Rainbow - "Rising" Deluxe Edition CD Review (Universal)

On March 22nd, Polydor will issue a 2CD deluxe edition of Rainbow's second album Rising (1976). Rising is phenomenal album but, unfortunately, this deluxe edition adds little to its legacy.

I've got a friend who is a huge Beatles fan and he was ecstatic after finding a bootleg at a street fair with 30+ takes of "Strawberry Fields". I listened to the disc once with him and, for the most part, the takes all sounded very similar yet my friend "studied" this disc and could tell you which take had an extra second of guitar solo, where there was an extra drum beat and where Ringo was passing gas (only kidding on this last one). I feel like the Deluxe Edition of Rising offers similar fare as you have three complete takes of the Rising album and they all sound similar.

Disc One contains the "New York mix" and the "Los Angeles mix" of the album and they sound almost exactly the same. Between the two versions, the tracks differ only a few seconds in length so I couldn't hear any differences when playing each mix through sequentially. In comparing the individual tracks, you can hear that different instruments are brighter in each of the mixes but it still appears to be the same take of the song. As an aside, I've heard for years about the longer keyboard intro in "Tarot Woman" on the UK version of Rising. If all that everyone had been talking about is the ~8 second difference between where the guitars kick on on the "Los Angeles mix" vs. the "New York mix", you are missing little.

Disc Two contains the "Rough Mix" of Rising along with one live rehearsal track. I'm assuming that the "Rough Mix" tracks are the same Cozy Powell tracks that have been floating around as a bootleg for the last few years. There are some notably difference in the "Rough Mix" which include a keyboard into to "Stargazer" and a longer outro to "Run With The Wolf". All-in-all, the total running time is about a minute longer than either of the two mixes on Disc One. The last track is a live rehearsal of "Stargazer". While of bootleg quality (though decent sounding), it would have been nice to have included more tracks from this rehearsal as Disc Two is only 43 minutes. (Note: when the Rising Deluxe Edition was originally announced, a tour rehearsal version of a "A Light in the Black" was planned for inclusion but was obviously dropped from the final release).

Given the large volume of quality bootlegs (both live and tour rehearsals) from this era, I had hoped for better from this Deluxe Edition. Newcomers are better off sticking with the single disc version (which is available new for under $5 on Amazon) and there is no compelling reason for long-time fans to upgrade.



Links:
Ritchie Blackmore

New York Dolls - "Dancing Backwards In High Heels" CD Review

If you wait long enough, music comes full circle. The reunited New York Dolls have now been back together seven years (two more years than the 70's lineup) and the band's third post-reunion studio disc, Dancing Backwards In High Heels, came out this week. This new disc shows the band moving aggressively in the direction that the post-Thunders & Nolan lineup of the Dollettes embraced in 1976.

This time out, Sami Yaffi (bass) and Brian Conte (guitar) are gone and have been replaced by Jason Hill (bass/producer - x-Louis XIV) and Frank Infante (x-Blondie). The slashing guitar of Steve Conte (who was channeling Johnny Thunders) and "girl-group gone bad sound" is completely gone and, for this release, the band goes for a shimmering, reverb-heavy AM-Radio doo-wop sound crossed with a few tracks of R&B stomp.



In an interview with Mick Burgess, Sylvain described some of the tracks on the new album by saying: "Some of the songs have pretty cool titles. There’s a song called “Kids Like You”, which is amazing. David wrote the most beautiful lyrics to that and I wrote the music and the organ part. That really has a Leonard Cohen feel to it. David sings that so well in that beautiful baritone, raspy, Bluesy voice of his. There’s also “The End of the Summer” and that is the hit of the album to be honest.

We’ve got another which is a real rocker, a kind of `60`s Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheel kind of tune. It has a real R&B feel to it. It is really Newcastle-ish in a way, you know the way that you guys do R&B and Soul. We didn’t set out to get that sound it just happened because we’re here I guess. That’s the beautiful thing about the New York Dolls and the way me and David work together. That’s a song called “Round and Around”. There’s a great line in there where David goes “I wanna listen to the tambourine” and then there’s nothing but drums and the tambourine going “doo dah da doo dah da doo dah!!” That’s so cool and really dancing. I have to say that I think these are the best set of songs that me and David have written in years."

