Artist of the Day: The American Dollar

We saw a release from our friends The American Dollar a bit earlier on in 2012. And Awake In The City was a fantastic album; I had nothing but high praise for it. The new release has a lot going for it too, though; it's a remix of the prior release, with some added tracks and additional flare (or lack thereof). Not in a bad way, though, because the band decided to go about each track a different way, with a heavy focus on ambient. The result is...well, it's pretty cool. We haven't really heard from these guys in a while, since they've been on tour and have had things in the works, and getting this from them out of the blue was pretty cool. Comparing the remix of "Faces in the Haze" with the original was really neat, with commonly shared musical themes between, but an incredibly obvious split in how the themes were presented; Awake In The City tends to be a little more driving, while Ambient Three rises up from the mists, and becomes an overwhelming force without the listener even really noticing until the end of the track. If you liked Awake In The City, but want something a little more laid back and relaxed, Ambient Three is definitely the way to go.

Check it out on their bandcamp for free here.

Artist of the Day: Troubled Coast

In my humble opinion, any band that is capable of completely re-inventing themselves with each release is deserving of praise. Lately, it seems the bulk of these kinds of bands are receiving the recognition they deserve, such as Between the Buried and Me and Converge. Both reviewers and listeners seem to have acknowledged the progression they've gone through since the start of their careers. So why hasn't anyone done the same for Troubled Coast? Like BTBAM and Converge, they're a band that has consistently changed their sound, and their latest release, Awake and Empty, is simply a beast of an album.

Artist Of The Day: Eels

Even in this age of social networking and avid fan engagement, Mark Oliver Everett (aka, E) remains defiantly old-school. It's hardly out of character - this, after all is the man who wanted Eels' debut album to sound like one of his old, worn out cassettes - but it does mean followers experience a sharp rush of excitement on the rare occasion one of his various outlets does spring to life. That much was evident on Friday when, for the first time in well over a year, the elusive songwriter submitted a tweet. Yes, a real digital tweet. The message in question ("Hi.") could scarcely have been more ambiguous, but the sense of inevitability surrounding it was backed today by confirmation his band's 10th studio album is well on its way. Entitled Wonderful, Glorious, it's due on February 5, and will mark the first Eels release since the Hombre Lobo, End Times and Tomorrow Morning trilogy of '09 and '10. As a shameless worshipper of all things E, I for one can't wait.

If you're unfamiliar with his/their work, here's a quick guide to get you started:

Live Review: Converge, Torche, Kvelertak, KEN Mode

How does one begin when putting to paper their thoughts on the greatest show they have ever seen?  Well, obviously with a sentence like that!  But in all seriousness, a mere day isn't a lot of time to digest a show as stunning as Converge, Torche, Kvelertak, and KEN Mode, but then again there's almost no amount of time that would.  For a few hours, the denizens of Columbus, OH were able to leave everything at the door and lose themselves to the chaotic and cathartic noise of the aforementioned bands.  It was a wild and frenzied affair that was both horrifying and beautiful.  The strange and unconventional bonding of strangers over some of the biggest names in the scene was a feeling that won't soon be forgotten.

Artist of the Day: Submotion Orchestra

If 2010's most brilliant gem Finest Hour had any flaws, it'd have to be its lack of playfulness. While Submotion Orchestra hit the mark on everything they did accomplish within its 60-minute playtime, the album had an underlying blueprint it followed. This wasn't a problem, seeing as Finest Hour successfully merged urban jazz with brooding dubstep like it was a small feat. But in order for the group to continue to be prominent in the underground music scene, a change had to take place.

Live Review: The Twilight Sad, The Cluny, Newcastle, 18/10/2012

I honestly can't think of a better setting in which to see The Twilight Sad. Winter is closing in. It's pitch black, wet, increasingly cold, and every path I use on my way to The Cluny is coated in a mass of sodden, decaying leaves. The venue itself is similarly appropriate. A decidedly wiff-waff-free zone, it's of suitable size to house such an acclaimed act yet intimate enough for audience members can gaze into the haunted whites of James Graham's eyes - truly ideal surrounding to such a snug, immersive soundtrack. In all honesty, tonight's script appeared set right from the moment the sun went down, so the fact the Glaswegians (expanded to a five-piece for live purposes) not only matched but transcended such conditions was nothing short of extraordinary.

Album Review: Stray Ghost - Those Who Know Darkness See The Light

Album Rating: B+

How we love to laugh at any modern-classical/ambient project that comes our way. Strings and piano, again? Hah! ‘You’ve got to be kidding me...’ It’s only when something really high-brow comes along that we withhold our almighty judgement: something that pushes itself so far from any recognisable trait that we’re forced to admit that yes, this is suitably new. See, in this little corner of the musical world emotional indulgence is often looked down upon; whereas if you were to take the trip over to folk, indie, rock and all things in between you might see that the opposite is the case. Perhaps it’s something to do with the often pretentious world of classical music, or maybe it’s more to do with the increasing number of pretentious people (such as your reviewer for this evening) who inhabit this world.

