterfront</i>. The song is the perfect counterpoint to the last song, "All Skin, No Bones," which carries more of a traditional, anthemic punk sound. Bursting with aplenty, edgy riffs, and deep, chilling growls (another unique aspect heard throughout the record), this track is an excellent way to tie up the EP. These guys have something awesome brewing. If they play their cards right, 2014 could prove to be a big year for Save Face.<br />
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Track List:<br />
<br />
1. Debt<br />
2. Teeth In The Floor<br />
3. Clockwork<br />
4. Flora<br />
5. All Skin, No Bones<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/savefacenj">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://saveface.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03177776351443295201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-24694481012984463422014-04-08T13:00:00.000-04:002014-04-09T10:09:58.840-04:00Album Review: Former Monarchs - The Cost of Living<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsPJxnx0BdQXEYtFsHa-QlXElTxiB0sd0e3Psgfj0u3wF8Ed4MHzVB4XH4EwOboFAa1C0EVpgVhHgpZakkLS1dcyi9B2sCIympuDMq8WB43bUrw0pDwzvYEOfMYpf5PrZFIYUaKbJM18/s1600/former_monarchs_cover_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsPJxnx0BdQXEYtFsHa-QlXElTxiB0sd0e3Psgfj0u3wF8Ed4MHzVB4XH4EwOboFAa1C0EVpgVhHgpZakkLS1dcyi9B2sCIympuDMq8WB43bUrw0pDwzvYEOfMYpf5PrZFIYUaKbJM18/s1600/former_monarchs_cover_web.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: B</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Irish math rock sonic touchstones have steadily garnered more and more visibility in recent years, with bands like <a href="http://asiwyfash.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">And So I Watch You From Afar</a> and <a href="http://enemiesmusic.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Enemies</a> both having assembled impressive world audiences from their expert paradisaical soundscapes. There must be something in the water, as the Atlantic island has conjured enough aural palm trees to construct a second Disney World, and given their locale, one would be quick to assume that another batch of the locals, <a href="http://formermonarchs.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Former Monarchs</a>, are additionally contributing to the cause. Though tropical math may be preeminent, the Cork band's debut full-length, <i>The Cost of Living</i>, seems more wont to construct the actual present, in all of its crooked glory, than pack up its bags and head for the beach.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The Former Monarchs sound palette is both familiar and alluring to fans of the Ireland paradigm, despite its notable diversions. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2013/09/album-review-crash-of-rhinos-knots.html" target="_blank"><i>Knots</i></a>, offered last year by nearby British neighbors Crash of Rhinos, is first to come to mind on the path of similarities, though <i>The Cost of Living</i> is a bit smoother around the edges. Where Crash of Rhinos finds solace in the intermingling of styles and genres, Former Monarchs have the propensity to spend the afternoon locked in a stylistic third gear, savoring every second of their classic twangy guitar tapping. Late-album star "Mori" is everything Minus The Bear would be today if they hadn't begun noncommittally flirting with the creepy "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAoVj0-bZkI" target="_blank">Touch me in the dark</a>" sound.<br />
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That being said, the Seattle rockers rarely have difficulty cultivating a strong relationship with the audience—something with which <i>The Cost of Living</i> often struggles. The anti-materialist "Buyer Beware" is certainly built upon good intentions, but feels more like a lecture than an honest look at crumbling human interaction. The venerable ethos within lines like "Now we are what we own / Philosophy has taken a backseat," which are already cloaked in a low vocal mix, is ultimately lost from a lack of anecdotal personality. "Battlelines," moreover, is jam-packed with as much empty rhetoric as the rich politicians its chastising. As lyricists Jonathan Pearson and Kevin Mulcahy work to force as many syllables as possible into rousing a crowd to a unified fist-pump, the issue at hand becomes more convoluted than engaging, more wordy than effective.<br />
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Where Pearson and Mulcahy truly soar are on the more spacious, contemplative tracks. The margins of the lyric sheet to "Home" are significantly less crowded than many of its album neighbors, and the track consequently attracts more examination and intrigue thanks to its cryptic nature. "Home" additionally occupies somewhat of a black sheep moniker on <i>The Cost of Living</i>, in the sense that it forgoes an aural climax in favor of compositional stability—an unexpected success from the Cork band, that proves time and time again on <i>The Cost of Living</i> their seasoned fluency in contour and sonic accumulation.<br />
<br />
As if "Birdsong"'s inverted decibel approach of loud verses and restrained choruses wasn't striking enough, the cannonball blast of distortion hitting in the bridge handily claims one of the more memorable moments of the album. The aforementioned "Battlelines," despite its campy, overly syllabic introduction, offers some of the record's most stylistically interesting pieces. From a snowy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bniyljgkyc" target="_blank">Park</a>-esque section to the triumphantly controlled concluding brass outro, it truly is remarkable how much Former Monarchs can accomplish in under four minutes, whilst still firmly remaining within the boundaries of twangy alternative rock.<br />
<br />
There are numerous gems to be found in the unlit corners of <i>The Cost of Living</i>, whether they be hidden in a subtle amplified swell, like in the already bombastic "Evade," or the oft unapparent structural meticulousness commanding much of the track list. Many of these pieces hit their cathartic peak during their instrumental bridges, and the veterans holding the pen know exactly when (and when not) to include that incorrectly assumed obligatory third chorus. Album opener "Origins" is easily the best representation of the Former Monarchs talent, as it's not until the bridge that the song really makes an impact, and the composition is so powerful at that point that Pearson and Mulcahy's quiet, but still rather insightful lyrics can't manage to divert the spotlight. Perhaps the vocals find themselves in the backseat because the music speaks for itself.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://formermonarchs.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/formermonarchsireland" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
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Track List:<br />
1. Origins<br />
2. Armour<br />
3. Buyer Beware<br />
4. Home<br />
5. Birdsong<br />
6. Evade<br />
7. Battlelines<br />
8. Clans<br />
9. Mori<br />
10. 1000 Planes<br />
11. Machine HallsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09222020681120222569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-91626765685745194512014-04-08T08:00:00.000-04:002014-04-08T12:11:59.920-04:00Album Review: Ratking - So It Goes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDjHiV1vSAs/U0JzA-tRgrI/AAAAAAAAAL4/9q0ZuyG7dOQ/s1600/Ratking-so-it-goes-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDjHiV1vSAs/U0JzA-tRgrI/AAAAAAAAAL4/9q0ZuyG7dOQ/s1600/Ratking-so-it-goes-cover.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: B+</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hip-Hop is a perpetually escalating competition, a survival of the fittest civil war that has been pitting MCs against each other since the 70s. And as with all skirmishes, territories must be claimed. The current landscape is a binary divide between the LA and New York rappers and has been as far back as I can remember. Although lately, with the surge of alternative Hip-Hop seeping into a younger demographic as a result of the Odd Future epidemic or Black Hippy monopoly, New York has been sandbagged by flashflood sensations and collective infusions. <br />
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Now, I wouldn’t go as so far to say that Ratking’s debut is a New York revival album, though with the recent reissue of Nas’ <i>Illmatic</i> there’s a case to be made that a movement is in the pipeline, but rather channels the essence and steely lipped bite that New York rappers have been sparring with since the emergence of the Wu-Tang Clan. Instead of blowing breeze about molly and pseudo-thuggery, Ratking play the role of philosophical vagabonds with an over-active awareness while still indulging in the self-induced solitude of being shrunken and young in a cold dead metropolis. <br />
<br />
Since single ‘Canal’ first dropped, ringleader and prodigy Wiki has been married to comparisons of Eminem, demonstrating effortless visuality, helter-skelter melodies and coherent flows to his rhymes. Complimented by the syncopated whirrs from Virginia producer Sporting Life, who creates some wild and untethered platforms for MC duo Wiki and Hak to lay verbal pipe into; despite occasionally fabricating beats so complex they superpose destructively with Ratking’s machine-gun verses. <br />
<br />
At the top end of the record is ‘Snow Beach’, a track I think should have been Ratking’s first showcase, and sees the trio spit icy and sharp cynicism while retaining a frustration and heavy-headed uncertainty only authentic to the curb-sitters and coming of agers. The production of this track is the most dense and hectic I’ve heard on a Hip-Hop record this year. Channeling influence from golden era jazz with the celestial crunch of Suicide wrapped up in a vintage 90s beat, a jigsaw of influences that when pieced together reveals the image of a raised middle finger. <br />
<br />
Latest single and King Krule collaborative track ‘So Sick Stories’ highlights the blatant similarities that have spurred on young MC’s to verbally denounce one another in the form of UK Grime or US Hip-Hop. In spite of differences in intonation, the visuality remains the same. Derelict warehouse and clap-trap graffiti connoting the lethargy of jading in an urban tundra. ‘The way the grey controls<br />
the souls / that go to sleep to sink and dissolve’. Spitting rhymes as brittle as the concrete that has shaped them.<br />
<br />
Since Hak and Wiki both come from Manhattan origins you’d think they’d have an equal measure of potential but <i>So It Goes</i> sees Hak cast in constant shadow. Not to say he has weak lines but the incendiary hunger that Wiki spits as showcased on the soulful title track ‘So It Goes’ sees Hak painted in pale light when it’s his turn to step up to the mic.<br />
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Representative of New York culture, Ratking’s debut is a pallet of immigrated influences and styles, a tapestry of the colourful fading into the grey. Though I get the feeling that Ratking are still stuck somewhere between a snarling disinterested in acceptance and instinctual hunger for attention, they still pound cracks in the pavement with some really innovative ideas both in terms of production and rhyme that could spur on a New York revival if one’s not already in motion. With split knuckles and roaring bitterness, Ratking are rearing to shatter the competition, just give them some time. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RATKING?fref=ts">Facebook</a></div>
<div>
<a href="https://twitter.com/RatKing">Twitter</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://ratkingnyc.com/">Website</a></div>
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<div>
Track List:</div>
<div>
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<div>
1) *</div>
<div>
2) Canal</div>
<div>
3) Snow Beach</div>
<div>
4) So Sick Stories</div>
<div>
5) Remove Ya</div>
<div>
6) Eat</div>
<div>
7) So It Goes</div>
<div>
8) Peuto Rican Judo</div>
<div>
9) Protein</div>
<div>
10) Bug Fights</div>
<div>
11) Take</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-70556068612177785642014-04-07T13:41:00.000-04:002014-04-07T17:09:38.806-04:00Best Of The Year 2014: First Quarter UpdateOne of our favorite articles to do every year is our quarterly lists. For all you new readers out there, every three months each of our writers posts a list of their five favorite releases of that year as of that moment. This could include albums that aren't even out yet; any album that we have heard that is released in 2014 is eligible. On this edition of our quarterly updates, The Hotelier, Cloud Nothings, St. Vincent, Sun Kil Moon, The War On Drugs, Real Estate, and You Blew It! all appear on multiple lists, highlighting the diversity of our writers. We hope you discover something you wouldn't ever expect. All lists are below, and will be linked to any coverage we have done on the albums.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Casey Whitman</span></b></div>
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<b>1. The Hotelier - <i>Home, Like NoPlace Is There</i></b><br />
We may as well end 2014 right now, because truly at this point there is no way any album can surpass The Hotelier's stunning <i>Home, Like NoPlace Is There. </i>This instant emo/punk classic is one of the most dynamic, emotional and perfectly flowing records in the genre I've ever heard, and the record is already surging towards my favorites of all time. I'm a very varied music listener, almost always switching artists up after every album listen, and rarely get to the point of overplaying an album. However, <i>Home, Like NoPlace Is There</i> sometimes takes up hours of time in a row, and the freshness never goes away. The record is already achieving the acclaim it deserves, and its legacy within an entire scene of music is beginning to form. Seriously, just go to The Hotelier's <a href="http://thehotelyear.bandcamp.com/album/home-like-noplace-is-there">Bandcamp</a> now, press play, and bask in this album.<br />
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<b>2. Cloud Nothings - <i>Here and Nowhere Else</i></b><br />