This isn't quite the greasy R&B of the '76 Dollettes but with songs like "Funky But Chic" (which started life as a Dollette's song) and a cover of Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belle's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman", the Dolls haven't moved far from their roots. While both Johansen and Sylvain are well over 60, the Dolls haven't slowed down and there are enough double-entrendres ("Streetcake") and energy to keep this disc a solid edition to the Dolls' catalog.

Links:
New York Dolls

The Kickback - "Mea Culpa Mea Culpa" CD EP Review

Mea Culpa EP by The Kickback

Chicago indie-rock band The Kickback have been building up a buzz with write-ups by The Deli Magazine and RollingStone.com. RollingStone.com described the band as a "high drama Chicago-based rock band that conjures the very best parts of The Veils and The Walkmen and The Killers, writing lean, nervy songs that snarl and snap".

The Kickback just released their fourth disc "Mea Culpa Mea Culpa" which is a strong four-track EP that combines the ringing guitars of 80's college rock bands with the rich harmonies and layered psychedelic pop sounds of bands like The Zombies and Strawberry Alarm Clock.



The Kickback are making their SXSW debut this month in addition to writing and rehearsing new material for their first full-length. Like the new EP, the full-length will be tracked and mixed by the Yost brothers and is promised to be rawer than the group's past releases.

Links:
The Kickback

Those Dancing Days Cancel US Tour Due to Visa Delays

DOWNLOAD: Those Dancing Days - "Reaching Forward"

This updated was posted to ThoseDancingDays.com:

"we are so devastated - we have been looking forward so much to going to the US and playing at SxSW but now we have to cancel our US trip because our visas have not come in on time. they were just approved but by the time we get the proper documents from the US embassy in Stockholm we will have missed half of our commitments plus there are no flights for us to get to where we need to be on time. we started this process last year and this is such bad luck that we cannot believe it. we hope that we can come back later in the year instead!"

Links:
Those Dancing Days

Teenage Kicks: Toronto Roots-Rock Band Release First Track From Forthcoming EP "Rational Anthems"

DOWNLOAD: Teenage Kicks - "Brooklyn Bridge"

I first heard Toronto's Teenage Kicks toward the end of last year when their debut 7" "Shook Our Bones" was released. Singer /songwriter Peter van Helvoort cites his influences as The Beatles, Cheap Trick, The Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival but I heard more of the later-day FM-radio bands that I grew up with like Paul Westerberg, Jason Ringenberg and Dan Baird in the band's first release.

Teenage Kicks have announced that they will have a new five-track EP "Rational Anthems" coming out next month and the lead-off track "Brooklyn Bridge" (above) sounds like a major leap forward for the band. The EP will be released as a free download through JuiceboxDotCom.Com and the band will be releasing individual songs, b-sides and videos through their website (link below) on the run-up to the EP release date.

The track list for the EP is:
1. Brooklyn Bridge
2. Hearts of Darkness
3. Beasts of England
4. Lose Your Head
5. The River

"Having recorded and produced the record ourselves it’s safe to say we’ve spent far too much time alone with these songs and we’re looking forward to cutting you all in. We’ll have more stuff going on this week but remember starting Tuesday we’re putting up a song per week for six weeks, each song having it’s own visual accompaniment. Some are like music videos, some are live performances etc etc. By the end of the six weeks we’ll be releasing the EP for free with our friends at Juicebox Records again, and will have physical copies for sale shortly thereafter (more details on the release show next week)." - Peter van Helvoort



Links:
Teenage Kicks

Surf City: New Zealand Psych Rock Band Makes NYC Debut at Mercury Lounge on April 9th

DOWNLOAD: Surf City - "Kudos"
DOWNLOAD: Surf City - "Crazy Ruler of the World"

Surf City first came in to existence when bored friends Davin Stoddard and Josh Kennedy met at a party in Mt Roskill in 2004. Tired of the heavy avant-garde music that was prolific at the time Stoddard and Kennedy teamed up with Josh's brother Jamie and Logan Collins to form the band. Originally called The Fibs and then Kill Surf City their fascination with fast guitar pop and the early 80s sound of Dunedin soon saw them develop their own unique and catchy sound. Eventually settling on the Jesus and Mary Chain inspired band name, they arrived with their Steve Keene (hunted down for his previous work for Pavement and Silver Jews) adorned self-titled debut EP. Keene’s art is featured on the long player as well!