Album Review: Ty Segall - Twins

Album Grade: B+

It's an interesting trend in music these days that the smallest bands are the ones making the most noise. The Black Keys, a bluesy garage-rock duo, gained mainstream recognition and success coming on the heels of their especially loud album Brothers. Similarly, Sleigh Bells found themselves thrown into the spotlight after songs like "Kids" and "Infinity Guitars" blared through the speakers of televisions across America on commercials for MTV and Canon. Sleigh Bells, like the Black Keys and the originally kings of noisy garage rock The White Stripes, are just two people and a whole lot of decibels. Ty Segall is looking to do these groups one better on Twins, where the prolific frontman (three albums this year alone) and only credited member on the album is coming out with straightforward, fuzzy riffs and tons of energy.

Artist of the Day: Hop Along

It isn't often that we have a month like October, 2012.  Not only do we get Neurosis and Converge, but Coheed and Cambria and Bats as well.  Yes, it's almost too awesome to bear.  However, I had the grave misfortune of finally checking out Hop Along's debut, Get Disowned. 

Now, Get Disowned is an excellent album.  A really excellent album, actually.  And honestly, I can't even be mad at Hop Along for taking my attention away from albums I have been waiting years for.  There's something about the lovely mixture of female fronted folk rock with slight "punkiness" that really hits all the right notes.  The album is a first for the band, sort of, as it is more a reworking of the lead singer's solo act.  It is a brilliantly written, catchy, and full of wonderful hooks.  Lyrically, there are too many wonderful moments to name.  All of this adds up to an amazing album you should have heard months ago.

So am I pleased that Hop Along has me regretfully addicted?  Yes, and you should be too.

Facebook

Artist of the Day: Daedelus

Electronic/Psychedelic madman Daedelus is nothing if not busy. On top of chucking out a torrent of experimental music on soundcloud, he's also found the time to appear (luxurious sideburns and all) in a Pitchfork documentary titled 'Music and the Psychedelic Mind'  as well as releasing a very tasty EP by the name of Looking Ocean just 2 days ago.

In true Daedelus fashion, Looking Ocean is a bit of a mixed bag: sitting somewhere between calm reflection and all out mania... possibly closer to the latter now I think of it. Not only will the tone shift wildly from track to track, there's examples like the title track that feature completely opposing themes right on top of each other: such as a clunky, deliberately quirky piano piece played amongst some pretty hardcore techno.

The remarkable thing is that it's actually really, really good. Flying Sail is currently the stand out for me, but honestly it's entirely possible that I might prefer another by the time I finish writing this. The other remarkable thing is that the EP is free.

So Download it!!!
And go and like his Facebook page.

Artist of the Day: King Charles

Chances are if you have watched television in the past five years, you have seen a singing Free Credit Report commercial.  The two guys on the FCR commercials will sing about just about anything: pirates, dream girls, the renaissance fair, driving, spelling, and "stress."  Even though you probably think these commercials are the most annoying thing on television besides Khloe, Kim, and Kourtney, the songs will usually be stuck in your head for days and days and you will be wanting more of these corny commercials, because despite their temporary annoyance they serve as a constant reminder that even commercial music can be fun, catchy, and semi-entertaining.

Album Review: Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind

Album Rating: A-

At this point it’s a little redundant to open up a talk about Converge with a hyperbolic reference to the band’s legacy.  Yeah, they’ve been around for roughly 20 years and have been blazing trails ever since.  This is nothing new, as with each new release the band manages to sound fresh and artistically engaging.  What should be said, however, is the mystical ability the band has to refrain from making bad music.  It’s true.  For with each album Converge reinvent themselves, all while providing an exceptional and immense experience.  Since their inception, Converge have released eight full length albums, with each being incredible in its own right.  With their latest, All We Love We Leave Behind, the quartet once again proves why they truly are at the top of their class.