Cloud Nothings's <i>Attack On Memory</i> was a gritty departure from the band's earlier lo-fi pop punk material, and ended up as one of the best records of 2012. While I wasn't personally a huge fan of the earlier material, meshing its upbeat sensibility with the fuller sound of the new material was possibly the best thing the band could have done. The much improved drumming helps drive these songs to even further heights, and the hooks are on another level from <i>Attack On Memory</i>. The album may have just officially come out, but I already feel comfortable saying <i>Here and Nowhere Else</i> is the band's best album. At least, until they kick it up another notch next time.<br />
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<b>3. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/02/album-review-st-vincent-st-vincent.html">St. Vincent - <i>St. Vincent</i></a></b><br />
After nearly two years of touring with David Byrne in support of the very mediocre <i>Love This Giant</i>, it almost seemed like we'd never get St. Vincent back again. Luckily, while it seems part of him has seeped into her live performance and some of the horns from <i>Love This Giant</i> return, we still received another phenomenal St. Vincent record. <i>St. Vincent</i> is a very eclectic record, even for the artist at hand. Bouncy synths ("Rattlesnake"), crunchy guitars ("Birth In Reverse"), beautiful ballads ("I Prefer Your Love") and some of Annie Clark's most chaotic guitar playing ("Bring Me Your Loves") all are part of this record, and none of it feels out of place. While the highs on <i>Strange Mercy</i> are much higher, <i>St. Vincent</i> is proof that St. Vincent is a consistent force in music.<br />
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<b>4. Bombay Bicycle Club - <i>So Long, See You Tomorrow</i></b><br />
On <i>So Long, See You Tomorrow</i>, Bombay Bicycle Club successfully transformed from another British indie rock band into one that is ready to fill stadiums worldwide. The band always had a wide range of appeal, as they played catchy, yet still interesting and intelligent music that kept people on their feet. <i>So Long, See You Tomorrow</i> keeps all of those characteristics, but the increased sense of dynamics lend to a group of songs perfect for a huge stage. The crunchy guitars, string flourishes and drilling keys on "Overdone" are a perfect introduction to the new high production version of Bombay Bicycle Club, and come festival season, tracks from <i>So Long, See You Tomorrow</i> will end up being defining moments of weekends.<br />
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<b>5. Prawn/Joie De Vivre <i>Split 7"</i></b><br />
There were many, many strong choices for this number five spot. Clipping's experimental noise-rap, Mac DeMarco's self-proclaimed "jizz-jazz," Frankie Cosmos's sad pop, Against Me's punk rock resurgence and Wye Oak's effort at leaving guitars behind were all contenders, but as none of them quite stood out amongst the rest, I'm putting the five song split 7" of emo powerhouses Prawn and Joie De Vivre here. These two Prawn songs are potentially their two best to date, as the band goes back to embrace their post-rock side while still being two of their catchiest and most well written tunes. The Joie De Vivre songs, while not at the level of greatness the Prawn tracks, are very solid additions to the band's strong discography. It's nice to see a continuation of cool splits coming from the leaders within the emo scene, and even as these bands continue to gain popularity, let's hope the friendship between bands continues into even more shared releases.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Will Butler</span></b></div>
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<b>1. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/02/album-review-st-vincent-st-vincent.html">St. Vincent - <i>St. Vincent</i></a></b><br />
It takes a lot of courage as a music fan to fess up and admit that you've never listened to a certain artist; especially one that has the cult following of Annie Clark. My exposure to the lurching brass stabs of "Digital Witness" was a much needed and plenty-thanked push into the St. Vincent slipstream. Equal parts chaos and sincerity drawing reference to sexuality, the intricacies of modern living and experiences beyond our reality. Clark really intwines herself, her essence, into every note of this record. One of the most authentic extensions of an artist in recent years, <i>St. Vincent</i> is as beautiful and menacing as the lady it incepted from.<br />
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<b>2. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/03/album-review-war-on-drugs-lost-in-dream.html">The War on Drugs - <i>Lost In A Dream</i></a></b><br />
Last year Kurt Vile's <i>Walkin On A Pretty Daze</i> made it into my top 10 records of 2013. I was transfixed by the tumbling laxness and dreary comforts it provided; lest to say I was excited to see what psych-rock brethren The War On Drugs could pull out of their sleeve this time totally unaided by Vile. A record that requires a lot of unpacking, <i>Lost In A Dream</i> is encased in more layers than I ever suspected on my first listen. I'm still in the process of uncovering my favourite moments and tracks and I've invested a decent 10 listens into this record. As it stands the invigorating immediacy of "Red Eyes" and the road-trip vibes that exude from "Burning" stand out to me as some of the musical highlights of the year and I feel like I've only just cracked the surface.<br />
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<b>3. Sun Kil Moon - <i>Benji</i></b><br />
Never before I have heard such brutal honest from a songwriter until I heard Mark Kozelek (a.k.a Sun Kil Moon) vividly implant his sexual chronology into my brain on "Dogs," a track from his sixth full release <i>Benji</i>. Having no need to duck behind metaphor or contrived interpretation, Kozelek covers a wide variety of topics spanning the melancholic, the fondly nostalgic and the downright perverse. An ambitious take on songwriter that may be too blasé for some but personally I loved the bitter taste it left in my mouth.<br />
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<b>4. Sisyphus - <i>Sisyphus</i></b><br />
The combination of songwriter Sufjan Stevens, the translucent rhymes of Chicago rapper Serengeti and the digital obstrusities of techno wizard Son Lux come together to form Sisyphus. A record not without distracting protrusions and imbalance, however after spending time with the album I found the rough edges to become the charming and distinct features that distinguish <i>Sisyphus</i> from any other alternative Hip-hop record that's been released so far as it burrowed it's way into my heart. It's an easy ride throughout and has to be in the running for the most "feet-up, grab a beer and kick back with friends" record of 2014 so far.<br />
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<b>5. Howler - <i>World of Joy</i></b></div>
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After what I consider to be a disappointing debut for this Minneapolis four piece on <i>America Give Up </i>back in 2012, I was stoked to hear Howler surface out of the shallows of misplaced arrogance and half-baked noise rock with <i>World of Joy</i> which makes up for lost time at a furious velocity. Tearing through the whole release at a breakneck pace with vocals, melodies and guitar lines so cut-throat it feels like mainlining gravel, Howler indulge in carelessness youth with effortless avail - like a really hyped up party, you'll kick yourself if you miss out on it.</div>
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">Max Puhala</b></div>
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<b>1. The Hotelier - <i>Home, Like No Place Is There</i></b><br />
It's difficult for me to comfortably comment on the 2014 year in music at this point, simply because very few albums manage to penetrate my skeptical exterior emotional core in such a short amount of time. <i>Home, Like No Place Is There</i>, however, kicked my ass as soon as I heard it. From my need to scream out the "whoa-oh-oh"'s in "An Introduction to The Album" literally every single time they occur, to the shattering genderfucked yells in "Life In Drag" consistently bringing me to my knees, I do feel truly blessed to receive such a pleasantly crushing sound.<b></b><br />
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<b>2. Animals As Leaders - <i>The Joy of Motion</i></b><br />
I never would have thought that my favorite version of Animals As Leaders would be one of restraint. <i>The Joy of Motion</i> <b> </b>achieves such emotional power precisely because Tosin Abasi doesn't excessively flaunt his talents, but rather, puts them to good compositional use. Every song's cathartic contour line can be easily tracked here, as can their consistent successes throughout. "Another Year" achieves so much more than any past inordinate noodly fretting simply because the band allows the track's melodic voice to speak on its own, unhindered and unhinged from gaudy technicality, and more affecting than ever.<br />
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<b>3. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/02/album-review-lawrence-arms-metropole.html">The Lawrence Arms - <i>Metropole</i></a></b><br />
For a Lawrence Arms fan, <i>Metropole</i> is like meeting up with your long lost friends in some dingy bar, where Joe's going bald and John's now a size 40. You didn't need perfect appearances to have fun back in the day, though, and nor do you now. Brendan Kelly and Chris McCaughan have never felt older on <i>Metropole</i>, but with that age comes a new level of honesty guiding the 2014 Larry Arms songwriting. Kelly sighs about his "sad, saggy ass" while McCaughan is painfully aware of the opposite sex's disinterest in him, all to the tune of an updated <i>The Greatest Story Ever Told</i> sonic palette. Even though I haven't quite reached their years yet, I'm still happy to be reminiscing right next to them.<br />
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<b>4. Tycho - <i>Awake</i></b><br />
Listening to Tycho is like embarking on the most profound journey of your life, where you're a completely blank slate floating through all of the wonder of the universe. Scott Hansen has an unmatchable knack for melody and atmosphere, and the two additional musicians backing him up on <i>Awake</i> happen to be pretty good at it, too. The album's eight tracks are huge, spacious explorations into the furthest oases of the human psyche—from an endless green field to the black stillness of galactic orbit. You're going to want to stay for a while.<br />
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<b>5. Real Estate - <i>Atlas</i></b><br />
Most of my 7 AM drives to work need something soothing. Something peaceful but thought-provoking, simple yet engaging. <i>Atlas</i> has been my morning answer time and time again, as I wonder with Martin Courtney on "Past Lives" if I'll ever be able to connect with my distant home again, or if we're just "Talking Backwards," because everything is "too many miles away." The uncomplicated lyrics wouldn't normally be big selling point for me, but <i>Atlas</i> proves handily that when drenched in a somber, twinkly haze, less can, indeed, be more.<br />
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">Ryan Naglak</b></div>
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<b>1. Sun Kil Moon - <i>Benji</i></b><br />
I tried to write a review of <i>Benji</i>, the new album from Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon, but I just couldn't fit the words into one single review. <i>Benji </i>deserves so much more, and I could write pages and pages about it. Mark Kozelek secures himself as the quintessential American songwriter with his brutally honest lyrics and mesmerizing guitars. By listening to <i>Benji, </i>you can learn more about Kozelek than any book could tell you. The album is an emotional experience and opens the door of comparison to the "great American novel." Kozelek is so much more than a musician, he is an author and an artist and <i>Benji</i> is one of the greatest albums I have heard in my life.<br />
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<b>2. Beck - <i>Morning Phase</i></b><br />
Beck's <i>Morning Phase</i> can be described as a sequel to his highly rated album <i>Sea Change</i>. Full of flourishing acoustic guitars and his reverberating vocals, <i>Morning Phase</i> is a beautiful record that is calming yet stimulating. It is a magnificent semi-comeback for the regarded singer-songwriter.<br />
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<b>3. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/01/album-review-you-blew-it-keep-doing.html">You Blew It! - <i>Keep Doing What You're Doing</i></a></b><br />
You Blew It!'s sophomore album, <i>Keep Doing What You're Doing</i>, may be missing a bit of the youthful naivety of their debut, but it is still a solid indie rock release. Evan Weiss' production shines forth brightly, as guitars twist and twine together to form melodically complex songs.<br />
<i><br /></i><b>4. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/04/album-review-manchester-orchestra-cope.html">Manchester Orchestra - <i>Cope</i></a></b><br />
Even though <i>Cope</i> isn't out officially yet, it has been up streaming for a week, and has already impressed me greatly. The world has been lacking in modern rock music, and Manchester Orchestra are fully bringing it forth into the spotlight again. Songs are full of guitars and fuzz, and the listener is never given a chance to catch their breath.<br />
<i><br /></i><b>5. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/03/album-review-liars-mess.html">Liars - <i>Mess</i></a></b><br />
Liars seventh LP is as experimental as ever, while full expanding on their electronic sounds of <i>WIXIW</i>. It's a furiously pulsating album of beats, synths, and haunting vocals, that fits perfectly into the Liars' discography, but is also a truly new experience.<br />
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">Moses Kim</b></div>
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<b>1. Accents - <i>Tall Tales</i></b><br />
Accents' debut release <i>Growth and Squalor</i> was an understated gem in 2012's folk scene, a quiet but earnest album about the passage of time and the weight of regret. The band's follow-up, however, is even better: a bold expansion both musically (highlights including majestic album opener "Hold Me Close," replete with triumphant horns and brooding gang vocals, and the Typhoon-esque "At Your Weakest," which builds slowly but beautifully) and thematically (no longer is everything shrouded in an aura of loss--the band finds and grips onto a bittersweet joy here), it'd be a grave injustice if <i>Tall Tales</i> didn't win Accents some serious love from listeners. It's also name-your-price, so you, dear reader, have no excuse.<br />