Hotly tipped as a band to watch, the group played some manic shows both at home and showcase gigs abroad. Stereogum praised their “impressively assured sound” and “perfect 2-minute pop storm.” All Music was taken with the “sheer energy and ragged happy sound” and gushed “the whole is just a delight.” Pitchfork noted that “their punky psychedelic pop is impressive” and admitted “Surf City’s pleasure for pleasure’s sake approach already has me pining for more.”



Surf City are playing two NYC shows on their March/April tour of the States. The first show is a Fire Records showcase at Mercury Lounge on April 9th with Bardo Pond. Tickets are $10 and this is a late show with Surf City taking the stage at 10:30PM.

The second show is at Glasslands Gallery on April 12th. Tickets for this show are $8 in advance and $10 (DOS) and Surf City is playing with Darlings, Lingering Doubts and Little Racer.

Links:
Surf City

The Elected (Featuring Blake from Rilo Kiley) Releases First Track from Forthcoming Album as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: The Elected - "Babyface"

As of spring 2010, Blake Sennett, had quit music. Abandoned it completely. No more Rilo Kiley, no more The Elected. The former guitarist and songwriter focused his efforts elsewhere, writing and directing a short film, moving out of his house of 12 years, and taking in a rescue dog affectionately named “The Baby”. Music was a thing of the past, an afterthought. Dead and gone.

So why is there a new record by The Elected, titled Bury Me in My Rings, set to be released through Vagrant Records (former home of The Get Up Kids, current home to PJ Harvey) on May 17th? Did Blake struggle in his new endeavors, find failure in the harsh realm of the film industry?

The answer, one simply finds, is no. Agents were found, meetings were taken, and a script was in development. The wheels turned with an ease few in pursuit of cinematic relevance ever encounter. It was simply the interest of friend and colleague Jason Cupp that culled Blake from the depths and had him writing again. Jason, the man that mixed The Elected’s previous effort, Sun, Sun, Sun, suggested an impromptu recording session. Blake had no material, no songs to explore, but Cupp insisted. Pressure free, no expectations. These initial recordings sired what would become the album’s opening track, “Born to Love You,” a 3 minute ode to the majesty of determined love. The song came relatively easy, quick, and most importantly, reminded Sennett of the overall joy that music making can and should provide.

He was having fun again, so the feature film was put on hold in order to finish what months before he couldn’t conceive: A new Elected album. Familiar faces contributed (longtime Elected guitarist Mike Bloom, the aforementioned Cupp, Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis), but this album differed from past experience, with fewer initial collaborators. "At first, I just played all the instruments myself,” Blake comments. “I just thought, may as well take it as far as I can alone…then I brought in my friends to fill in the blanks.”

The results stand as a singular vision, in what is The Elected’s strongest work to date. For longtime listeners, there are new sounds to enjoy, such as the mid 70’s Bowie bounce of “Go For The Throat,” or the calculated “Miss You” era Stones cum Early Talking Heads groove of ‘Babyface." Signature tones remain, and can be found on the island sunset serenade “Trip Round the World,” with the melodic slide of the lap steel, the comforting pluck of a ukulele, offering new ears a sense of what’s come before.

None of this serves as departure or retread. Everything shines through the prism that is The Elected, Blake’s songwriting as distinct as it is indebted, as simple as it is refined. Instead of retracing his steps, he’s forged new ground. More than a mere dalliance, this former side project now begs the attention reserved for one’s main focus. As the ghosts of Rilo Kiley fade into the ether, Bury Me in My Rings presents the man responsible an opportunity to further himself from the past, and to continue to develop his artistic identity.

Bury Me In My Rings will be made available everywhere on May 17th via Vagrant Records.



Links:
The Elected

Earth: "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1" CD Review // Show at Le Poisson Rouge on June 16th

Ambient/minimalist band Earth released their third post-reformation studio disc, Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light 1, on Southern Lord at the end of last month. Joining founding guitarist and band frontman Dylan Carlson and percussionist Adrienne Davies, the album lineup this time around also includes cellist Lori Goldston (Nirvana, David Byrne, Black Cat Orchestra, Laura Veirs) and Karl Blau (K Records, Laura Veirs, Microphones) on electric bass.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Adrienne Davies back in January and one of the things she talked about was the new members of Earth. (click here for the full interview)

Adrienne: "We are kind of going through a transition because Steve Moore and Don McGreevy weren't going to be able to do the album. Dylan and I had been playing with Lori Goldston who plays cello. She is very, very musically adept and has a wide variety of influences, especially experimental. She doesn't play classical which is so great about her and she can play an electrical instrument. We had her come in and knew from the start that we were going to work with her. When you first think about trombone or cello, it is such a distinctive instrument, you kind of go 'can we have this on every song throughout a whole album or is it going to be too much?' Both Steve Moore and Lori are able to play one instrument without it ever becoming 'oh man - that is way too much cello or way too much trombone'. They can kind of lay low with it or pull it out and that is essential to making it work.

