Album Review: Orphans - Pack Mentality

Album Rating: B

There seems to be a growing trend within hardcore music, and it’s a most welcome trend too. An increasing number of bands are showcasing their ambition by moving away from the short sharp shocks associated with older hardcore outfits, in favour of atmospheric instrumental passages and drawling harsh vocals. This not only results in a broadening of horizons but a fleshing out of material, a definite positive for fans of hardcore who feel frustrated by the abrupt endings and at times half-baked ideas which they’d rather see built upon. Naturally there are bands still prevalent within the genre who are delivering these bite-sized packages of brutality as is their fundamental popularity, but the likes of Circle Takes the Square and Rinoa are challenging the status quo in recent years with stunning releases.

Jukebox: Reso - Axion (KOAN Sound Remix)

It's no secret I'm a huge KOAN Sound fanboy. I love everything they do (even "80s Fitness," which I disliked in my review of The Adventures Of Mr. Fox), and it seems like everything they touch turns to electronic gold. I would like nothing more than to see them live sometime soon, and I'm bummed that on their North American tour on which they are embarking this month they pass right by my hometown. That being said, though, the KOAN Sound remix of Reso's "Axion" is excellent even by my standards for the duo. We loved the original track (and full album) in our review of Reso's Tangram, and KOAN Sound has upped the quality of an already incredible song with their rework. The dubstep-to-glitch-hop treat is absolutely massive, and it's full of all the neuro-esque wobbles and funky beats for which KOAN Sound is so famous. The first half, at 140 BPM, sees the Bristol-based duo take on almost Rockwell-like levels of complexity with crazy amounts of cymbals and toms, and they succeed on every level. What's more, the bass is chest-rattlingly good, the mid-range whipping wobbles are placed perfectly over every section, and the quick breaks in the middle work really well. After a seamless transition to 100 BPM, the newfound "neurohop" section utilizes an undeniably funky beat that synergizes excellently with the neuro wobbles KOAN Sound uses so well. The transition, however brief, is a treat to listen to, and it proves the duo's chops over a glitch hop beat. Overall, though, the remix of "Axion" is KOAN Sound doing what they do best and then some. It's an incredible tune, and I'd hazard a guess that it will end up being one of the top songs of the year - full stop.

Reso's Facebook/Reso's Twitter

KOAN Sound's Facebook/KOAN Sound's Twitter

Artist of the Day: Harvey Pekar

Good artists borrow, but great artists steal. Cleveland post-hardcore outfit Harvey Pekar may borrow their name from the city's famous cartoonist, but the music they make is anything but funny. The five-piece plays an aggressive punk rock with hardcore influence that is absolutely relentless and cathartic, coupled with an experimental lyricism that makes the band one of the best in Cleveland's punk scene.

Album Review: Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

Album Grade: A

10 years ago, who would have thought the “Cry Me a River” kid would have done this? In a little over a decade, Justin Timberlake has gone from a former boy-bander with a fresh haircut, trying to convince the world that he is to be taken seriously, into the savior of pop music. In the interim between Justified and now, Timberlake has reminded the world that Timbaland is a producer-de-jeur, released one of the most iconic pop records of the 2000’s (the genre-bending FutureSex/LoveSounds,) and purchased MySpace. Needless to say, he’s come a long way from his “Bye Bye Bye” days.

Artist of the Day: Tera Melos

Tera Melos has progressed immensely in the last eight years. Hark back to 2005, where one can find a wildly confident math-rock-esque group toying with instrumentation like a kid on a playground. Tera Melos' self-titled album was all over the place, in terms of both cohesiveness and scope. After all, the album ended with a 20+ minute experiment into how expressive full-fledged noise can be.

Jukebox: City and Colour - Of Space and Time

Dallas Green might just possess my favourite singing voice of all time, and I know I’m not alone. Since the 2004 release of Watch Out! by the seminal Alexisonfire, Green has built a reputation as an angelic vocalist, so much so that it was no surprise to see him leave the brash post-hardcore heavyweights and begin a solo career that focused on soft acoustics and his key attribute; his voice. His solo releases thus far have undisputedly proved one thing - he doesn't need to be juxtaposed against the ferocious growls of former band-mate George Pettit in order to excel and amaze. A voice alone, however, wouldn't be enough to carry any artist, and fortunately Green possesses the song writing ability to confidently back it up.