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<b>2. MONSTER CAT - <i>The Violet Hour</i></b><br />
The best kind of mess. Gloriously noisy indie-rock with a buried conscience and a surprisingly devious pop streak: keep an eye on these fellas because there's a good chance they're going all the way to the top.<br />
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<b>3. Ages and Ages - <i>Divisionary</i></b><br />
There is an elementary school playfulness to <i>Divisionary</i>, buried in the simple but massive choral arrangements, the vibrant instrumentation straight out of a music classroom, and the direct, straightforward cadence of the lyrics. Yet Ages and Ages shows a maturity befitting its name: in a time where audiences have been captivated by the dark allure of the antihero, the band has made a sweeping statement on what it means - and how important it is - to be good.<br />
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<b>4. 2NE1 - <i>Crush</i></b><br />
Not a perfect album, not even close, but it's always a pleasure to have more 2NE1 in my life. Whether on the upbeat dance cuts (the raging title track, the fantastic "MTBD," where CL drops some of the best verses in K-pop this year, and the "Scream"), the downbeat ballads (the surprisingly plaintive and affecting "If I Were You"), and the in-between ("Come Back Home," which in a blend of reggae, dance, and trap offers every iteration of that phrase possible - the one where they're hurting and lonely, the one where they're uttering it through clenched lips, the one where they're dangling it in front of you), this group continues to defy my expectations and play with the boundaries of K-pop music.<br />
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<b>5. Foster The People - <i>Supermodel</i></b><br />
This could have very easily been <i>Torches, Part II</i>: instead, the band delves into new terrain, tapping into African rhythms, sleek uptempo rock, grunge, and even a little disco (on album standout "Best Friends"). Not all of it hits, and the series of solemn ballads near the album's end dampens the good vibes a little, but the whole effort suggests that Foster and friends are here to stay. Stream the album <a href="http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/exclusive-premiere-stream-the-new-foster-the-people-album-supermodel-now?recache=85356437&utm_source=nme&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=fosteralbumstream">here.</a><br />
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">Ali Welford</b></div>
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<b>1. Sun Kil Moon - <i>Benji</i></b><br />
Last night I stayed up to watch 'Edge of Life,' the second installment of Louis Theroux's new documentary series, <i>LA Stories</i>. Revealing the torturous trails and odious choices of individuals and families facing imminent death, it was harrowing, held no punches and at times was difficult to watch - yet for me it placed into stark reality the themes of dread and mortality which run rife through Mark Zozelek's grim new outing. The virtual antithesis of 2012's relatively easy listening <i>Among the Leaves</i>, <i>Benji</i>'s expert storytelling is raw, grating and almost impenetrably bleak, but its devastating emotional package will surely transcend anything else we'll hear in the remainder of 2014. Sensational.<br />
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<b>2.<a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/02/album-review-st-vincent-st-vincent.html"> St. Vincent - <i>St. Vincent</i></a></b><br />
In many ways, <i>St. Vincent</i> represents this young year's least surprising triumph. It has, after all, been obvious for some time that Annie Clarke has a heck of a lot going for her, and having continually improved with every fresh record, it figured that LP number four would once again propel her craft to a new level. This predictability, though, did nothing to lessen the furor surrounding its mid-February release. Focused, accessible and bustling with creative energy, it's the type of achievement through which reputations are forged and careers defined, and deservedly appears to have cemented her place among the darlings of the indie world. How she goes about bettering it will be fascinating, but this is an album to celebrate regardless of whether or not it proves to be her peak.<br />
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<b>3. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - <i>Piñata</i></b><br />
Coming off the back of a trio of excellent EPs, it says much about <i>Piñata</i>'s outstanding quality that it's still come as something of a revelation. Spread over a concise hour-long run time, Madlib's vibrant and varied beat pallet provides the perfect platform for Gibbs' menacing, streetwise flow, together with those of a formidable, skillfully-chosen ensemble of guests. Thrilling from first to last, it ranks among the finest hip hop records of recent years, and is an absolute essential for the genre's fans.<br />
<i><br /></i><b>4. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/03/album-review-withered-hand-new-gods.html">Withered Hand - <i>New Gods</i></a></b><br />
With five years having elapsed since <i>Good News</i>, it always seemed likely that Dan Wilson would ring the changes for its follow-up. Even with that preparation, the transformation from spiritual folk miserablism to summery pop jubilance requires adjustment on he part of the listener, but once you embrace the jangles and crack the more pensive second half <i>New Gods</i> reveals itself to be just as rewarding as its cult predecessor. Whether it's the shameless Teenage Fanclub-isms of 'Horseshoe,' 'King of Hollywood's elated spring or the wistful breeze of 'Between Love and Ruin,' it's a perfect fit for the coming mid-year months.<br />
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<b>5. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/03/album-review-wild-beasts-present-tense.html">Wild Beasts - <i>Present Tense</i></a></b><br />
Another exquisite outing from a group who now must surely be considered among the UK's finest. Perhaps the only criticism I can level at <i>Present Tense</i> is that there are times when it can all seem a little <i>too </i>focused; times when I want them to break from their shackles and indulge in the type of unbridled beauty which made <i>Smother </i>one of my favourite LPs of recent years. Don't get me wrong, though, the careful pacing here amounts to much of the appeal, and being Wild Beasts that appeal is in mass supply.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Daniel Rhoads</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://cdn2.pitchfork.com/albums/20057/homepage_large.7bb787a8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn2.pitchfork.com/albums/20057/homepage_large.7bb787a8.jpg" height="177" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><span class="s1"><b><span class="s1">1. </span>Sun Kil Moon - <i>Benji</i></b></span></span><br />
<span class="s1">Chances are, <i>Benji </i>will bum you out. It doesn’t matter. Let it happen. <i>Benji </i>is a bummer - a self-aware, stalwart, principled, committed bummer that you need probably need in your life. Listen to Mark Kozelek talk about death, and not abstract, far-away death. Real death. Friends, family, total strangers. Everyone’s going or gone. These things scare the shit out of Kozelek, the same way they scare the shit out of me, and, face it, they scare they shit out of you too. It feels like this 47 year old San Franciscan transplant kid from Ohio woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, grabbed a notebook and just watched the words pour out. Then he handed it to us. Are you going to refuse? Push it away and say “Mark, I don’t need this right now.” If you do, he won’t be hurt, I’m sure. This album is not a cry for help, but a call for communion. Listening to <i>Benji </i>will make you feel so much like a human being. That’s its honorable mission. Mission accomplished. </span><br />
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<b>2. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/03/album-review-war-on-drugs-lost-in-dream.html">The War on Drugs - <i>Lost in the Dream</i></a></b><br />
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And the award for Best All-Around goes to... <i>Lost in the Dream</i>! This is an everyman of an album. Thick with a small-town kind of humility, it refuses to get flashy, yet everywhere on every song, strings are pulled and buttons are pressed express engineered to knock you off your feet... in a subtle kind of way. Doesn’t make sense? Take a listen. The delights of this album are the small ones, and they’re too frequent to count. When the heavy, throbbing beat of opener “Under the Pressure” falls in, then fades out, then returns again, there’s an explosive, cathartic sense of whole that fires off each and every time. “Burning” sees the band hold out on a hook for as long as possible, so when one finally emerges, it dazzles at supernova level. Then it’s gone. <i>Lost in the Dream </i>sees an exciting band striking a perfect balance. This 80’s revival trend has been going on for, what, 5 years now, and finally a band has come around capable of melding the aesthetic of nostalgia with new, powerfully modern ideas. While the sum of the whole is synthesized, tight perfection, it’s Adam Granduciel’s vocals that deliver the final blow. He’s got Springsteen and Tom Petty in him, but it’s hard to deny the magnetism behind his howls, or the magic he lends to the simplest refrains.<br />
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<b>3. Cloud Nothings - <i>Here and Nowhere Else</i></b><br />
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<span class="s1">Cloud Nothings have made fools out of us! All the people who thought 2012’s <i>Attack on Memory </i>was definitive - a screeching manifesto of angst and disillusionment that would serve as the band’s eminent contribution to the youth consciousness of this generation and all that. Yeah. I mean, it was a great album. The problem is that they made a better one. <i>Here and Nowhere Else </i>irons out every crease that kept <i>Attack on Memory </i>from torpedo-level aerodynamism, so that the whole 35 minute experience maintains the intensity of “Wasted Days,” the brutal and beautiful mess that I honestly wasn’t sure they would ever be able to top. This is not a “sneak up on you” kind of album, either. I knew from my first, cursory listen that it was something special. Then it threw me on the ground and rolled me around. In total, they’ve cranked up the gritty, so that the improved production value is easy to miss. That’s just how it should be. There are more pop-hooks and memorable lines (vocal and harmonic) than ever before, but the blanket of static is ever-present and engulfing. It’s the ultimate punk-rock charade, and I can’t get enough!</span><br />
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<b>4. Real Estate - <i>Atlas</i></b><br />
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<span class="s1">I was ready to love <i>Atlas, </i>and I was ready to hate <i>Atlas</i>. Hell, I was ready to feel nothing. Real Estate have done enough for me. How many times have I felt a little less than great when their 2011 LP <i>Days </i>came in to save the day? Real Estate make background music that turns around and steals the show before you even know what’s happening. That’s their thing. This new album could never be another <i>Days</i> for me. That’s too much to ask. It did manage to trick me into thinking it wasn’t very good - boring, dull, repetitious - before coming back and smacking me in the face at the perfect moment. How does this band keep making the same song over and over again without it getting old? If you ask me, it’s because nobody <i>does </i>what Real Estate does. Nothing they do will leave your head spinning. All the ingredients are simple. It’s a meal almost anyone could make, but, hey, can anyone explain why grandma’s cooking kicks the shit out of Cracker Barrel? </span><br />
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<b>5. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/02/album-review-st-vincent-st-vincent.html">St. Vincent - <i>St. Vincent</i></a></b><br />
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Good Lord this album is zany. I hate that I just used that word, but it seems so apt. After producing an album with a legend like David Byrne, what better way to honor his legacy than to give his sound a digital, post-millennial facelift and keep the good fight going in the face of slews of personality-averse slop that the modern god of cold, detached irony hath inspired? Supported by a variable choir of bleeps, bloops and other weird sounds, Annie Clark has taken her poetry to new heights, and her natural confidence finally feels right fully justified. This album is chock full of impressive composition. She strikes a tight balance between rough and smooth, swaying and stabbing. The diversity of the record makes it impossible to encapsulate. Is there a higher compliment?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Andrew Katz</b></span></div>
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<b>1. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/03/album-review-year-fifteen-as-world.html">The Year Fifteen - <i>As A World Entire</i></a></b></div>
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<i>As A World Entire </i>might be the album of the year. Leading the charge is Billy Duprey, the man behind this wonderful record. Duprey brings his heart, his voice, and passion to every track. This album is simply irresistible. Duprey takes contemporary pop music and gives it a foundation of soul and emotion - a rare find in the world of music today.<br />
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<b>2. Hundredth - <i>Resist</i></b></div>
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Hundredth have always managed to inspire and motivate while backing their beliefs with bone crushing music. <i>Resist </i>is simply a stunning continuation of Hundredth's signature uplifting, hardcore sound. As a follow up to the <i>Revolt </i>EP, which debuted in 2013, this record highlights the best of what the band has to offer. Tracks like "Demons" and "Shelter" are incredibly relatable and personal in a lyrical context. The band's sound has not changed too drastically, but the transitions between songs makes this record a mature and intimate listen.</div>