Karl Blau is on bass - he is not actually going to be touring with us because he is doing his own thing but he is phenomenal on the album. He is everything that I love about a bass player."

Angels of Darkness sounds like a logical extension of the musical direction Earth has been heading in over the past few post-reformation albums though the music on this new disc is darker and has more of a riff-driven sound than I remember on past albums. Lori Goldston wraps and intertwines cello parts around each of the songs (and specifically Carlson’s guitar lines) which add a melancholy color to Earth’s arid musical landscape.

The disc’s five tracks span just over sixty minutes and the leadoff track, “Old Black”, sets the tone for the trance-inducing melancholia of the rest of the disc. Each of the songs has their stand-out moments but this disc comes across as a single 60-minute body of work rather than five discrete songs. There is an innate darkness to this disc which is somewhat tempered by an openness and warmth that is carried over from previous discs. Carlson plays his slow riffs and drawn-out notes with a precision that most guitar players would kill for and he is matched by Davies’ subtly precise drumming. The "spaces" in the guitar and drum parts are held together by Blau’s underpinning bass lines which add a deeper bottom-end than heard on past releases and Goldston’s cello twisting and weaving on top of the mix. The strongest track on this release is the twenty minute title track which in anchored by Blau’s bassline and Blau and Goldston intertwine with Carlson’s riffs to build a sense of anticipation not heard on other songs.



Earth are playing Le Poisson Rogue on June 16th along with Ô Paon. Tickets are $15 and go on-sale on March 18th at noon.

Links:
Earth

To The Wedding: Boston Shoe Gazers Play Lit Lounge on March 19th

DOWNLOAD: To The Wedding - "Let Love In"

Sadly, I've got about a thirty second attention span with bands that I'm not familiar with. I've now listened to all four song on To The Wedding's debut EP (which is a pay-what-you-will download on Bandcamp) and enjoyed the band's layered neo-psychedelia/shoe-gazer sound. Some EPs have left me wanting to hear more - in the case of To The Wedding, I'd like to hear them live and Lit Lounge's dungeon-like basement seems like the perfect environment for the band's sound.

To The Wedding are playing Lit Lounge on March 19th along with Brooklyn's Manner and Koelie. Tickets are $6 and To The Wedding kicks off the evening at 9PM.



To The Wedding from Boston, MA is rooted in the shoe-gazer genre. Their songs are constructed with attention to melody, space, and emotion. The mix of Lauren Grubb (Vocals, Guitar) Evan Orfanos (Bass) Mickey Vershbow (Drums) and Addam Zaino (Guitar/Piano) make To The Wedding's distinct sound. In December 2010 the band released their self titled EP, and their single, "Let Love In", garnered attention around Boston. A follow up EP is due out Summer 2011.

Pete of WZBC’s Love and Mathematics describes the band as..
"Layering elements of psych, shoe-gaze, and ambient over Boston’s traditional garage-rock template. Creating something new while still retaining what I consider to be the essential characteristics of (i) sounding great on headphones when listening in the library and (ii) sounding even better when played loudly, on a stereo at a party or live in a bar. Making music, that is, for people who like to think but love to rock." - http://loveandmath.wordpress.com/

UPCOMING SHOWS:
3/13 @ Precinct
3/19 @ Lit Lounge in NYC
4/16 @ PA’s Lounge/Deep Heaven Now

Links:
To The Wedding

Thin Lizzy: "Jailbreak" Deluxe Edition CD Review (Universal)

Thin Lizzy’s 1976 album Jailbreak seemed to be one of those seminal albums that everyone had in the late 70’s and the band won over a lot of fans on their 1977 tour down the East Coast (with Gary Moore on guitar, no less) with Queen.

Disc One is the remastered nine track (36 minutes) Jailbreak album. There is an internet debate going on over whether this remaster was done last year by Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham (as per the CD booklet) or whether that version was scrapped at the last minute and the 1996 remaster was used. Regardless, the sound on the first disc seems to have more color and life than my 1990 CD of Jailbreak without having any of the compression that has plagued recent remasters from other bands.