Album Review: Seven Lions - Days To Come

Album Rating: B-

While Seven Lions was once a breath of fresh air, that breath has started to taste stale. His mixing of trance synths and vocals with dubstep beats and wobbles shot him to the top of the charts with his Polarize EP and his remixes of various high-profile trance artists like Above And Beyond and Tritonal. And it's clear that Seven Lions (a.k.a. Jeff Montalvo, a California producer in his mid-20s) became famous almost overnight for good reason: songs like "Below Us" and "Polarized" took a near-motionless dubstep sound and pushed it to places it had barely gone before, and people flocked to his new "trancestep" and "progstep" ideas. However, the novelty of his sounds has started to fade away, and a lot of Montalvo's recent work has started to sound just a little too similar. A lot of his songs - most notably "Below Us" and his remixes of Velvetine's "The Great Divide" and Above And Beyond's "On My Way To Heaven" - build up with comparable airy trance leads and somewhat subtle lower-register wobbles, fade away to sultry female vocals, and then drop with the same chord every time. It's unfortunate how predictably chaotic every one of his post-drop sections has become, but he's basically taken the same stiff format that would have been better off if it were used far less frequently and applied it to almost every single one of his songs.

Jukebox: Frankie & The Heartstrings - "I Still Follow You"

Frankie & The Heartstrings have been busy in the year and a half since the release of debut LP Hunger. As well as dropping a satisfying non-album single in "Everybody Looks Better In The Right Light," the Sunderland-based quintet have also been hard at work reinvigorating the North East's music scene with their Pop Sex Ltd label, providing an enthusiastic base from which fledgling acts such as The Neat and Ajimal have shot to similar levels of excellence. Thankfully, all this extracurricular activity has done nothing to quell commitment to the day job, as evidenced by the fact they've spent much of recent months locked away in a recording studio with former Suede man Bernard Butler. Indeed the first taste from those sessions, "I Still Follow You" suggests the group are going from strength to strength; refining past formulas whilst also adding a fresh dimension to their gloriously vigorous indie pop sound.

Album Review: Savoir Adore - Our Nature

Album Rating: A-

Savoir Adore kicked off their musical career with one rule, straight-forward enough - in recording their debut EP, they decided to place a 48-hour deadline on its completion, and furthermore, resolved that there’d be no acoustic guitar in the mix. A challenge to foster creativity? Perhaps. If creativity wasn't a part of the group's humble beginning, though, it's certainly a part of the formula in 2012. What we have here is an album with delectable indie songs, traditional in structure but unique in terms of styling. “Dreamers,” for instance, reveres the dance hooks of the ‘80s by channeling them into a distinctly modern energy. And overall, Our Nature gives the impression of having been around the block and back - the album treads a surprising amount of indie-pop ground, each new interpretation of the genre much more of a success than anyone expected it to be.

Artist Of The Day: Seven Lions

With the somewhat formulaic nature of electronic music today, it's nice to see a producer meld two genres and achieve success with the combination. Since the development of genres like dubstep, drum & bass, and house has been close to stagnant ever since a wobbly sound marked a total shift in direction, the most sensible way to further push the limits of a style seems to be to incorporate other electronic elements into that music. In Seven Lions' case, a mixing of some of the best qualities of brostep and trance-styled chords has catapulted his sound into the upper echelons of today's electronic market and launched his career very high in only a short time.

Artist Spotlight: The Good China

The Good China is an eight piece outfit from Melbourne, Australia that has released two brilliant yet almost opposite songs in 2012 titled "No More Maps, No More Roads" and "We Knew That We Had To Leave." "No More Maps, No More Roads" is a song about uncertainty and having no where to turn, but after listening to the song you will be certain that it is one of the top tracks of the year.

Album Review: The Swellers - Running Out of Places to Go

Album Rating: B

Back when The Swellers released Ups and Downsizing, there was so much potential for where they could go. They displayed a true knack for pop/punk, complete with hard-hitting hooks and quality emo-leanings. Unfortunately, when it came to their sophomore album, Good For Me, they took a turn in a rather disappointing direction, focusing more so on their pop tendencies than anything else. It was good for what it was, but it lacked the edge that made Ups and Downsizing such a good album. So when it came to their new EP, I was hesitant in my approach, and could not be happier with I heard.

Album Review: Sithu Aye - Invent the Universe

Album Rating: B

What better way to make something huge than to base it on the biggest concept known to man? Our universe has always been a mystery, and this will continue to be the case no matter how much science assists us. After all, our origins themselves are a puzzle - if the Big Bang theory occurred, for instance, how exactly did something arise from nothing? It all stems back to what highly-esteemed astronomer Carl Sagan once noted:

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”

It’s incredibly convenient, then, that progressive artist Sithu Aye’s decided to devise his own universe. It’s compiled of about everything ours contains, but with a little more oomph. Pastures a striking green, skies a sterling cerulean. How Aye goes about creating this elaborate world is by extracting just a little bit of groove from his debut Cassini, a fair amount of Isles’s ambition, one snip here, another there, to contribute to what should be an all-encompassing end product.