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<b>3. Real Estate - <i>Atlas</i></b><br />
To be blunt, <i>Atlas</i> is not the best Real Estate album. Their second full length, <i>Days, </i>was definitely more wholesome and unique in its entirety. However, this record is still a good effort, although expectations were certainly held high - and not quite met. But still, standout tracks like "Crime," "The Bend," and "Past Lives," keep that nostalgic and warm sound streaming throughout. For Real Estate fans, <i>Atlas </i>is definitely worth picking up, especially for those lazy summer nights.<br />
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<b>4. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/01/album-review-you-blew-it-keep-doing.html">You Blew It! - <i>Keep Doing What You're Doing</i></a></b></div>
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Emo has made a comeback! Let the cheers and tears commence! <i>Keep Doing What You're Doing </i>is the quintessential emo record for old and new fans of the genre to indulge in. The vocals are raw and coarse. The guitar tones are playful and the drumming is driving. Songs such as "The Award of the Year Award" and "Match and Tinder" will pump you up and melt your heart at the same time. This record is for anyone and everyone - even the punk rock kids who claim emo is dead.<br />
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<b>5. Nai Harvest - <i>Hold Open My Head </i></b><br />
This awesome duo really nailed that post-grundge feel with <i>Hold Open My Head</i>. There is a yearning that this record brings to life. Between the sentimental and wistful lyrics, the distressing tone of the guitar, and the drumming is clean and clever, carefully syncopating with each song. "Pastels" is the champion track on this four song EP. It blends both the soft and heavy elements of the record. <i>Hold Open My Head </i>is an excellent insight to this unique band.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Alex Newton</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/04/album-review-great-old-ones-tekeli-li.html">The Great Old Ones</a></span><a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/04/album-review-great-old-ones-tekeli-li.html"> – <i>Tekeli-li</i></a></b><br />
It’s only been two years since The Great Old Ones’ debut, a sinister affair saturated with all things H.P. Lovecraft, but the French quintet is already back for round two. This time the band has taken everything that made its debut a <i>good</i> album and amplified them to make Tekeli-li an all-around superb one: not only does everything sound tighter, but the climaxes now sound gigantic and atmospheric sections like abyssal plains. The band’s trio of guitarists create a constantly shifting atmosphere, with many riffs incorporating steadily rising and falling pitch bends (black notes, to coin a new term?). The resulting subtle – almost subliminal – atonality gives Tekeli-li a chilling undercurrent, one that makes The Great Old Ones’ sound immediately recognizable within its field. Immediately noticeable is the stellar production of Tekeli-li, courtesy of Alan Douches (Sigh, Baroness), which achieves the traditional aesthetic black metal enthusiasts crave without sacrificing the clarity of any given instrument. The Great Old Ones is an outfit with a lot to proud of as it makes its move from contender to luminary within the black metal sphere, and while <i>Tekeli-li</i> probably won’t convert many people who shun atmospheric black metal as a whole, it represents a superior entry in a genre still – fairly or not – fighting for its reputation.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/01/album-review-alaskan-erosion-despair_27.html">Alaskan – <i>Despair, Erosion, Loss</i></a></b></span><br />
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Despite only having released two albums, Alaskan is quickly rising to the top of the post-metal genre. Building on its debut <i>Adversity; Woe</i>, the band has begun to carve out an identity of its own, drifting away from the popular Neurosis-Isis mold by adding sinister cello melodies to balance out its avalanche of sound. <i>Despair, Erosion, Loss</i> deals with some very macabre and personal lyrical topics, based around the true stories of famous murders from various points of view; "Guiltless," in particular, is a gripping journey built around massive riffing and desolate string bridges. Despite a short running time, Alaskan's sophomore effort is a complete effort, and one that sounds unlike any other in the genre. Those willing to embrace its dark imagery and sweeping sonic scope will be duly rewarded.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>3. Gazpacho – <i>Demon</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ostensibly based on a mysterious supernatural manuscript unearthed by a band member's father, <i>Demon</i> is a gorgeously crafted album from one of post-rock's more underrated bands. Combining the otherworldly soundscapes of Sigur Ros with melodic hooks out of Radiohead's toolbox, Gazpacho manage to both thrill and delight over the course of <i>Demon</i>'s four extended suites (calling each a song in the popular sense is probably a disservice to the band's storytelling acumen). The off-kilter time signatures and haunting bridge of "Death Room" give it a transcendent quality, while the second half of two-piece epic "I've Been Walking" contains a beautifully orchestrated call-and-response section between organ and guitar. If you don't mind having to listen to something a number of times to really grasp it, then <i>Demon</i> could prove one of the year's most rewarding and unforgettable experiences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>4. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/01/album-review-visit-between-worlds.html">The Visit – <i>Between Worlds</i></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">In an industry where everything seems to be trending towards the more complex – faster, louder, overhyped, overproduced – it takes an act of understated beauty to remind us what makes something truly memorable. The Visit takes this concept and runs with it. Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, The Visit consists solely of singer Heather Sita Black and cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, who display stunning chemistry on their debut release, “Between Worlds.” Though containing only a single fourteen-minute song, it is, quite frankly, a tremendous opening statement from the duo. The piece traverses a number of peaks as it builds from a chamber-style lament to a progressive juggernaut and back with breathtaking ease. </span><span style="background-color: white;">For anyone remotely interested in up-and-coming progressive or neo-classical artists, The Visit is very close to essential listening.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>5. Barrowlands – <i>Thane</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Part of black metal's polarizing "Cascadian" movement of western North America, Barrowlands formed from the ashes of several Portland, Oregon groups. That experience pays off on the band's debut LP <i>Thane</i>, an album that works within an established lineage while forging its own wintry path. Obvious comparisons to Agalloch are inevitable thanks to prominent string sections and David's gargled vocals (first names only), but tracks like the climactic "On Bent Boughs" point to a more diverse palette. After a gorgeous intro followed by typical black metal riffing, the song breaks into a back beat strut with constantly shifting interplay between guitar, drums and (audible!) bass; on the other hand, previous cut "1107" steadily builds its chilling atmosphere over the course of eight minutes. While <i>Thane</i> often sounds like the lo-fi debut it is, the overall package is rife with excellent melodic motifs and stop-on-a-dime stylistic shifts more reminiscent of Ulver's classic <i>Bergtatt</i> than the formulaic entries that dominate United States black metal. Barrowlands is certainly a band to watch in the scene if it can continue to hone its sound and forge an identity all its own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Honorable Mention:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thou - <i>Heathen</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Helms Alee </span>– <i>Sleepwalking Sailors</i><br />
Animals As Leaders – <i>The Joy of Motion</i><br />
Babymetal – <i>Babymetal</i><br />
The Wounded Kings – <i>Consolamentum</i><br />
Fleshworld – <i>Like We're All Equal Again</i><br />
Soreption – <i>Engineering the Void</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Max Harcsar</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. La Dispute - <i>Rooms of the House</i></b></span><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;">Rooms of the House</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is the band's best record to date, though it is completely unfair to compare it to their stellar and harrowing second LP </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Wildlife</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> from 2011. The band ditched their chunky post-hardcore riffs for a more laid back rock sound, though it's just as vibrant and unexpected as any of their previous musical endeavors. "Mayor of Splitsville" and "Extraordinary Dinner Party" ooze 90's alternative while quieter tracks such as "Woman (In Mirror)" and "Woman (Reading)" play with quiet, subdued acoustics that mix well with Jordan Dreyer's inquisitive, melodic take on spoken word. This is La Dispute distilled down to their most potent, necessary form.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2. The Hotelier - <i>Home, Like NoPlace Is There</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Hotelier's<i> Home, Like NoPlace Is There</i> has been a critical hit in all of the musical scenes: the indie rockers, the emo revivalists, the pop punk defenders - you name it. The emotionally devastating record is a straight masterpiece from start to finish, dipping into the frays of post-hardcore and pop punk while creating a uniform sound that's unchained from genres. Whether it's the captivating "An Introduction to the Album", the sing-songy pop punk "Dedron" or the caustic gunner of "Life in Drag", <i>HLNPIT</i> is everything that the music scene needs right now. Forego the twinkle and bring in a bit more of the unconventional, and the Hotelier will leave you flipping the record from side A to side B. Then back to A. Then to B. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3. Modern Baseball - <i>You're Gonna Miss It All</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Though often lauded as a childish, second hand emo band with awful lyrics and terrible voices to match, there's no overlooking the success that Modern Baseball have been receiving after their recently released second full length <i>You're Gonna Miss It All</i>. It's punchy and catchy, with songs like "Charlie Black" and "Broken Cash Machine" leading the pack. When they're not being their awkward pop punk selves, the band bust out more folk inspired elements in "Notes" and "Going to Bed Now" that really contrast well with their louder bouts of energy. Sure, the lyrics can be cringeworthy and the instrumentation isn't all that flashy, but it's a damn fun record. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>4. <a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/01/album-review-you-blew-it-keep-doing.html">You Blew It! - <i>Keep Doing What You're Doing</i></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Grow Up, Dude </i>propelled YBI to new heights from basements and bars to……well, more basements and more bars, but that doesn't mean those weren't crowded spaces. Packed with sing a long moments and twangy guitars, it was more than just another emo record - it was the a sign of things to come. Writing memorable songs that pull at your head and heart are what You Blew It! do best,and <i>Keep Doing What You're Doing</i> is the best the band has released thus far. With the help of the ever busy and talented Evan Weiss, <i>KDWYD</i> hits all the right marks. It revs up and down through tumultuous self-realizations and headbobbing drum beats that will resonate with you as you contemplate how much your life sucks. Though there is a lack of daring tracks like "The Fifties" from <i>Grow Up, Dude</i>, it's still good enough to top this list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>5. Fireworks - <i>Oh, Common Life</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Gospel</i> showed that Fireworks could be more than just another pop punk band - they were force to be reckoned with. The Michigan based five piece really hit the pop out of the pop punk park with this one, as <i>Oh, Common Life</i> is sure to be a favorite windows-down summer record. The bubblegum pop that covers this record isn't exactly what it seems, though; with dreary, sad lyrics that will make you second guess every choice you've made so far in your life, this record is a bomb under the cake. Stomps rockers like "Glowing Crosses" pepper the record, though "The Back Window's Down" and "One More Creature Dizzy with Love" are the slower jams that show the band's versatility. It's a must-have for your collection.</span></div>