Here is the track list for Disc Two (51 minutes):
- "The Boys Are Back in Town" (Remixed version)
- "Jailbreak" (Remixed version)
- "The Boys Are Back in Town" (Alternate vocals - remixed version)
- "Emerald (Remixed version)
- "Jailbreak" (John Peel Session 2/12/1976)
- "Emerald" (John Peel Session 2/12/1976)
- "Cowboy Song" (John Peel Session 2/12/1976)
- "Warriors" (John Peel Session 2/12/1976)
- "Fight or Fall" (Extended version – rough mix)
- "Blues Boy" (Previously unreleased)
- "Derby Blues" (Early Live Version of “Cowboy Song”, Derby College of Technology 11/2/75)

The remixes are interesting as Joe Elliott (yes, the Def Leppard vocalist) along with Brian Downey and Scott Gorham have re-mixed and re-recorded these tracks to give a subtle, but noticeable recasting of the songs. As detailed in the 20-page booklet that accompanies this set, neither Brian Robertson nor Scott Gorham cared for the sound of the original album so there has been some tweaking, re-recording and rearranging of the songs. The most notable change is the adding of a voice-over and siren intro to the song “Jailbreak” which now matches with how the band kicked off their live show during the ’77 tour. The remix of “The Boys Are Back in Town” is fascinating due to previously unheard lyrics and this makes it difficult to tell which portions of the song are an 'early version' versus remixed.

The tracks recorded live for John Peel show (BBC) sound crystal clear and, while the band doesn’t add anything new to the songs, this recording clearly shows the power of the band on the live stage. “Blues Boy” is a slow riff-based blues jam from the Jailbreak sessions and the live work-in-progress version of “Cowboy Song” (aka “Derby Blues”) also has alternate lyrics from the final studio version and it is simply stellar.

Despite Robert Christgau’s bashing of the album at the time of its release -- “The proof of how desperate people are for new Springsteen is that they'll settle for this--even "The Boys Are Back in Town" is the sort of thing that ends up in Bruce's wastebasket.” – this disc has held up well over the years. (Note: Christgau’s reviews seem so out of touch at this point in time that it was little wonder that Sonic Youth renamed one of their songs “I Killed Christgau With My Big F*cking D*ick” after a negative review from the man.) The clear sound on the remastering of the original recording, a strong set of bonus tracks and an affordable price point makes this deluxe edition money well spent.



Links:
Thin Lizzy

Reckless Sons Play St. Patrick's Day Show at Bowery Electric (w/ Cheap Beer)

DOWNLOAD: Reckless Sons - "She Forgives Me in the Morning" (acoustic)

Reckless Sons have a new 7-track EP (available as a free download from www.recklesssons.com) which has them moving in a British blues-rocks direction, taking influences from early Rolling Stones and The Faces.

The band played a great set at John Varvatos' store last month and are playing a St. Patrick's Day Party at Bowery Electric. Cover is $5 (or free with RSVP to BERSVPS@gmail.com) and beers are $1 between 6PM - 8PM. Sharing the bill with Reckless Sons are The Shake, Toy Soldiers and The Young Things (download their new ep).



Links:
Reckless Sons

AWOLNATION Releases Video for "Kill Your Heros" // Debut CD "Megalithic Symphony" Due Out March 15th

Aaron Bruno, front man for Los Angeles' Under the Influence of Giants, formed AWOLNATION in 2009 and the band came through town over the summer opening for Weezer and then followed this with shows at Brooklyn Bowl and Santos Party House. The band's debut CD Megalithic Symphony is due out next week and the band has been releasing videos from their forthcoming disc as a run-up to the release of their debut full-length.

AWOLNATION - "Kill Your Heroes"


AWOLNATION - "Kill Your Heroes" Live @ Santos Party House Nov. '10


Links:
AWOLNATION

The Meatmen Announce April West Coast Tour & Book Signing

Having lived in DC in the 80's, The Meatmen were a breath of fresh air when the SxE kids started getting militant at the punk shows. It is hard to be morally self-righteous when you are watching Tesco Vee take audience-baiting to a level not seen since the original lineup of Fear. Tesco Vee's bio (from his website) says that he was "[b]orn into a strict Christian reformed background, TV has spent most of his adult life rebelling against societal norms, organized religion, and the French."