Watch This: Pentatonix and Lindsey Sterling - "Radioactive"

Superstar acapella quintet Pentatonix has always been a dynamic force on its own, but in this cover of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," the power of collaboration propels its sonic force into a completely different solar system. The group recruited violinist Lindsey Stirling to play with here, a smart choice considering both artists' philosophies: in recent years, Pentatonix has made acapella hip again with innovative arrangements, an abundance of personality, and a willingness to mix genres like SyFy villains mix chemicals, while Stirling has been integrating her rowdy string playing into songs that sound like they got lost on their way to the Billboard charts.

The cover is arranged in a way where the vocals and instrumentals dance around each other in subtle but powerful ways. It's an intelligent rendition of the original, never losing sight of the mounting urgency depicted in its lyrics or the pandemonium of its climax (try and see if you can catch each individual voice in the ending--easier said than done). The video is a visual treat as well; the post-acopalyptic setting is washed-out but dripping in atmosphere, while the composition--tense shots of strings stirring back and forth, shots of isolated survivors singing to themselves, Scott Hoying staring into the basement of your soul--conveys an undeniable sense of dread building within each character before everybody comes together in the explosive chorus. It's at once a world removed from our own and one strangely tethered to it nevertheless, a warning of where things might be headed come 2025 wrapped up in elegant pop hooks and soulful choral vocals. And if these folks have it their way, things might go nuclear before long.

Both Pentatonix and Lindsey Stirling are on tour, so go check 'em out. You can also subscribe to their YouTube pages here (and journalistic objectivity aside, you really should):

Pentatonix
Lindsey Stirling

Artist of the Day: Jessie Ware

From humble beginnings as a sample vocalist working with London-based DJ SBTRKT, Jessie Ware released her debut album last year to widespread critical acclaim but little recognition in the United States. Once word about Ware gets out, however, it shouldn't be long before she becomes an across-the-pond sensation in the same manner as Adele. After all, the two share a talent for big-voiced ballads about men who broke their hearts. Ware, however, breaks the mold of the traditional breakup songs. On "Wildest Moments," she reflects on the relationship from nearly every perspective rather than wallowing in her own emotions. "110%" finds Ware in a moment of pensiveness, pondering what makes a healthy relationship work and how much effort is necessary. More than anything else, she seems to be a genuine human; as ready to accept blame as to give it out- a fresh break from the contemporary "I got dumped and he sucked anyway" motto that pop starlets tend to embody.

Album Review: Geskia! - Silent of Light

Album Rating: A

Amidst crazy dash-cam videos and the introduction of tentacles to all kinds of unholy places, Western culture is now well accustomed to looking east in order to fulfill its taboo-defying quota. When it comes to music, it should therefore be of no surprise to discover no one experiments quite like they do in the east. Russia is usually a pretty safe bet, with Volor Flex kicking up a dubstep storm very recently, but anyone after the real hard shit will want to go further: they’ll want to go to Japan.

Artist Spotlight: MacGregor Burns

There’s a certain haunting humanity to the best folk music. You can hear it when you put on an old blues 78; this untraceable something that can raise the hair on the back of your neck. The music feels natural, stark and candid, but somehow disconcerting, like it's from another place. Art brut is a nice technical term for it: the music made outside society’s tall walls. In modern music, more than a few wanna-be eccentrics and semi-interesting characters have sought after this strange singularity. The problem is, you can’t seek it. In its raw form, it just flows. You’ve either got it in you or you don’t.