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Casey Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14870849620372617163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-88910809333440302232014-04-06T18:04:00.002-04:002014-04-07T11:23:07.738-04:00Album Review: The Great Old Ones – Tekeli-li<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Score: A</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Few bands get it absolutely right the first time – within the realm of black metal, Emperor, Celtic Frost, Ulver, and maybe Agalloch come to mind. So when The Great Old Ones turned in a solid debut in </span><i style="color: #333333;">Al Azif</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">, prospects were good that the band’s next effort could be a breakthrough. Sure, there was the usual Weakling-worship and some songs stood out more than others, but </span><i style="color: #333333;">Al Azif</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> had some exciting qualities to it, mostly revolving around the album’s sinister vibe and saturation with all things H.P. Lovecraft. It’s only been two years since then, but The Great Old Ones is already back for round two, and this time the band has taken everything that made its debut a </span><i style="color: #333333;">good</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> album and amplified them to make </span><i style="color: #333333;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> an all-around superb one.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">The first proper song, “Antarctica,” shows both refinement of The Great Old Ones’ sound and a step forward in execution. Not only does everything sound tighter, but the climaxes now sound gigantic and atmospheric sections like abyssal plains. The band’s trio of guitarists create a constantly shifting atmosphere, with many riffs incorporating steadily rising and falling pitch bends (black notes, to coin a new term?). The resulting subtle – almost subliminal – atonality gives </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> a chilling undercurrent, one that makes The Great Old Ones’ sound immediately recognizable within its field. The album also features three spoken pieces that serve to divide </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">’s 53 minutes into more manageable sections. “Je Ne Suis Pas Fou” ("I Am Not Crazy") establishes a storytelling element to the work, which is indeed focused around the Lovecraft tale </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">At the Mountains of Madness</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, while the second piece arrives halfway through “Awakening,” right before the song opens up into a freight train of riffs based on a iv6-V-i progression. The overall organization of </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> makes it a highly cohesive listen from start to finish, and where </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Al Azif</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> dabbled with these concepts, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Tekeli-li </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">forges confidently ahead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Immediately noticeable is the stellar production of </span><i style="color: #333333;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">, courtesy of Alan Douches (Sigh, Baroness), which achieves the traditional aesthetic black metal enthusiasts crave without sacrificing the clarity of any given instrument. Léo Isnard’s drumming is presented as the centerpiece here, and his huge strides in technicality and power are one of the album’s biggest draws. The start-stop dynamics throughout “The Elder Things” could easily end up muddy if not for Isnard’s tight syncopation and variety – take song’s instrumental bridge, which transitions from a standard black metal gait into a rolling 3+5 feel, as Isnard keeps order with a quarter-beat high hat while passing rolls between the toms and kick drums to complement the dual guitars above. Sebastien Lalanne’s prominent bass work provides another layer of intrigue, as he often diverges from the song’s sonic blueprint to trace a diminished scale or take an alternate route to meet the guitars with graceful resolution.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">A quick look at the track list points to “Behind the Mountains” as the most prominent work here, as its 18-minute length represents almost exactly a third of </span><i style="color: #333333;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">. The journey begins with a duet of acoustic guitar flourishes over resonating tremolo notes, a calm before the storm that is as harrowing and ominous as it is beautiful. A minute and a half in, Benjamin Guerry bursts in with shredded vocals that vary in pitch to create, oddly, a sort of melody, or at least phrasing, deep within the wall of guitars. The song’s first barrage reiterates the descending line from “Antarctica” as if playing variations on a theme, tying together the album’s bitter ends. “Behind the Mountains” passes through several peaks, each taller than the last, before it finally arrives at its tremendous finale<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Over its final six minutes the song rises from a final spoken interlude to straightforward staccato hits, stuttering tremolo passages, and a summit of intertwining gossamer guitar leads as Isnard unleashes an avalanche of double-bass to propel the song through its extended fade</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Ending an album with such a huge song can be exhausting, but that quick breather during the first half of “Awakening” proves invaluable as </span><i style="color: #333333;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> wraps up in an ideal amount of time and effort. </span><i style="color: #333333;">Al Azif</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> was an album that contained some brilliant moments (“Rue d’Auseil” and “My Love For the Stars,” in particular), but lacked a feeling of completion and triumph. Building off that foundation, The Great Old Ones has now fulfilled its debut’s promise with an effort that is, proverbially, greater than the sum of its parts. The second half may even be</span><i style="color: #333333;">problematically</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> good, as the incendiary rise from “Awakening” through “Behind the Mountains” makes “Antarctica” and “The Elder Ones” feel like coals that haven’t quite burst into flame. Regardless, The Great Old Ones is an outfit with a lot to proud of as it makes its move from contender to luminary within the black metal sphere. </span><i style="color: #333333;">Tekeli-li</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> probably won’t convert many people who shun atmospheric black metal as a whole, but it represents a superior entry in a genre still – fairly or not – fighting for its reputation.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thegreatoldones">The Great Old Ones on Facebook</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.thegreatoldonesband.com/">Official Website</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tracklist:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">1. Je Ne Suis Pas Fou 1:19</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">2. Antarctica 9:40</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">3. The Elder Things 9:14</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">4. Awakening 7:54</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">5. The Ascend 7:28</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">6. Behind the Mountains 17:50</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153353526330357376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-74426191839115945392014-04-05T02:11:00.002-04:002014-04-05T10:08:30.199-04:00Album Review: Manchester Orchestra - Cope<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A-</td></tr>
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In a modern age of music where every band and album is relentlessly categorized into genre and sub-genre, it is disappointing to look at the state of straight up rock. Rock music is almost nonexistent in popular music currently, and indie has taken over from alternative. On Manchester Orchestra's fourth LP, <i>Cope</i>, the band plays with full force and delivers a captivating rock album; something that has been lacking greatly from current music.<br />
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<i>Cope</i> differs greatly from past Manchester Orchestra releases. Gone are the sentiments and airy passages of "I Can Feel A Hot One," and "Don't Let Them See You Cry." Replacing them are walls of sound and distortion, that leave the listener barely any room to breathe. While this may sound suffocating, <i>Cope</i> never becomes overbearing, and the melodic choruses give the band room to expand. "Top Notch" easily blows the door open as the album starts. With its powerful guitars and Andy Hull's signature voice, it is a fitting beginning. Following, are ten more powerful songs, each with its own standout moment. "Choose You" contains one of the most ear-worming choruses in recent memory, and is coupled by driving verses of muted and fuzzy guitars. It plays off similar to "In My Teeth," from <i>Mean Everything To Nothing</i>, except turned up to 11 on all accounts.<br />
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The stark black and white contrast of the album's artwork fit the theme of the album well, as variety is not the key idea here. Each and every song is full of distorted guitar and energy. The band never relaxes or takes a break at any point during the record, but never feels worn or bored. The second-half of the album does take a backseat to the first half, especially the 3 song punch of "The Mansion," "The Ocean," and "Every Stone." Not to say that its bad, but the songs are slightly forgettable in comparison to Side A.<br />
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Throughout the course of the disc, there a slight few moments where the guitars and tones become monotonous. The wide variety of themes and styles from their past releases are absent on <i>Cope</i>, and this may turn off fans of the band's more expansive moments. <i>Cope </i>is a completely different sort of album from the band, and this step towards barreling rock is a wise move. Manchester plays rock music to their advantage very well. Guitar riffs are heavy and purposeful, and Hull's vocals are mixed perfectly with the instruments. A little more emotion and intensity may have been nice on his part, but this is just a small suggestion since the scope of the album is so cohesive.<br />
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<i>Cope</i> is not going to be revolutionary to rock music, but it may just be the kickstart it needs to its faded heart. Music doesn't need to be dissected and examined on every level. All that is needed is guitars, some drums, bass, and vocals. Hopefully more bands follow Manchester's path into fuzzed-out energetic rock, and the genre can take its rightful place on the top of music again.<br />
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<a href="http://themanchesterorchestra.com/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterOrchestra">Facebook</a><br />
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Track list:<br />
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1. Top Notch<br />
2. Choose You<br />
3. Girl Harbor<br />
4. The Mansion<br />
5. The Ocean<br />
6. Every Stone<br />
7. All That I Really Wanted<br />
8. Trees<br />
9. Indentions<br />
10. See It Again<br />
11. CopeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-92125241098489146022014-04-02T00:21:00.001-04:002014-04-02T15:58:29.161-04:00Album Review: Thou - Heathen<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkY0SFEi-B0vFf-onLCUAuwFypc6_Lz2EnVvinrcSrxeUw85dHxkBKPkiqBK9SA9RYoUfA9DUXGm6w_hz7rIYeVNT68neF3p6HCFgsHYAdZTGHy49Ck77Xj6oNj6ZVw6IAlLks7Cb661cD/s1600/151411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkY0SFEi-B0vFf-onLCUAuwFypc6_Lz2EnVvinrcSrxeUw85dHxkBKPkiqBK9SA9RYoUfA9DUXGm6w_hz7rIYeVNT68neF3p6HCFgsHYAdZTGHy49Ck77Xj6oNj6ZVw6IAlLks7Cb661cD/s1600/151411.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Album Score: B+</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Of all the extreme metal beasts wandering the musical underworld, black metal and doom metal are among the most fearsome and strange. From the darkest depths of the human psyche these creatures arose, boring their way towards the light from frostbitten forests and sweltering swamps. The latter gave us early doom mavens Exhorder and Eyehategod, but somewhere down the line Louisiana birthed some truly terrifying monsters like Thou. A quintet specializing in music designed to break souls, Thou has tempered its blackened doom for nine years through three albums and a menagerie of EPs and splits. At the core of Thou’s ideology is a distaste for societal constructs; an abhorrence of the artificial paradigms ruling our world. </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">, then, is both a logical continuation – and the boldest chapter yet – of that treatise on humanity’s true face.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Despite the band’s black metal label, Thou spends most of </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> in a grisly mire between doom and post-metal, a landscape dominated by the kills of Rorcal and early Neurosis. Opener “Free Will” makes Thou’s mission abundantly clear: tearing down its audience’s psychological walls, notion by notion and thought by thought. The track churns and swirls for over fourteen tortuous minutes, its grimy guitar arrangements growing increasingly monolithic until its life finally slips away. Toward the end of a rather long exposition, things begin to sound almost </span><i style="color: #333333;">hopeful</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> until vocalist Bryan Funck arrives to restore order, his mid-range rasp cutting through the din just enough to be deciphered by the trained ear. What Funck lacks in range he makes up for in ferocity and tone, as his vocals are highly consistent in timbre and distortion throughout </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> – think Ihsahn tuned down a fifth.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">If you haven’t yet been scared off by the time “Free Will” utters its dying breath, subsequent interlude “Dawn” offers some insight into Thou’s modus operandi. In stark contrast to the charred dirge constituting most of </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">, the album’s three interlude pieces – “Dawn,” “Clarity,” and “Take Off Your Skin and Dance in Your Bones” – consist solely of eerie acoustic guitar pieces. Beyond these, Thou includes several passages that could hardly be identified as metal of </span><i style="color: #333333;">any</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> kind if not for their gradual transition towards the outfit’s trademark sound. “Feral Faun” exhibits perhaps the album’s purest evolution as it grows steadily from ambient drones into pounding power-chord riffs, taking a page straight out of the Isis playbook. Later on, “Immorality Dictates” simmers uneasily for half its ten-minute lifespan as female vocals intone, “And you know that I love you / Here and now, not forever / I can give you the present / I don't know about the future,” in one of the most unsettlingly relatable codas in recent memory.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">This is not to imply that Thou sacrifices any bit of its suffocating power; rather, </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">’s ethereal forays serve to amplify its emotional spectrum immensely. Consider for a moment what </span><i style="color: #333333;">Two Hunters</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> would sound like without Jessica Kinney, or </span><i style="color: #333333;">Still Life</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> without “Face of Melinda.” Even the sheer magnitude of </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">, which clocks in at a staggering 75 minutes, supports the notion that Thou is merely elaborating upon that which made its previous efforts so successful. If its predecessor </span><i style="color: #333333;">Summit</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> was a capstone to Thou’s efforts to that point, then </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> shows the band beginning a new chapter on the foundation of a honed artistic identity and growing fan base. While longtime disciples will undoubtedly be pleased, those new to Thou’s brand of extreme metal will find </span><i style="color: #333333;">Heathen</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> to have uncommon replay appeal for its niche. Not only is that a tremendous compliment to the band, but it is a testament to Thou’s ability to craft music challenging enough for hardened metal fans while leaving the door open for the heathen masses yet to be converted.</span></span><br />