The Meatmen, brainchild of one Tesco Vee, have been plying the punk rock since 1979 with their trademark cringe inducing very UN PC brand of aggro and knee slappin' profundity. Through many lineups, and countless platters, Vee continues to tour relentlessly to both school the young un's on how its done, as well as satisfyin' all the old school farts who need another shot of old school punk straight up in a dirty glass. Uncompromising as always, Vee's latest line features his arguably most dynamic lineup with Hal Seitan on the Guitar, Biff Bologna on the basso profundo and Swarthy 'Bun Length Franklin' on the tubs.

Recent sold out shows at Chicago's 'Riotfest' and Detroit's Halloween Spectacular 'Theatre Bizzare' have catapulted the band back to the musical fore. Their stage show is unparalleled in the punk/metal/flamenco/comedy genre and features confetti guns, wild costuming, and many other props all used to create what Vee likes to call a 'Hades meets Las Vegas Extrava-gonzo of cosmic fun and frolic!'

Meaty Historical Highlights:
-The Meatmen have sold over 250,000 records worldwide
- The Meatmen have played shows with many legendary bands such as Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Black Flag, The Misfits, Minor Threat, Henry Rollins and many more
-Their music has appeared on Feature Films and MTV
-The band has toured the US and Canada many times
-Leader Tesco Vee founded Touch and Go Records
-Meat fans include legions both humble and haughty; Matt Groenig, David Cross, Thurston Moore, Keith Morris, MC5, Glenn Danzig and Debbie Harry.
-The Meatmen are embarking on a month long US tour in April 2011. Tesco will be doing in-Store book signings to promote his best-selling book, Touch and Go: Complete Hardcore Punk Zine;1979-1983.

Tour Dates:
Tue. April 5 - Denver, CO - Marquis
Wed. April 6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Burt's Tiki Room
Thu. April 7 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
Fri. April 8 - Seattle WA - El Corazon (w/ ZEKE!)
Sat. April 9 - Portland OR - Plan B
Sun. April 10 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro
Mon. April 11 - Sacramento CA - Fire Escape
Tue. April 12 - Santa Cruz CA - Matty Hodel Building
Wed. April 13 - Lompoc, CA - Wicked ShamrockT
hu. April 14 - Los Angeles, CA - The Airliner (18+)
Fri. April 15 - Long Beach, CA - Alex's Bar (21+)
Sat. April 16 - Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas Country Saloon
Sun. April 17 - San Diego, CA - The Shakedown (21+)
Mon. April 18 - Phoenix AZ - Yucca Tap Room
Tue. April 19 - Albuquerque, NM - Moonlight Lounge (21+)
Wed. April 20 - El Paso, TX - Badlands Billiards
Thu. April 21 - San Antonio, TX - NIGHTROCKER LIVE
Fri. April 22 - Houston, TX - Walters on Washington
Sat. April 23 - Austin TX - Red 7
Sun. April 24 - Dallas, TX - Doublewide (21+)
Mon. April 25 - Ok. City, OK - The Conservatory
Tue. April 26 - St. Louis, MO - The Fubar
Wed. April 27 - Des Moines, IA - The Underground
Thu. April 28 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Soc. Club
Fri. April 29 - Chicago IL - Memories (21+)

Links:
Tesco Vee

Dakrya - "Crime Scene" CD Review (Sensory Records)

DOWNLOAD: Dakrya - "The Charlatans" (hosted on Dakrya's website)

Dakrya’s second CD, Crime Scene, has to be one of the more unique CDs that I’ve heard in quite some time. While listening to a typical CD, I generally mentally pigeonhole the band’s sound/genre after the first few songs. Refusing to get into the ad-nauseam labeling of the micro subgenres of metal, there are only so many styles out there and most bands you can plug into one box or another. Dakrya though doesn’t fit any of the typical genres/labels – so, how’s this for a new label – “theatrical/operatic carnival of the damned metal”.

Dakrya is a seven-piece band based in Greece that features two female lead vocalists Thomais and Christina along with backing vocals from guitarist George (no one seems to have a surname in the band). Thomais and Christina’s vocals are featured prominently but there are little shared vocal harmonies. The two singers deliver their lyrics like a theatre actor’s lines while George roars in the background in a “Dracula-like” voice. In addition to the vocals, the other prominent feature is the reoccurring carnival sound-effects which range from the calliope to the “plink” of the midway. Given the carnival motif, it is hard to tell whether the reoccurring lyrical theme of evil clowns and charlatans is a political statement (there is a picture of Uncle Sam in the lyric book) or just a rock opera version of Stephen King’s “It”.