Artist of the Day: DakhaBrakha

Is music a universal love fest or something that is dependent on individual taste, experiences, and preferences? Is it possible for a song to be so universal and easy to connect to that it can be a soundtrack to just about anyone's experiences?  Or is music dependent on our differences?  Can we only connect to music in one personal way that is uniquely ours? Is it possible for more than one person to have a collective and unique connection to one song or one moment or do our fundamental differences in taste, experience, and culture prevent this?

Album Review: Anberlin - Vital

Grade: A

What is vital? Is it really just what is necessary for life, such as food and water? Is it what is telling us what is alive, like our vital signs? Or is it that which is full of life? Anberlin would have us believe that all three can be concentrated into one with their music. A powerful, touching blend of Christ-influenced alternative rock that always provides a shock to the listener's system and is packed with enough punch to jolt one who is lazily tracking the songs to one who is fully engrossed. Yes, this album creates life within you and within those involved.

Live Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Cluny 2, Newcastle, 12/10/2012

We Were Promised Jetpacks' current position is a tough one to evaluate. Now fairly established on the UK's underground indie circuit, the Edinburgh quartet are nevertheless an outfit you'd file under 'promising' as opposed to any category of fulfilment. They're undoubtedly headed in the right direction: two albums in, they've clearly made strides with regards to consistency, and though still a work in progress from a songwriting perspective can summon levels of passion and energy to mix it with the best. It was on impulse, then, that I decided to attend the first date of the group's latest UK tour, fuelled by curiosity as to whether that recorded zest could be channelled into their live shows.

Artist of the Day: Beware of Safety

Our good friends over at the Mylene Sheath released Beware of Safety's most recent full-length effort. And I reviewed it, it was fantastic; it even made my top ten of last year. But after listening to it, I was curious - what happened in the history of the band that led up to the 2011 release Leaves / Scars? So I delved (not very deep, because everything's on Bandcamp). Their first EP, It Is Curtains, is an insightful look into their past. It features a much more laid back, rough-cut charm to the band's post-rock/post-metal approach; while it's not as stereo-quality, it does carry the emphasis of the band's core mechanic, and does it well, so it's not hard to see just where the band is coming from.

Meanwhile, dogs is the first release Beware of Safety has had on the Mylene Sheath, and it's the record that BoS really started refining their hybrid sound; the line between post-rock and post-metal are much more blurred, and in this sense, there's some of each going on at all times; there's always some intensity building, even when everything quiets, you can sense conflict, pressure, tension. And finally, Leaves / Scars, the culmination of the band's years of effort, showcase the best and brightest from the band, which you can read about in further detail in my review. It was their most fantastic thing to date (without a lot to choose from, but a lot of quality to consider to make up for quantity), and there are sure to be exciting things coming from Beware of Safety, so I'll keep you posted. But you should keep an eye out too, and watch for the next big thing.

Meanwhile, if you need something to tide you over until then, here's a link to Beware of Safety's Bandcamp page.

Artist of the Day: The Act of Estimating as Worthless

There really isn't a better time to listen to folk/indie than the Fall. There's something about this season that compliments the subtly dark and atmospheric tone that genre generally has, and The Act of Estimating as Worthless may be the best I've come across all year. Just released this February on Birthquake Records, Amongst These Splintered Minds, is a nearly flawless album that ranges from being rustically relaxing to hauntingly dark. From start to finish the album is all around beautifully entrancing, which fans of folk/indie acts like Mount Eerie should more than appreciate. And, to make things even better, it's up for free download on their Bandcamp page.

Stream/Download

Tumblr 

Jukebox: ShockOne - Chaos Theory

Brostep is one of the most polarizing types of music out there today. Love it or hate it, it evokes strong feelings in almost anyone - there's not much room for neutrality. And, now that everyone and their dog is producing electronic music, a ton of terrible stuff is out there just waiting to taint someone's opinion on the "bro" phenomenon. I won't get into my whole spiel about the merits and faults of brostep, nor will I talk about whether or not its effect on "real" electronic music is beneficial or not. Suffice to say that when something wobbly is well-made and produced with care, I consider it a good song. It's not really fair to view something poorly simply because of its genre; it's best to think instead about if it succeeds within the limitations (or lack thereof) of that style.

Artist Of The Day: Graph Rabbit

We get sent a heap of great stuff here at Muzik Dizcovery, however in a year and a half writing for the site I can safely say that no one has struck me in such a forceful and elegant manner as Graph Rabbit. This Brooklyn duo first came to my attention a fortnight ago when their representative submitted an introductory press release along with a link to the group's debut single. The track, "Only Fields," caught me completely off guard, enveloping me in a blissful, ethereal haze of delicate croons and twinkling glockenspiels. It was almost as if someone had taken the very best elements of Beach House, Sigur Ros and Radiohead and stirred them into a cauldron of sparse, harrowing beauty; but in spite of such distinct influences the sound Austin Donohue and Shy Kedmi dreamt up seemed unique to no one besides themselves.