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Track List:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">1. Free Will</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">2. Dawn (Interlude 1)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">3. Feral Faun</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">4. Into the Marshland</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">5. Clarity (Interlude 3)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">6. At the Foot of Mt. Driskill</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">7. In Defiance of the Sages</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">8. Take Off Your Skin and Dance in Your Bones </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">(Interlude 4)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">9. Immortality Dictates</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">10. Ode to Physical Pain</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><a href="http://noladiy.org/thou.html">Official Website</a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153353526330357376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-36444975042611645042014-03-30T13:59:00.000-04:002014-03-30T14:16:05.305-04:00Album Review: Liars - Mess<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A-</td></tr>
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If anyone can tell what Liars are going to do next, you must be psychic or an extraordinary guesser. Throughout the experimental band's 14 years of existence, they have put out seven albums, with each one taking an extreme left turn from the last. A new Liars LP is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you might get. And while the classic rock themes of <i>Forrest Gump </i>are not found on any Liars album yet, the possibility is as equal as any other genre. Starting as a dance-punk band in 2000, Liars have released a new record consistently every two years. Transversing through witchcraft inspired rhythms (<i>They Were Wrong, So We Drowned)</i>, jarring garage rock (<i>Liars)</i>, and organically produced electronics (<i>WIXIW</i>), Liars has evolved as a group at a steady rate that gives each new album a new and exciting feel, yet can still be called a "Liars album." On their seventh LP, <i>Mess</i>, Liars is expanding on the electronic feel of <i>WIXIW</i>, but have turned the intensity knob past its breaking point.<br />
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In 2012, Liars released <i>WIXIW</i>, which while being their first foray into electronic music, was surprisingly fresh. Tones were built from organic modulation of sounds. The band recorded noises, both natural and man-made, and tweaked and twisted them into synthetic instruments for the songs. The album was mesmerizing and hypnotic. Its follow-up LP, <i>Mess</i> further expands on their electronic ideas, but instead of treading lightly with hesitation, blows straight ahead with fury. <i>Mess</i> is a heavy electro LP, with pulsating rhythms, beats and synth lines. The opener, "Mask Maker," introduces the album with a haunting, fashion-show appropriate pulse, that leads flawlessly into "Vox Tuned D.E.D." <i>WIXIW</i> was made by a band that had a few doubts about what they were doing, but <i>Mess</i> shows a group that has full confidence in themselves.<br />
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<i>Mess</i> is anything but a mess, as its tracks are focused and compacted with ideas. "I'm No Gold" begins innocently enough with light synthetics, but opens up with a dominating drum beat that rules the song. The following "Pro Anti Anti" is a fuzz-fest of tones that pulses over heavy drums. Its enthralling and draws the listener in further to the depths of Liars' ideas. Headphones are highly recommend for listening, since the LP has significant experimentation with sound localization, and each track contains copious amounts of detail that is best heard up close.<br />
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"Can't Hear Well" and "Left Speaker Blown" are the two only "slower" songs on the album, that serve as breaks from the pounding of the others. The accordion-esque tones of "Can't Hear Well" sound fantastic through headphones, as the sounds tickle both ears while vocalist Angus Andrew's words melt through the music. While the second half of the album is not as strong as the first, it still contains some noteworthy moments. The forceful single, "Mess On A Mission," is a highlight, as is the bouncing of "Dress Walker," with its playful melody nears its succession. "Darkslide" and "Boyzone" sound like lost tracks from Radiohead's <i>Amnesiac</i> days, and showcase Liars deeper and darker experimentations.<br />
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In the past Andrew's vocals have been much more cutting than on <i>Mess, </i>but this small flaw is easily forgettable when compared to the strength of the music that backs him up.<br />
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Liars has created yet another strong album, that will completely satisfy longtime fans, and may even pull new ones into the mix. <i>Mess</i> is house music, experimental electronica, and indie rock all rolled into one, and while it could have been a complete mess, it ironically is the opposite.<br />
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<a href="http://liarsliarsliars.com/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/LiarsOfficial?hc_location=timeline">Facebook</a><br />
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Track list:<br />
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1. Mask Maker<br />
2. Vox Tuned D.E.D.<br />
3. I'm No Gold<br />
4. Pro Anti Anti<br />
5. Can't Hear Well<br />
6. Mess On A Mission<br />
7. Darkslide<br />
8. Boyzone<br />
9. Dress Walker<br />
10. Perpetual Village<br />
11. Left Speaker BlownAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-37426054518541143672014-03-28T17:07:00.000-04:002014-03-28T17:16:07.572-04:00Album Review: Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TpCml12qFtA/UzXkF2_gdRI/AAAAAAAAALQ/M-aQLajQ0cs/s1600/94982.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TpCml12qFtA/UzXkF2_gdRI/AAAAAAAAALQ/M-aQLajQ0cs/s1600/94982.jpeg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 20px;">Album Rating: B</span></td></tr>
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Visuality is strikingly important in music; it seems as if the ability to implant an idea or a feeling through sound alone is greatly under-appreciated. Not only is it a testament to the expansive intricacies of the human brain but also a factor that distinguishes the most creative and proficiently arranged music from the lifeless and yawn inspiring. On their fifth release, Canadian dream-weavers and experimental folk duo of Taylor Kirk and Simon Trottier traverse environments and atmospheres unexplored before, painting situations both menacing and sincere using all the colours in the cerebral palette.<br />
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I find it astounding how the mind associates certain noises and rhythms with detailed scenarios and settings. Music orchestrated for the purpose of film is specially designed to stimulate an emotion while complementing the visual, however, Hot Dreams succeeds in both fields generating an incredibly cinematic tone. Having outgrown the shell of the oaky and bucolic serenades Timbre Timber were producing off the back of their inception, they’ve honed the chops and imagination to be able to channel some greatly diverse atmospheres of dusty westerns, murky woodlands and even dilapidated inner city apartments.<br />
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Take opening track ‘Beat the Drum’, the vacuous echo of solitary wood blocks colliding and solemn guitar strums portray a scene of weary-spirited soldiers polishing their rifles in silent refrain the night before a climactic skirmish. Whereas title track ‘Hot Dreams’ sees Kirk ooze satin-smooth longing and sensual guitar strums on top of some of the most rudimentary lyrics he’s produced on a Timber Timbre record, but the eyes-closed, heart-open delivery encases their hypnotically engrossing nature.<br />
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‘Curtains’ demonstrates Kirk’s vocals at the most refined and sultry they’ve ever been, somewhere between Brothers-era Dan Auerbach and French director/songwriter extraordinaire Woodkid. Though harnessing the vocal ability to lure out and draw upon a spectrum of emotion and memory, I grew weary of the undertow of self-deprecating and jaded trepidations Kirk’s been nurturing this whole time. I often found the subtle intonations within the instrumentals more captivating than the intimate blues Kirk tries so hard to make resonate with the listener. <br />
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The palpitating percussion on ‘Grand Canyon’ is an example of what makes Hot Dreams such a quintessentially evocative record. It induces a feeling of weightlessness as we soar over the diverse landscapes spanning from Salt Lake City, to Hollywood and finally the naturally astounding Grand Canyon. Though peppered with uplifting moments like the angelic harmonies on ‘Run From Me’ or spiralling piano stabs of ‘Resurrection Drive Part II’, Hot Dreams is primarily a conduit for the gloomy and unsettling. Closing track ‘The Three Sisters’ depicts a villainous castle as gripping harpsichords pluck, bass keys thud and scuttling percussion lurks in the shadows. <br />
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Despite some exhausted themes, Timber Timbre have once again got a bewitching grip upon me. Harnessing the light to accentuate the darkness, Hot Dreams is a curdling and sinister experience only comparable to looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing your reflection blink.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.galleryac.com/timbertimbre/hotdreams/">Website</a><br style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;" /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/timbertimbre?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;" /><a href="https://twitter.com/Timber_Timbre">Twitter</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Track list:<br />
1) Beat The Drum Slowly<br />
2) Hot Dreams<br />
3) Curtains!?<br />
4) Bring Me Simple Men<br />
5) Resurrection Drive Part II<br />
6) Grand Canyon<br />
7) Low Commotion<br />
8) The New Tomorrow<br />
9) Run From Me<br />
10) The Three Sisters<br style="background-color: #fdfdfd;" /></div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-83632657714279902502014-03-27T16:04:00.003-04:002014-04-04T12:09:50.937-04:00Album Review: Gamma Ray - Empire of the Undead<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Empire_of_the_Undead_Album_Cover.jpg" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Album Score: B-</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Considering it was originally a side project, Gamma Ray has showed some remarkable staying power at the core of Europe’s power metal scene. It’s been almost twenty years since Gamma Ray released two of the genre’s defining albums in </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Land of the Free</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Somewhere Out in Space</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, but the quartet is still alive and well in its fourth decade. The fact that fans were disappointed with 1999’s </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Powerplant</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> – an album with no less than four classic songs, including the band’s opener and encore ever since – says a lot about how much respect the band has in the metal sphere. Lately, however, singer/guitarist Kai Hansen seems content to rest on his laurels, as the band’s last two albums have played things about as safely as possible. It’s been a full four years since </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">To the Metal!</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> raised concerns over whether Gamma Ray had anything left in the tank, between the album’s inconsistency and borderline plagiarism, so </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Empire of the Undead</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> has some questions to answer.</span><br />
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If first impressions were everything, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Empire of the Undead</i> would
be golden. “Avalon” harkens back to the quartet’s glory days, winding
through nine minutes of shimmering guitar verses and thunderous peaks,
as if “Rebellion in Dreamland” called and demanded a true successor. New
drummer Michael Ehré certainly proves his mettle, if somewhat more
conservatively than the departed Dan Zimmerman, as he effortlessly
throws in back-beat fills and changes styles on a dime throughout the
song. While there aren’t any jaw-dropping drum featurettes a la <i>Somewhere Out in Space</i>’s
title track, fans should be pleased with Gamma Ray’s newest addition.