Much of the music is guitar and drum driven and there are enough style and tempo changes which keep the music from getting stale. The band expands their sound by adding saxophone on “Camouflage”, a jazzy piano-driven swing on “The Urban Tribe” and the disc wraps up with the instrumental “A Dreadful SideScene”.



Links:
Dakrya

Iggy & the Stooges - "Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans" CD Review (MVD)

On Friday, Sept. 3rd last year, Iggy & the Stooges (featuring James Williamson on guitar) performed 1973's Raw Power in its entirety at All Tomorrow's Parties New York. A live document of this show, Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans, is coming out next month as a limited edition 180 gram vinyl release for Record Store Day 2011.

"Getting this top-notch performance of the entire Raw Power album by The Stooges realized a life long dream," said Iggy Pop "This shit really sizzles and we are so obviously a crack band in a class of our own."



Billboard Magazine had the following to say about The Stooges' performance: "[a]s the pretty clear main attraction, Iggy and the Stooges granted a predictably explosive show." This nine track release captures the Raw Power portion of the set along with "I Got A Right" and the band sounds on fire. This disc is a good companion piece to the "Live at Richards" bonus disc that came out with the deluxe reissue of Raw Power. The original Raw Power lineup always sounded like an impending train wreck that somehow managed to avoid total collapse. Now almost 40 years later, the dirty talk and the sloppiness is gone, but Iggy and crew still play with the intensity of their youth.

I have about a dozen Iggy live discs (both solo and with The Stooges) and this one's a keeper. The disc runs just shy of 40 minutes and below is the track list. (Note: the band did not play the Raw Power album in its original sequence)
- Raw Power
- Search and Destroy
- Gimmie Danger
- Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
- Shake Appeal
- I Need Somebody
- Penetration
- Death Trip
- I Got A Right

Links:
Iggy & the Stooges

Rainbow - "Down to Earth" Deluxe Edition CD Review

This Tuesday, Polydor is reissuing Rainbow's fourth disc Down to Earth (originally released in 1979) in a two-CD deluxe edition.

For anyone not familiar with this disc, this was a transitional album for Rainbow as the only hold-over from the Dio-era was drummer Cozy Powell. Replacing Ronnie James Dio as Ritchie Blackmore's songwriting partner was x-Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover and Graham Bonnet took over on vocals. This disc finds the band abandoning the sword & sorcery epic rock of the Dio-era and moving in a more commercial direction. The eight songs on the original disc show the band fitting into the British blues-based, FM-radio sound that was popular at this time and a good point of comparison is Bad Company's Desolation Angels. This disc spawned two singles "Since You Been Gone" and "All Night Long" which were consistent staples in Rainbow's setlist in the years that followed.

Jumping into the reissue, the original album (Disc 1) is fleshed out by two b-sides: "Bad Girl" (b-side of "Since You Been Gone") and "Weiss Heim" (a stellar instrumental which is the b-side of "All Night Long"). Disc 2 is comprised of twelve tracks (~60 minutes) of instrumental versions and outtakes from Down to Earth. The instrumentals are somewhat of a mixed bag for me as, while some of the instruments are higher in the mix than on the finished songs, there aren't any significant differences other than the lack of vocals. The two outtakes "Spark Don't Mean a Fire" and "Ain't A Lot of Love in the Heart of Me" are interesting as they are, respectively, early versions of "No Time To Lose" and "Love's No Friend" with different lyrics. The Cozy Powell mix of "All Night Long" is somewhat of a throw-away as it sounds like a monitor-mix of the song with loud drums and backing vocals and muted lead vocals.

While this set seems a labor of love, I'm hard pressed to say that this reissue is worth its $24.20 price point (current price on Amazon). New copies of the original disc are selling for less than $5.00 on Amazon so one is essentially paying the balance for the fourteen bonus tracks. The "problem" is that the instrumentals are likely of interest only to die-hard fans but these same fans more than likely have eight of these tracks on the "Down to Earth Rough Mixes" bootleg that has been in circulation for years. What's left are just the two b-sides, the two early versions, and a "new" instrumental version of "Ain't A Lot of Love in the Heart of Me" (which sounds like just like the completed version). I would have been happier if the Castle Donington show (where Rainbow headlined the first Monsters of Rock festival) or the soundboard recording of the Denver, CO show from Nov. '79 had been included as bonus tracks. At minimum, "Set Me Free" (from the "Down to Earth Rough Mixes" bootleg) could have easily been included as part of this set.