Live Review: Frightened Rabbit, Hall 2, The Sage, Gateshead, 25/02/2013

It's little over four years since Frightened Rabbit's last visit to The Sage Gateshead; a fleeting period in the grand scheme of things, yet one which in musical terms represents a vast yearning gap. That certainly seems so in the case of Selkirk's finest, who upon their last visit arrived as virtual unknowns hot on the heels of gargantuan sophomore The Midnight Organ Fight, a stonewall modern classic from which the quintet have truly never looked back. Now, of course, Scott Hutchinson and company are beginning to outgrow their cult status, with a major label deal and UK top 10 album to their name, not to mention a reputation that's well on its way to joining the likes of Belle & Sebastian and Arab Strap in the realms of Scottish folklore. Comfortably selling-out the venue's second room, this show was further evidence of their meteoric rise, aptly showcasing the strides they've made whilst also providing a night that'll live long in the memories of all in attendance.

Artist of the Day: Marie Avery

Marie Avery is a singer-songwriter with the spirit of a phoenix, finding joy in pain and self-reflection. Her latest EP The Fire sees her taking on a myriad of emotional tones and illustrating each with candor and a wicked sense of whimsy. Each track demonstrates her mastery of texture and dynamic—shimmering beauty achieved through sincerity and form in equal measures.

Opener “Caged Bird” feels like the grand opening of a Broadway musical, letting Avery’s wide range and delicate voice shine amongst cocktail lounge piano and hushed stop-start rhythms. Once Avery enters the heart of The Fire, she doesn’t stop burning up everything in her path; “Heavy” is forlorn, bombastic balladry wrapped in ocean-size drums and subdued instrumentation evocating some of Bess Rogers’ finest work, while “Stories,” befitting its name, has something of a fairy-tale aesthetic, laying Avery’s desires to make something out of her life over a dazzling piano arrangement (and making very, very effective use of horns to bolster her mighty ambitions). Perhaps the standout here is “Sailing,” another track which sees Avery laying business down with just the piano to keep her company—yet the atmosphere’s always blooming on the fray, only exploding as Avery finally declares her affections without abandon. “If You’ve Got Time” closes out this stellar set with an enticing offer: “If you come through the back,” Avery lets us know, “I’ll leave the screen door open.” If she keeps putting out material this good, she’ll have an absolute mess in her backyard. 

You can purchase Marie Avery’s EP on her Bandcamp and see a video for “Sailing” here.

Album Review: Les Sages - Blood Harmony

Album Rating: B

Something about Blood Harmony, indie-rock family band Les Sages’ new release, is a bit different. These are the same songs we got off of its LP Share This, but the instrumentation has been stripped-back, the vocals amplified, and the production polished, going for a smoother aesthetic compared to the rougher sound of the LP. It’s ample proof of the band’s talent that it can radically redefine its own pool of work as it does here, and though its latest isn’t quite fully fleshed-out, it’s the rare cover EP that manages to stand as a worthwhile work in its own right.

Album Review: The Delta Saints - Death Letter Jubilee

Album Rating: B+

Sometimes, good music is all about personality. Sure, you can wax lyrical about the social message, or the texture, or the innovations of an artist, but at the end of the day, it’s people who make the songs that resonate with us, and it's people, fictional or otherwise, who we see reflected in them. Ultimately, it's the character of Death Letter Jubilee that makes for an engaging listen, whether from the absolutely blistering performance from lead singer Ben Ringel or from the poetic lyrics and instrumentation. No plane ticket is required here; this is soul-rock that anybody will be able to lose themselves in.

Interview With Owel (3/8/13)

Owel, which according to vocalist/guitarist Jay Sakong is pronounced "ohl," has been recently been making waves in the Jersey music scene due to their excellent combination of ambient string filled post-rock and emo. Formerly known as Old Nick, the band's self-titled record was just recently released on CD, and is now gearing up for the full release of the album. Jay took questions from us involving topics such as the name change, reasons for keeping the original release physical only, release dates for the digital and vinyl versions of the album, an upcoming music video, and much more that you can read below.

Album Review: Doldrums - Lesser Evil

Album Rating: B-

What if I told you there was a place where the future is now? A place where space cowboys sip neon green drinks and dance with girls in tight poly-fiber jumpsuits and coughing hovercars beep beep their way through crowded airways, all under the watchful eye of the closed-caption television cameras. Now what if I told you that place was Canada? Well, I can’t actually say that with any certainty, but, judging from the prolific output of a myriad of excellent Canadian acts, they clearly know something about what’s coming that we don’t. Yes, from the urban pits of the States’ gentle northern cousin there seems to be arising the 2010’s first great musical movement – slimy, mucky dystopian android dance-pop that may be saying something or nothing at all about society, but is fascinating either way. And now, straight-outta-Montreal, the next regiment in the Trashwerkian army has arrived, and its name is Doldrums.