After a charging middle section and lengthy guitar flourish, “Avalon”
concludes with a tremendous mid-tempo gallop, with Hansen’s calls of
“Don’t close your eyes and turn away!” bringing the piece home.
Basically, if Gamma Ray doesn’t feature this prominently in their next
tour and every one after it, they’re crazy. <br /><br />
During </span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Empire of the Undead</i>’s recording and mixing, Hansen
claimed the album would have a more “thrashy” sound, and there are a
number of songs that live up to that promise. “Hellbent,” in particular,
showcases some of the <i>Painkiller</i>-inspired riffing that made 2005’s <i>Majestic</i>
so much fun. There’s also an old-school guitar solo battle in the
middle of the song, giving Henjo Richter’s underrated chops a moment in
the spotlight. Still, the all-too-obvious lyrical nods to “Metal
Meltdown” and “All Guns Blazing” are pretty cringe-worthy: “A merciless
tempest, a flash underground / The sky ripped to pieces, the flames all
around / Revolts on the sidewalks, screams in the dark / The world sinks
in chaos, the world falls apart.” But whatever, this is power metal. As
long as the song rocks nobody really cares about the lyrics, and “Pale
Rider” promptly keeps things rolling with its confident strut and quirky
modulations, though Kai’s insistence on over-singing every line gets
old quickly.<br /><br />
Farther along, “Master of Confusion” is a clear stand-out and has the
feel of a classic Gamma Ray song, probably because it’s almost literally
a composite of previous Hansen-penned singles. The main riff, verse,
and solo are ripped straight from Helloween’s “I Want Out,” while both
the chords </span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>and</i> lyrics of the pre-chorus (“and now I’m riding on the wind, but I won’t have much time”) echo <i>No World Order!</i>’s
“Heaven and Hell” (“riding on the wind, there’s only one place left to
go”). Listen closely and you’ll hear “Send Me a Sign” in there, too.
There are certainly worse songs to steal from, but Hansen’s
song-recycling here comes off as an uninspired, if not downright lazy,
approach to songwriting. “Born to Fly” may not be a bad song in its own
right, but come on – another anthem about flying high like an eagle in
the sky? It’s like Kai thinks power metal fans haven’t heard “Eagle Fly
Free” ten different ways, and frankly, it’s a little insulting.<br /><br />
It is worth pointing out that “Master of Confusion” is still quite a fun
song despite its thinly-veiled pedigree. The song’s lyrics reference
Gamma Ray’s troubles with actually making </span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Empire of the Undead</i>,
as Dan Zimmerman unexpectedly retired and the band’s studio burned to
the ground during mixing (“The label’s calling – boys, are you done? /
The deadline’s passed, time to deliver / I am so sorry, we’re running
late / Some unexpected ghost in the machine”). During the song’s
post-solo build, Dirk Schlächter lays down some walking bass as Hansen
changes the lyrics up a bit, lending the final chorus a feeling of
satisfying resolution. Further solidifying the album’s center is “Empire
of the Undead,” another thrash/speed number built on unrelenting
drumming and shredded guitar leads. Kai’s countertenor screech fits much
better here than on “Pale Rider,” with his signature dramatic screams
ushering in both the bridge and solo section. The chorus suffers from
the dreaded “sing the title four times” syndrome, but there’s enough
energy to keep “Empire of the Undead” rolling to its furious conclusion.
<br /><br /><i>Empire of the Undead</i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> does, however, continue some unsettling
trends in the Gamma Ray discography. For starters, somebody needs to
tell Mr. Hansen and co. that it’s <i>not</i> okay to simply copy and paste pieces of classic songs they <i>didn’t</i> write into their own compositions. You might remember hearing Iron Maiden’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” on <i>Land of the Free Pt. II</i> or “Metal Gods” on <i>To the Metal!</i>…well,
here we go again. “Time for Deliverance” lifts the chorus of Queen’s
“We Are the Champions” almost note-for-note, and if anyone sings
anything other than, “and weeee’ll keep on fiiiighting ‘til the end!” at
Gamma Ray’s next show, they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Plagiarism has become a real problem over the band’s last few albums and
it’s clearly not getting any better. Another sore thumb is Kai’s
newfound affinity for cursing, which isn’t so much an objective problem
as a perplexing artistic choice. From a band that’s had a generally
mature approach, hearing words like “mother***er” is rather jarring.
Leave the shock-rock tactics to Five Finger Death Punch and their punk
metal cronies.<br /><br />
Fortunately, Gamma Ray has one very big bullet left in the chamber with
“I Will Return,” a seven-minute shot of energy that brings to mind
previous album anchors “Revelation” and “Armageddon.” Ehré again shows
his versatility during the song’s numerous sonic shifts, while Hansen
and Richter thrill with a huge solo section. Placing the album’s two
best songs as the opener and closer really increases </span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Empire of the Undead</i>’s
replay value, and in the end, weaker cuts like “Demonseed” prove
relatively easy to gloss over. So yes, Kai Hansen deserves a slap on the
wrist for copyright infringement, and yes, <i>Empire of the Undead</i> has largely the same DNA as Gamma Ray’s last three albums. The difference here is that <i>Empire of the Undead</i>
showcases flashes of the top-notch power metal Gamma Ray built its
reputation on for the first time in a while, and that, in itself, is
worth your attention.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Track List:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">1. Avalon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">2. Hellbent</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">3. Pale Rider</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">4. Born To Fly</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">5. Master Of Confusion</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">6. Empire Of The Undead</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">7. Time For Deliverance</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">8. Demonseed</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">9. Seven</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">10. I Will Return</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">11. Built A World</span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/gammarayofficial?ref=br_tf">Gamma Ray on Facebook</a></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.gammaray.org/">Official Website</a></span></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153353526330357376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-80311610117283175322014-03-25T21:32:00.002-04:002014-03-25T21:32:38.617-04:00Album Review: Chuck Ragan - Till Midnight<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPKi61ic87un3_b-2IGbv2pfLTY2cCxBaH_thu7HPXSAJjesuhmmZbFitaxuzF0HJx7pV38H73dDgIPUcYrhPLzbSnL372ZqcRdrOi38oYvnSow9s-14xc8bybEpteu4CYLc5LjEIzZM/s1600/chuck+ragan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPKi61ic87un3_b-2IGbv2pfLTY2cCxBaH_thu7HPXSAJjesuhmmZbFitaxuzF0HJx7pV38H73dDgIPUcYrhPLzbSnL372ZqcRdrOi38oYvnSow9s-14xc8bybEpteu4CYLc5LjEIzZM/s1600/chuck+ragan.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: B</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you would have told me in 2001 that one of the masterminds behind the ceaselessly gritty Hot Water Music would release something like <i>Till Midnight</i>, a record so soaked in soul, roots and antique shop dust, sometime during the <i>second</i> prime of his career, I would have laughed right in your face and gone on to gloat in my self-assured victory to the tune of "Remedy." But here we are, over a decade later, and Chuck Ragan is again proving himself to be one of the most successful bilingual artists around, equally fluent in both Americana and punk rock, and still as gruff as ever. <i>Till Midnight </i>is a powerfully intimate affair, like being welcomed into Ragan's home with open arms to sit on the living room floor and watch him play. You can almost feel the hardwoods shake beneath you as the aged boots stomp in rhythm, all to the long lost pulse of rock n' roll.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>There's something deeply profound about a post-hardcore forefather almost completely renouncing electric instruments (the bass and sporadic electric guitar often being the only exceptions), as Ragan does on <i>Till Midnight</i>. It's like he's thrown away all of his possessions and moved into a dark mountain cave, where he can, at last, think quietly and let his beard grow. Unlike many, Ragan's mind ages well with this hypothetical solitude, and the record's stripped-down approach, while keeping much of it at a solid low simmer, still manages to conjure up an impressive sense of resilience, completely without the aid of liberal distortion.<br />
<br />
"Vagabond" is one of many rolling slow-burners built upon a punk foundation, yet upheld by rustic scaffolding. The bass guitar may bounce with ease, but the dark chords underneath the wailing violin in the bridge construct an atmosphere not unlike the most memorable cuts from <i>A Flight and A Crash</i>. In fact, most of <i>Till Midnight</i> maintains these classic Hot Water Music minor sixths, albeit in much subtler form. The introductory chord progression on "Revved" could easily be found at numerous points throughout the Ragan/Wollard discography, but without the heavy coat of crunch, the fragile man behind the rasp is unmasked and can finally be examined in the spotlight.<br />
<br />
"I'll be good to you my baby / I'll do my damnedest to make mistakes but once," Ragan promises resolutely on "Wake With You," in tandem with a firm belief that "You and I alone is all I'll ever dream / And where I need to be," on the following "You and I Alone." Delicate love songs never were best-suited for the <a href="http://www.punknews.org/" target="_blank">Orgcore</a> throat (Ragan's being no exception), but <i>Till Midnight</i>'s sappy drivel in particular finds a way to actually put some "umpf" in the categorically vulnerable. To hear a man like Ragan, who sounds like he was force-fed gravel and repeatedly kicked in the throat for decades, reduced to an acoustic guitar and his pure, naked feelings, but still somehow managing to sing <i>positively</i>—well, there's no denying the power behind it. <i>Till Midnight</i> finds comfort in openness, and cleansing in exposure. Time away from the camouflage of distortion has done Ragan well; he's never sounded happier.<br />
<br />
Track List:<br />
1. Something May Catch Fire<br />
2. Vagabond<br />
3. Non Typical<br />
4. Revved<br />
5. Bedroll Lullaby<br />
6. Gave My Heart Out<br />
7. Wake with You<br />
8. You and I Alone<br />
9. Whistleblower's Song<br />
10. For All We Care<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-chuck-ragans-rootsy-new-album-till-midnight-20140319" target="_blank">Album Stream</a><br />
