So, let’s see. Revelation theory mixes Nickelback with Disturbed. “M367”, the first track on “Truth Is Currency”, is created with the same bi-polar structure that without much warning busts into something much more spastic and loud. The paradox here is that the music contained on the track is sweet and sensitive; the acoustic interlude during the track sounds much more Finger Eleven than Slayer. While it is true that this…
HE IS WE’s newly recorded acoustic version of “Blame It On The Rain” was released at the end of last week via Tweet for a Track (http://www.tweetforatrack.com/), and landed at #1 on its “Most Downloaded” chart. The original version of the track can be found on their album MY FOREVER which was released digitally two months ago on Universal Motown and was available in the band’s merch store online and…
John Reuben has been a major factor in the Christian rap scene for over five years now, and “Sing It Like You Mean It” is an interesting track. The backing beat for that track is similar to the surf music of the sixties, without much in the way of current instrumentation to keep a current sound. Reuben continues almost the same flow of “Sing It Like You Mean It” during…
Kings of Leon announced today that they’ll be adding three dates in America leading into their headline slot of this year’s Coachella Festival. 4/8 Tulsa, OK BOK Center 4/9 Memphis, TN FED Ex Forum 4/12 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center All dates will go on-sale Saturday, February 12th at 10am, local time. The news comes off the announcement that the band’s tour in Australia and South Africa, which was postponed…
Neshoba county, Mississippi is where the “Mississippi Burning” murders took place back in 1964. For those that are not familiar with the tragedy, a trio of individuals went down to one of the most rural areas in the South, in the hopes that they could go and get a number of African-American voters registered to vote. Rather than allowing that to happen, Edgar Ray Killen and a number of other…
2/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave 2/17 – Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theater by AMC 2/18 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue* 2/19 – Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater 2/20 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s 2/22 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Orbit Room 2/23 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theater 2/24 – Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom* 2/25 – Kitchener, ON @…
Retching Red take no time creating their signature song that catapulted them into the hearts and minds of all true punks during their last album. “Get Your Red Wings” was a great album, but “Scarlet Whore of War” improves on even that. The recording is even better, allowing the guitar and Cinder Block to put forth different sounding outputs even if they at some point are similarly aligned (at the…
It is surprising that El Superstar is director Amy French’s first feature film. This mockumentary is cast in the fashion of predecessor films (in spirit) like This Is Spinal Tap or A Mighty Wind. Juan Frances (John French, Amy’s brother) was abandoned by eir real parents in Beverly Hills, but was given a second shot at life through the caring arms of eir nanny (Lupe Ontiveros, As Good As It…
Paul Duncan is currently recording and performing under the moniker Warm Ghost. It finds him taking a step beyond traditional instrumentation and one toward that of electronics, synthesizers, drum machines and processed field recordings. Warm Ghost has now evolved into a band in collaboration with Oliver Chapoy, where the sound is an intricately arranged shimmering sonic world of twisting words and melodies inside dense environments where there are elements of…
It surprises me that some of the films by storied director Federico Fellini have not been given their time in the sun. The Criterion Collection has presented viewers with a stunningly sharp transfer of Amarcord, eir 1973 film about life in fascist Italy, presenting it on the Blu-Ray format. Amarcord is an interesting movie for those in current (and even then-current) United States, as it provides so many similarities and…
Lance Bangs has previously directed two classic Thermals videos, “No Culture Icons” (their first), and “Now We Can See” (their most popular/controversial, if you’re grading by youtube comments). Lance Bangs and Aubree Bernier-Clarke now bring you the video for The Thermals’ latest single, “Never Listen To Me”. The video is warm, sentimental, and very Portland. It was shot at Cathedral Park in Portland on Super 8mm and 16mm and on…
Snotty, loud pseudo-crust punk from California. How could one go wrong? With the first track “Battery Acid” barely cracking one minute, immediately people have to think of M.O.D. and all those thrash-punk bands from the late eighties. Every single lyric is screamed out, the music itself faster than shit, and the mastering surprisingly solid for a band of this type. Each track is fast, unrelenting, simplistic and yet catchy as…
In celebration of the church’s return to the US for their “Future Past Perfect” electric tour this week, kicking off this Wednesday, February 2nd in LA at the El Rey Theatre, the band has released a song from each of the three albums they will be performing in their entirety, each and every night: Untitled #23, Priest=Aura, and Starfish. Following their successful “An Intimate Space” acoustic tour this past spring,…
Muted and quiet compared to their performance, The Retainers still retain that punk nature, even down to the loud, hating-of-authority lead singer. Running over the guitar lines like the earliest days of Darby Crash’s music, The Retailers play a short, succinct style of punk rock. Overly distorted guitars lead the tracks, being as present as the vocals – the drums hide themselves throughout the tracks. “For The Rich U Die”…
Feb. 16 – Rail Club – Ft. Worth, TX Feb. 18 – Club DV8 – Tucson, AZ Feb. 19 – Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ Feb. 20 – Chain Reaction – Anaheim, CA Feb. 21 – Cheyenne Saloon – Las Vegas, NV Feb. 22 – The Key Club – Hollywood, CA Feb. 23 – Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA Feb. 24 – The Boardwalk – Orangevale, CA Feb. 26…
DOM hit up the Daytrotter studios and recorded a couple of jams for the masses, check em out here: http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/dom-concert/20054465-111893.html Their EP, ‘Sun Bronzed Greek Gods’ is out 2/15 on Astralwerks/Burning Mill and they’re gearing up to tour at SXSW and across the US this Spring. 4/10 – Toronto – Opera House 4/13 – DC – 9:30 Club 4/14 – Philly – T.L.A. 4/15 – Boston – Paradise Check out…
Starting out “To Force A Fate” with a more powerful version of The Anniversary and Rilo Kiley, the vocals laid down by Elizabeth and Sean mesh together, even in some places (Bottle Rocket Battles) achieving one cohesive sound. The jangly, loud guitars belie some deep-seeded like of punk, and Steve’s playing on the disc does much to further this thought. Breaking out of the rigidity of the punk influence, tracks…
The debut EP from Nashville-based outfit Afterlife Parade is available today. Produced by Jeremy McCoy of The Fray, Death is the first in a two-part concept album. Formed in the summer of 2010, Afterlife Parade marks a creative departure for frontman Quinn Erwin, who was inspired musically by artists like Ryan Adam, U2 and Peter Gabriel. “The songs on Death are very personal,” Erwin explains. “A lot of them are…
The melody of “Fail Forever,” which matches the alienated feeling of the lyrics, is one of the first things to draw listeners in to the track. dOP strip away many of the embellishments for their remix, placing the vocal atop a propulsive rhythm constructed from the very human sounds of handclaps and incidental percussion. The technique highlights the vocal line, while adding an imperative to make listeners move. The Fail…
Starting out “The Great Leap” with a very pop-alternative sounding instrumental opening, recalling The Minutemen and Husker Du, shades of Dick Dale are infused with this shambling behemoth as the first strains of vocals come out. Moving more in the Patti Smith / Nico vein of things during the second-half of the first track. Moving away from the earthy and dark sounds for a more emotive and electronic mood, the…