Jukebox: Mutated Forms - Best Served Cold VIP

It should come as no surprise to Muzik Dizcovery readers that I'm a huge fan of deep, dark dancefloor drum & bass. In the past, I've featured this style of DnB with posts about those like EastColors, Rene LaVice, and the NeurofunkGrid/Ammunition Recordings compilation Talents LP Vol. 1, and it's a given that I'll be all over any release like these whenever it comes out. With that said, Mutated Forms' "Best Served Cold VIP" is everything I could want from the darker side of drum & bass. Structurally and conceptually, the song is pretty much standard-fare for the techstep genre in which it resides, but Mutated Forms executes every single element of that techstep style with incredible quality and attention to detail. The synths are absolutely brutal from start to finish, sounding of everything good from the techstep world with their ominous growling. The drums do what they're supposed to - that is to say, be loud, be ticky, and try not to draw too much attention, as everything in the song deserves note. The bass is heavy, just as techstep basslines probably always should be, and it sounds perfectly in line with the rest of the song. Finally, the occasional vocal samples add greatly to the deep, dark feel of the whole experience. Mutated Forms has done everything right on "Best Served Cold VIP," and the original "Best Served Cold" has been transformed into even more of a dancefloor banger of sorts - and in this case that's a very good thing.

You can stream a clip of "Best Served Cold VIP" here.

Facebook/Twitter

Artist Of The Day: Sleeping Lessons

It wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that post-hardcore as a genre has seen a drop in both quality and quantity in recent years. One band who doesn't fit the unfortunately growing trend however is La Dispute, who are arguably the finest post-hardcore band still regularly active today. It comes as no surprise then to see new bands following a similar blueprint to that set by La Dispute, especially given the success of their 2011 release Wildlife. Enter Sleeping Lessons and their debut EP, Cellar Door. A Cheltenham based four piece, Sleeping Lessons marry melodic guitar lines with harsh vocals and toy with dynamics in varying song structures, resulting in a diverse debut EP that avoids many of the pitfalls newer bands are often associated with.

Artist of the Day: Clem Leek

Clem Leek first caught my eye as part of Black Elk, who released an album called Sparks last year which turned out to be pretty damn awesome (#18 on my end of year list). The south England lad's been pretty busy since then, with the ultimate result being two rather tasty EPs since the beginning of 2013. One took a slightly experimental path parallel to Sparks in a modern-classical-come-ambient way. The other is entirely different, and more than a little difficult to come by.

Released on the wonderfully informal Brian Records, Rest seems more like an afternoon's session of slow guitar jams than a full record. The 17 minute duration is occupied with the most restrained form of emotional post-rock: a minimal collection of ambient buzz and a handful of guitar tracks. Clean, calm and beautiful would be the best way to describe it -favourite of the year so far beautiful, to put it in context- but with a limited release of only 40 vinyls and a small stack of CDs, beauty can't be for everyone.

Like on Facebook

Artist Of The Day: Swindle

Swindle is a case of interesting dubstep in a world of cut-and-dry music. While that is a bold statement to make about any artist, Swindle has honestly earned the title as his music is an excellent fusion of a jazzy, proggy sound and a standard dubstep beat and bass. The young talent has already been signed to hugely respected label Deep Medi Muzik (home of stars like Mala, Tunnidge, and Kromestar), and for good reason. One listen to "Do The Jazz" and the reason his shocking rise to fame is made clear: his sound is excellent. The drums are light and funky, the synths reek of frosty, clean jazz and the organ lead brings the song perfectly into its main section of thumping bassline and nasally lead. Swindle's music is cool, fun, and intense all rolled into one, and he's quickly becoming a must-listen in the dubstep world.

Facebook/Twitter