As you'd imagine, I swiftly set about getting my hands on their debut album Snowblind, and to my sheer amazement it not only lived up to that magnificent benchmark but somehow managed to surpass it. In fact, it might just be the best thing I've heard all year, so it's with great enthusiasm and conviction that I urge you to check it out. Here's a full review of the record.

Snowblind is out now. It's streaming in its entirety over at AOL, and you can pick up a physical copy from the band's official website.

Facebook
Twitter

Album Review: Graph Rabbit - Snowlind

Album Rating: A

If my recent obsession with this record proves anything, it's the virtues of a good press release. About two weeks ago I was sitting here at my computer, amply sifting through a batch I'd been sent. Nothing really stood out. There was some wishy-washy pop punk, lots of landfill indie and the odd intellectual electronica project I couldn't be arsed to put my mind to. Nope, not much at all; except that is for a modest introduction to a Brooklyn duo who went by the name of Graph Rabbit. It was brisk, informative, vaguely namechecked a bunch of awesome artists (Wilco, Bjork, Sigur Ros, etc) and best of all provided a link to the band's debut single at the bottom.

Live Review: Taking Back Sunday with Bayside (Fillmore Detroit, 10/7/12)

Adam Lazzara
Photo cred: Jim Altier

I'd never been inside the Fillmore Detroit before going inside on October 7 to see Taking Back Sunday's "Tell All Your Friends 10" tour but I definitely hope it won't be the last. The acoustics were great, the tiered seating in General Admission was pretty cool and the amount of space was fantastic. Even Bayside's Anthony Raneri was wowed by the Detroit architecture inside. However, I didn't go to admire the wonderful interior of the venue: I went to absorb as much as I could of Taking Back Sunday's set- and it seemed everyone else there did too.

Artist of the Day: Torche

In exactly three days I will be witnessing what I believe will be the finest concert of my life.  It's a bit of a bold statement; blind judgement towards something impossible to predict.  However, the line-up is something anyone with even a passing interest in heavy music would love. Not only are metalcore legends Converge, highlighting, but lesser known bands such as KEN Mode and Kvelertak.  But if there's one band I can rely on to put out one hell of a fun show, it's gotta be Torche.

Album Review: 17f - The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Album Rating: A-

When it comes to inner states of mind, I like to agree with Max Richter’s selection of Kafka: that ‘everyone carries a room about inside them.’ If we run with this view for a while, we can see that the room inside Frederic Merk - the man behind this project - is quite a dreary place indeed. It’s isolated, first and foremost, perhaps with a single chair placed at its centre confronting a wall of naked plasterboard; with light trapped in the narrow beams that squeeze through gaps in the shutters. I’d like to think that next to the chair sat a battered old guitar and a rusty harmonica, too. A musical outlet for whatever clouds his mind.

Artist of the Day: The Format

A friend of mine commented to me the other day that he was "shocked that the guy in fun. actually has a good voice without autotune," to which I replied "Duh. Haven't you ever heard of The Format?" Obviously, he hadn't, for few have. The Format does indeed fun.'s incredibly talented vocalist Nate Ruess with the help of multi-instrumentalist Sam Means, who does everything else. The duo released just two albums together, but the sheer quality of these albums should make The Format household names, especially now that fun. is one.

Live Review: Gallows, O2 Academy 2, Newcastle, 08/10/2012

It seems cruel to judge anyone against Frank Carter, but for the foreseeable future that's a burden Wade MacNeil is going to have to live with. Furious, confrontational and borderline psychotic, Gallows' founding ginger linchpin was nothing short of a colossus behind the mic, proving instrumental in their ascent which came dangerously near to culminating in a mainstream breakthrough. Unsurprisingly, former Alexisonfire man MacNeil doesn't profit from comparison, but while his replacement of Carter has divided fans you'll find few who've not wished him success. It's a stint which has experienced an adequate start, but although the band's self-titled third LP has garnered mostly positive reviews it's fair to say the jury's still out on the new incarnation, and its frontman in particular.

Artist of the Day: Spring Offensive

What's the best way to attract attention when in an aspiring indie group? I don't have the answer, but it seems Spring Offensive do.

1. Pick damned great influences.
2. Make captivating and unforgettable music videos.
3. Release promising tracks, one after the next.