<a href="http://chuckraganmusic.com/" target="_blank">Official Website </a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/chuckragan" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckRagan" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09222020681120222569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-88374589100809225992014-03-24T17:49:00.001-04:002014-03-24T17:49:18.242-04:00Album Review: The Year Fifteen - As A World Entire <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fRefJmnVxs_Lc5_xZzzNmnr4S276ySrYl1hDRAyaWwxDqrJ61SGcfEeIbI2eSPzc9QCK__OI06H-sRGYg7twXx2N56vzz-ZXVNmTruBdLae1j6SSPUFUDQbwzxYlqPCfEt9iGFDZvmK-/s1600/1482786_678030842256453_1379821517_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fRefJmnVxs_Lc5_xZzzNmnr4S276ySrYl1hDRAyaWwxDqrJ61SGcfEeIbI2eSPzc9QCK__OI06H-sRGYg7twXx2N56vzz-ZXVNmTruBdLae1j6SSPUFUDQbwzxYlqPCfEt9iGFDZvmK-/s1600/1482786_678030842256453_1379821517_n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Review: A</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Stemming from the mind of Billy Duprey, keyboardist for The Republic of Wolves, an alternative indie band based out of Long Island, The Year Fifteen is his wonderful solo project that showcases the talents of an exceptional musician. His debut, <i>As A World Entire,</i> is nothing short of riveting. It's concise, the production is wonderful, and it will put you in a state of trance as each song gently passes through you, like the ebb and flow of an emotionally heavy ocean tide. There is a certain aesthetic that lingers long into the melodies like an undeniable yearning that can make the wintriest of hearts succumb to a warm Sunday in summer. This record challenges conventional pop music by serving it up with spoonfuls of raw, passionate sentiments not utilized by most underground contemporary artists.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The record begins with "Patience" a two minute heartfelt ballet that gives the listener a preview into the emotionally maturity of this album. As the slow progression of ambient piano intertwines with soft spoken guitar and painfully honest lyrics, "Patience" foreshadows the beauty that will behold the remaining tracks.<br />
<br />
As "Objectivity" starts next, the pop foundation of the record will definitely come from behind the curtain. Just like the first drive home after a long spring semester at college, this track is lighthearted and carries the nostalgia of life as a young adult dealing with the internal struggles of growing older. As the record continues forward, hints of Straylight Run, Jets to Brazil, The Early November and Something Corporate shine through as some heavy influences. Nothing is overcomplicated or stretched too thin. There is a neat balance of alternative pop-rock found on every track. "Evening Conversations" again captures this balance surfacing the melodramatic elements of the record. The drums pace along in a soft crawl, backing bright acoustic strumming accompanied by soaring harmonies to finish everything out. It's a brilliant ballad to bridge the second half of the record.<br />
<br />
"Out of Sync" a highlighted track, amps up the distortion in the chorus. The entire song is strung together by a simple candid riff that transitions well into the catchiness of the chorus. However, the most memorable section of the song is the bridge leading into the outro, in which members of The Republic of Wolves take turn sharing vocal guest spots.<br />
<br />
The title track, "As A World Entire" is the definite climax of the album. Reminiscent of bands like The Gloria Record, Gates and The Dear and the Headlights, this track is very dense. The bridge of the song is where Duprey spills his heart out with no reserve. It's a genuine and authentic showcase of emotions...and Duprey did it right.<br />
<br />
"With An English Smile" is another highlight on the record in its unusual song structure and sound. A definite sense of Angles and Airwaves can be heard throughout with a bit more of an emo tint. The drums are more active than other tracks which gives it a little more pep. There are plenty of vocal melodies to go around to spice it up, especially one that gives the track a bit of a harsher edge.<br />
<br />
The last track, "Honesty" is a wonderful summation to the record. Again, this tune provides more feelings of nostalgia — a song to encapsulate your life, like the ending credits to a graduation or to a best friend moving away. The gang style vocals that form the outro will shake, rattle and roll your soul until the last second, only leaving you to start the album from the top.<br />
<br />
While this may be a lofty order, I believe <i>As A World Entire</i> might just be album of the year. It's mature sound, smooth song structures, intimate lyrics, diversified instrumentation, and honesty makes it an essential record to any collection. At the end of the day, music that's relatable and personal will stand the test of time, no matter the genre. <i>As A World Entire </i>has the potential to be one of those coveted records.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheYearFifteen">The Year Fifteen on Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://billyduprey.com/">Billy Duprey</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Track List:<br />
1. Patience<br />
2. Objectivity<br />
3. A Thought<br />
4. Sweater, Half Open<br />
5. Evening Conversations<br />
6. Out of Sync<br />
7. As A World Entire<br />
8. Colours<br />
9. It's Been So Hard<br />
10. With An English Smile<br />
11. Honesty<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03177776351443295201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-54291379804560462612014-03-19T13:50:00.000-04:002014-03-19T16:32:01.826-04:00MuzikDizcovery Exclusive: The Year Fifteen - "Out Of Sync" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/559932_680111825381688_1423263304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/559932_680111825381688_1423263304_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The Republic of Wolves may have just released their latest record <i><a href="http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2014/02/miniview-republic-of-wolves-no-matter.html">No Matter How Narrow</a></i> late last year, but keyboardist Billy Duprey wasn't content to just sit around. The debut record of his solo project The Year Fifteen has actually been in the works for nearly three years now, as second <i>As A World Entire</i> track "Objectivity" was originally released in November, 2011. <i>As A World Entire</i> now has a release date of March 23rd, and the whole record is a perfect extension of <i>No Matter How Narrow</i>' s move into a lighter mood, pushing it even more towards a poppy sound. Today, we're very excited to be premiering the song right at the middle of the record, "Out Of Sync." The song's verses wouldn't be too out of place on a Manchester Orchestra song if they decided to go poppier, softer and add more keys, while the chorus is repetitive, but extremely catchy. The bridge is the perfect climax to the song, as the rest of the members of The Republic of Wolves join to alternate vocals, becoming a beautiful use of guest vocals. The release of <i>As A World Entire </i>is fast approaching, so be sure to follow The Year Fifteen on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheYearFifteen">Facebook</a> for more news regarding the record.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/140387296&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>Casey Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14870849620372617163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485422632574980261.post-28858627054241467042014-03-19T11:54:00.001-04:002014-03-21T12:55:17.515-04:00Album Review - The War On Drugs - Lost In A Dream<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album Rating: A-</td></tr>
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Americana is a phenomena I’ve always wanted to be a part of; a boiling pot of genre and style it screams liberty, justice and freedom, which I can say as a born and bred Englishmen, the overcast London lifestyle pales in comparison. And that’s what <i>Lost In A Dream </i>cumulates to, it’s music rooted in States culture projecting a sensory experience which will be homely to some and a inciting venture for many this side of the pond. As this Philadelphia four piece’s third album without the contribution of War on Drugs alum and dimensional wanderer Kurt Vile, I can’t help but feel this has sharpened their sound as well as their peripheries, like opening a window and letting the stale haze of the previous night drift out — <i>Lost In A Dream</i> is a record rich in fresh outlooks, taking one’s head out of the sand and basking in the warm glow of resolve.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Forged in the depths of frontman Adam Granduciel’s melancholy, <i>Lost In A Dream</i> does well in itself providing juxtaposing song titles with uplifting vibes since each song acts as a prescription for the downtrodden whether ailed by fatigue, fractured romances or loneliness. Opening track ‘Under The Pressure’ introduces skitty effects and a reinvigorated and jaunty vocal performance from Granduciel but that’s not to say the song’s foundations are supported by gimmick or fleeting intonations, quite the contrary. A testament to Granduciel’s songwriter is his focus and deliberation over the core elements of a enrapturing song, something I felt Vile overlooked in his last release. Melody and hook are boldly placed front and centre, not cloaked by obnoxious reverb or trifled effect gimmicks like on the sun-kissed and sprightly single ‘Red Eyes’ which although the shortest (not including instrumentals) and most immediate track on the LP, still leaves enough room to be indulged in numerous times as it reeks of camaraderie and the closely nostalgic feeling of foggy heads on crisp mornings.<br />
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In regards to length, with 10 tracks in tow with a generous handful quaking at the six minute and beyond mark, I can fully vouch for the case that’s its a justified time scale. <i>Lost In A Dream</i> is a record to mull over, to sit back and engage with, not just an arbitrary selection of tracks. An experience to revel and immersive yourself within, something I feel that couldn’t be possible without <i>Lost In A Dream</i> stretching itself out but by no means thin. The longer tracks provide space to contemplate, a theme embedded deep in this album; it’s a lesson in patience and taking time for shimmering reflection. <br />
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But that’s not to say this is a passive 60 minutes. The elevating dynamics than fortify a lot of these tracks are not so much build-up and releases but fuel injections of swell signposted by Granduciel’s trademark ‘WOO!,’ A personal touch which casts aside any pretentious presuppositions we had of this band. And the authenticity doesn’t stop there, channeling the true spirit of Americana, <i>Lost In A Dream</i> is rife with Mark Knopfler and various Classic Rock touches and even a grandiose guitar solo to close ‘An Ocean in Between The Waves.’ The throwbacks are a welcome addition to a landscape of music sedimented by ephemeral ambition. ‘Eyes to the Wind’, for example, is a captivating appearance from 60s folk influence in the true spirit of the Greenwich Village refashioned for a 2014 audience. <br />
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<i>Lost In A Dream</i> is doused in so many gleeful idiosyncrasies built off the spring board of sullen experiences vindicating an incandescent perspective which seeps into the bones of the whole piece. Showcased in the sun-beat and unfettered valiance of ‘Burning’ or the grounded optimism of title track ‘Lost In A Dream.’<br />
The line that stood out to me after my first listen and resonated more than it should have is encased within closing track ‘In Reverse:’ ‘I don’t mind you disappearing/because I know you can be found.’ Confidence cemented by experience, <i>Lost In A Dream</i> is suited for the empathetic and adventurous. Not a sprint but a dizzy saunter down desert highways, kicking up dust as the Arizona sun beats down. An album dedicated to looking forward, keeping your head up with a steadfast hope that everything will work out, because it always does.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thewarondrugs.net/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheWarOnDrugs.Band">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/warondrugsjams">Twitter</a><br />
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Track List:<br />
1) Under the Pressure<br />
2) Red Eyes<br />
3) Suffering<br />
4) An Ocean Between The Waves<br />
5) Disappearing<br />
6) Eyes to the Wind<br />
7) The Haunting Idle<br />
8) Burning<br />
9) Lost in the Dream<br />
10) In ReverseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0