The best way to witness the promise in Spring Offensive's name is through their latest music video for "Not Drowning But Waving." The gorgeous track is enough to make any Shearwater fanboy swoon, and the story the video tells is equally engaging (in a fatally different way.) Check it out after the jump:

Album Review: Love & Light - Level Up

Album Rating: B/B+

Glitch hop is one of those genres which seems to succeed far more than other genres of electronic music. There's something alluring about that 100-110 BPM tempo that draws electronic music listeners in like moths to a flame. Maybe it's the power that the standard glitch hop beat has, since funky, danceable, catchy, and fun drums can usually anchor down a piece and make it good even if the instrumentals leave something to be desired. Maybe it's because there's so much that can be done with the tempo range - there's the standard triplet-based glitch hop feel, the syncopated 110 BPM tunes with a deceptively flat beat, the 108 BPM electro house that's been so popular recently with producers like Kill The Noise and Knife Party, and even the ridiculously energetic moombah beat which many artists, most famously Munchi, have ridden to huge success. And maybe it's just that glitch hop has seen a massive rise in popularity recently without the extra baggage of a major controversy between people who favor a more traditional sound and people who would rather party at a club to more aggressive music. Whatever it is, it's clear that Simplify Recordings has played into the hype of the genre very well. With a back catalogue of almost entirely glitch hop, they've gained respect in the electronic world for the way that their artists play with the seemingly small tempo range, and Simplify producers like Kezwik, Kairo Kingdom, and Blunt Instrument have seen some major attention come their way. And with more and more artists jumping on the glitch hop bandwagon (see Mord Fustang's recent single "Champloo"), it will be fascinating to see how much more Simplify Recordings can grow.

Album Review: Luther - Let's Get You Somewhere Else

Album Rating: B+

The bulk of music being released the past few years can best be described as being emotionally heavy. Some call it depressing, which isn't inaccurate, but it's something that is never a bad thing and is often preferred. It's passion, above all else, that drives this style of music. But what's easy to forget when you primarily listen to emotional/hardcore music is that music is also about having fun. You can still have insightful and honest lyrics, it's just not absolutely necessary to have it coincide with equally emotionally heavy music. Luther's Let's Get You Somewhere Else is just that kind of album, delving into immensely relatable subjects with a punk rock mentality that is about having fun more than anything else.

Artist of the Day: 17f

It wasn't so long ago that Giles Corey followed up on his revered self-titled debut with Deconstructionist, an EP which seemed to stretch just a little bit further into the experimental netherworld than many of his fans were eager to stretch. Gone were the hazy acoustic crones for the 'post-industrialist' (his words) age, and in came the drone. People just weren't ready for it. So in our mini little scramble for a little more of the good stuff - a scramble that has admittedly been calmed somewhat following the GY!BE frenzy - I present 17f. Not Giles Corey mk. 2 by any means, but cut of the same acoustic/ folky/ dark/ psychadelic cloth, and every bit as good.

Interview With Chris French (Ex-Joie De Vivre)

Today, we have a very special interview for everyone. Chris French used to play guitar in Joie De Vivre, but now he spends the majority of his time mixing, mastering, and tracking releases for many bands associated with the new emo scene. Along with Joie De Vivre, French also has worked with Emo Side Project, The Reptilian, Dowsing, Warren Franklin, and many more fantastic groups. French answered some questions from us regarding topics such as getting into recording music, the in depth recording process of Joie De Vivre, working with The Island of Misfit Toys, It's Just Vanity's new record, upcoming Warren Franklin material, and much more which you can read below.

Artist Spotlight: Autism

One-man music projects always allow for a creative freedom that larger bands simply can't afford. When you're making music on your own, it lets you branch out and experiment with different sounds that may not be viable if you're working in a strictly one-genre environment. Autism is a band from Lithuania that pushes even the boundaries for solo projects, pushing into hopeful experimental post-rock and chugging If These Trees Could Talk vibe with post-metal riffs. The five-song EP coming soon, Falling Motion, features a greatly varied set, with tracks like "Cloudscapes" leaning towards an influence from Explosions in the Sky, and others such as "Bleak Reverie" siting stylistic sway from its darker brethren. It's a curious little release, and I urge you to check it out if you're looking for something to fit your instrumental needs.

You can stream the entire thing for free on Bandcamp, or download the five-track release for free here.

Album Review: Zedd - Clarity

Album Rating: C-/C

It's interesting that the powers that be in the electronic dance music (EDM) world have chosen Zedd, of all people, to be the chosen one of sorts, especially with a whole ocean of talent to choose from. One of the few producers to be signed by a major label (Interscope Records), Zedd, also known as Anton Zaslavsky, has been pumping out material ever since he started receiving big-name attention back in 2011. Skrillex endorsed him, Dim Mak Recordings signed him, and he's been playing huge venues around the world and selling his singles at the top of the electronic charts. Which is interesting, because Zedd is one of the most inconsistent producers out there. Alternating between fun, quasi-breaky electro along the lines of "Slam The Door" and "Shave It" and generic, stadium-filling progressive drivel like "Spectrum" that seems to have been made simply to please the same kinds of people that poppy DJs like David Guetta and Afrojack cater to, Zaslavsky simply hasn't consistently come out with a string of good releases. He's at his best when he's making wobbly electro house with interesting beats; unfortunately he's at his worst when he tries to step away from it.

Artist Of The Day: Savoir Adore

With lush arrangements of both natural instruments and plenty of synthesizers combined with insanely catchy pop hooks, how don't you know about Savoir Adore? The band's new album Our Nature comes out in a week, and it should win over plenty of new fans. The 1-2-3 punch on top of the album is the strongest representation of their accessible, yet sophisticated sound. They're all varying degrees of bouncy pop, but their construction is leaps and bounds above the majority of similar music around. "Sparrows" may be the best of those three, with Deidre Muro putting together her sweetest vocal performance above ambient electronics and various other beeps and bloops. Paul Hammer also sounds far better than in some of the band's other tracks, and his harmonies with Deidre propel the chorus to new levels. The album is out on October 16, and you can follow the band and listen to some music on their Facebook page.

Artist Of The Day: Storm The Beaches

If anyone reading this has an absolute aversion to anything poppy, they should stop reading now. Storm The Beaches aren't going to please fans with down-to-earth indie folk, experimental post-rock, or anything of the sort that music critics seem to love so much. Rather, Storm The Beaches are pretty much a straight-up pop rock/pop punk band - and especially considering the stagnant nature of both of those genres as of late, they make music that's catchy, surprisingly well-crafted, and most of all pretty damn good. Storm The Beaches have released two EPs so far (both self-released on Bandcamp), and from their showing on those two EPs the band seems to have the potential to revitalize a dying pop rock scene. In a genre where the almost-sure-fire way to get attention is to create music in accordance with the strict guidelines of radio rock, Storm The Beaches have rebelliously deviated from the norm (if only slightly) with their sound. And how refreshing that sound is. If the band can continue to write songs like "Rooftops," with its distorted guitars strumming out a I-IV-I-IV chord pattern and vocals that are infectiously catchy yet at the same time interesting from a critical standpoint, they should be able to get some significant and deserved attention on their debut full-length, out next month via Apparition Recordings. I'm honestly pumped for the full album to come out, and since I'll be all over it when it does expect a review of the release.

Facebook/Twitter/Bandcamp

Artist of the Day: Band of Horses

Band of Horses had everything but a sweet spot.  Critics said that Everything All The Time and Cease To Begin were far too emotional to be effective "alternative folk" albums and they said that Infinite Arms lacked enough emotion to be a great "alternative folk" album.  Even though Band of Horses had created three of the 21st centuries best songs, have created two great albums, and have become one of the more popular acts in their genre, critics made it sound like they couldn't do anything right.  No matter what BOH did the critical hypocrisy sounding their releases would always stop them from being recognized for what they really are: one of the more consistent indie folks acts of our generation.

Artist of the Day: Bon Iver

Fame came easily to Justin Vernon. Thanks to a very likable sound and a down-to-earth musical style, Bon Iver ascended to the tops of modern day music charts like a rocket, simply because it was easy to connect to, stood out from anything else that was popular, and no one could fight the craze - it was, indeed, good music. The popularity might not be as frenzied or talked about anymore, but the 2011 self-titled still remains as a go-to album for any neo-hipsters of the day, and you can still hear "Holocene" if you jump around the radio.

Album Review: Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

Album Rating: B+

Do you feel like taking 2012’s Between the Buried and Me seriously? This is the most important question regarding The Parallax II: Future Sequence, because the answer vastly influences your opinion on the album.

On one hand, there’s plenty of reason to believe Raleigh’s premier progressive metal quintet is starting to take itself seriously. The Parallax II makes an obvious effort to mend the flaws the group is infamous for, and the album embraces tighter songwriting, more concise transitions and tamer instrumentation. There are even songs that are less than three minutes! Mind you, they’re mostly interludes, but their existence at least proves an effort on the band’s part to address their fans’ concerns. The actual songs - the full-length ones, clocking in at over ten minutes - are tightly knit, shifting between dynamics naturally. This delicate balance is exemplified by each individual musician, treading the tightrope between proficiency and humility remarkably well. In debut single “Telos,” drummer Blake Richardson meticulously works his snare drum during a tense moment that could have easily turned into chaos. Rudiments your high school percussion teacher could have taught you, utilized for a much greater purpose. Only moments earlier, a whistle declared tightly syncopated mayhem, a sign of the band being vividly aware of where the song’s going.

Album Review: David Newlyn - The Misspelled Numbers

Album Rating: B+

A new David Newlyn release means another chance to plant your elbows on a desk, firmly attach your hands to the side of your face (in a manner far closer to ‘dreamy’ than ‘in pain’), stare emptily at a wall and to really have a proper go at studying the various noises reaching your ears. Deterioration, his LP released just 3 weeks prior to this review, offered a remarkably breezy view of Belgium as he recorded the environmental assault on his exposed recording equipment; a sentiment not too far removed from the ever-cited Disintegration Loops. With an added touch of love (and possibly more importantly expertise) from Wil Bolton, Deterioration offered small glades of resonating beauty in an open forest of mist.

Album Review: Fawn and Rabbit- The Long Trail That Leads To Nowhere

Rating: A

It is tough to summarize all of the great things that can happen in your bedroom: you can obviously get some much needed rest, you can read a great book or watch something compelling on television, you can mess around on your computer for hours on end, you can play that great video game, and if you are lucky you can even be "in the throngs of activity" with that special someone.  The bedroom is supposed to be a private and intimate castle, where nothing is ever produced besides the sound of laughter, argument, clicking, or maybe a moan.  In other words, if creativity exists in the bedroom it exist in the most primitive "caveman and cavewoman" sense of human beings finding a new way to jump on each other.  Besides that, a bedroom is often times not only the place where we rest our heads but it is a place where we put our creative mind to rest.  When have you ever seen someone think of something great and say "Yeah I just thought of that in my bedroom?"

Artist Of The Day - Bywater

I think that any time a band can be called unique is something of an accomplishment. More often than not, comparisons can be made between bands, which is never a bad thing so long as there's something that separates one from the other. With Bywater, we have a two-piece band that has crafted a sound that is very familiar, blending atmospheric and post-rock with a fair amount of technicality and experimentation, and put just enough of a spin on it to render comparisons impossible. Sure, at times you can hear a little Circa Survive in the guitars, maybe Moving Mountains, as well, but to say to anyone that they sound like either of those bands would be a complete misrepresentation. Suffice it to say, Bywater is a breath of fresh air in the post-rock community. The instrumentation pulls you in and then crushes you with slowed down, heavy hitting breakdowns, and both vocalist/guitarist Mike Ventimiglia and drummer Bob Wulff give their all on every track.

Album Review: Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Part 1

Grade: A

After Lasers it would have been easy to write Lupe Fiasco off. After impressive debut Food and Liquor, The Cool was a less exciting verge into the mainstream and Lasers was radio-fodder with more emphasis on the hooks and less on Lupe’s usually strong verses. The whispers of wasted potential and sellout started circulating among his less-than-diehard fans who used to praise him for his resemblance to Common. Food & Liquor 2 shakes the dust off and, surprisingly, lives up to its title as “The Great American Rap Album.”

Artist Of The Day: John Cale

Plenty of ageing artists hold claims to continuing relevance, but few can back them up with evidence as concrete as that of 70-year old John Cale. He might not be right at the cutting edge as he was during his days with The Velvet Underground, but his drive and enthusiasm for sonic adventure remain as strong now as they were in that glorious pioneering prime. These instincts have served him well not only in The Velvets but also in his criminally underrated solo ventures, which were added to this week by the arrival of new album Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood. If a collaboration with Danger Mouse on "I Wanna Talk 2 U" isn't enough prove his current credentials, the eleven tracks which follow do so with something to spare, showcasing not only the Welshman's creative spark but also his ability to adapt, even after seven years of inactivity. Not all of its experiments work - the autotune-heavy "December Rains" for instance is horrific - but the fact they're in the minority speaks volumes about a man who should by the book have faded from view decades ago. 45 years after "Venus In Furs'" sinister viola scratches introduced him to the world, John Cale's will power and imagination continue to set him apart.

Facebook
Twitter
Official website

Best Of The Year 2012: Third Quarter Update

Welcome to MuzikDizcovery's third edition of quarterly updates in 2012. Every staff member will put out a top five list, allowing them to showcase their absolute favorite records of 2012 to date. Additionally, it will be able to alert you of albums that you may not have heard of otherwise. This list does not only include albums that have been released as of September 30, as any album that we have heard so far this year is free to be included. fun., Take One Car, Athletics, Now, Now, Frank Ocean, Passion Pit, Suis La Lune and First Aid Kit are amongst the names that feature prominently in our lists. If you click on the album name, you will be led to our review for the album (if we have written one). All the lists can be seen below the jump.

Jukebox: Clubfeet - Heartbreak (feat. Chela)

Synth-pop is a really fun genre because there's so much a band can do with the style. They can layer pounds upon pounds of sugar on top of a bare-bones structure, they can distort the synths to create a danceable electro-pop piece, they can evoke the classic rock and pop of an era long gone with the (in)famous '70s/'80s synth sound. Every band has a chance to do something different, and it's always nice to see what each new band does with their own style.