Links:
Ritchie Blackmore

The Belle Brigade Make NYC Debut at the Rock Shop on March 8th

DOWNLOAD: The Belle Brigade - "Sweet Louise" (click through and enter email address)

Los Angeles buzz band The Belle Brigade is making the NYC debut with a show at the Rock Shop on March 8th.

Here is what KCRW said are the reasons behind the buzz:

1) their maternal grandfather is Oscar- and Grammy-winning film composer John Williams (Star Wars, Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark)

2) Barbara is an in-demand drummer on the LA music scene. She honed her skills at both Oberlin College and Cal Arts before dropping out to hit the road with The Bird and The Bee’s Inara George, followed by tours with Benji Hughes and Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis.

3) The songs are so catchy, you’ll find yourself singing them for days! A perfect example is “Sweet Louise”. (Download link is above)



At the Rock Shop, The Belle Brigade are playing with Sneaky Legend (ex-Salt & Samovar) and Noah of Sam Champion and tickets are $8.00.

Links:
The Belle Brigade

The Smiths: American Laundromat Records Announces New Tribute Disc Due Out August

American Laundromat Records (ALR) is proud to announce plans to release a Smiths tribute CD titled Please, Please, Please: a tribute to The Smiths. The CD will feature newly-recorded covers by The Wedding Present, Greg Laswell, Doug Martsch (Built To Spill), William Fitzsimmons, Trespassers William, The Rest, Katy Goodman (La Sera, Vivian Girls), The Leisure Society, Joy Zipper, Tanya Donelly and many other outstanding artists. The CD is slotted for Autumn 2011 worldwide release.

Confirmed Artists (in alphabetical order) / Track Covering
Cinerama / "London"
Class Actress / "Ask"
Dala / "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"
Doug Martsch (Built To Spill) / "Reel Around the Fountain"
Elk City / "I Know It's Over"
Greg Laswell / "Half A Person"
Joy Zipper / "What Difference Does It Make?"
Katy Goodman (Vivian Girls, La Sera) / track to be announced
Kitten / track to be announced
Mike Viola / "How Soon Is Now?"
Sara Lov / track to be announced
Sixpence None the Richer / "I Won’t Share You"
Tanya Donelly w/Dylan in the Movies / "Shoplifters Of The World Unite"
The Leisure Society / "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"
The Rest / "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"
The Wedding Present / "Hand In Glove"
Trespassers William / "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"
William Fitzsimmons / "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want"

Additional artists will be announced soon.

"I’m a huge Smiths fan and have been planning a tribute for a few years now. Timing just never seemed right. Then late last year, for several weeks, everywhere I went, I heard The Smiths playing… at the mall, at restaurants, on my car radio. It was weird… I felt like the universe was telling me now was the time. I started reaching-out to artists in November and the response was overwhelmingly positive. This is going to be one of the best tributes we’ve ever produced." – Joe Spadaro, American Laundromat Records

For the album cover, American Laundromat Records secured rights to use a Sandie Shaw photograph and tapped rock-poster designer Lonny Unitus (Apples In Stereo, The Decemberists, Willie Nelson) to design the cover art and eco-wallet packaging. Sandie Shaw (aka Sandra Goodrich) is an English Pop-Singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. Both Morrissey and Johnny Marr of The Smiths were “two incurable Sandie Shaw fans” and reportedly wrote her a letter back in 1983 stating so. In April of 1984, Shaw recorded a version of The Smiths Hand in Glove (their first single) which peaked just inside the UK Top 30. She later collaborated with the band and has covered songs by both The Smiths and Morrissey.

“I wanted to do something interesting for the cover art. Most importantly, I wanted it to look like a Smiths album. Beyond that though, I thought the photograph we used needed to be something that had deeper meaning. Once I learned of the Sandie Shaw connection, I sourced hundreds of old photographs and finally found the one of Sandie lying in the leaves in that fantastic pea coat. I thought it was perfect immediately. Not only because the tribute will be an Autumn release, but because Sandie’s expression and the whole feel of the photo, in my opinion, is reminiscent of The Smiths music. It was a lucky find, and Ms. Shaw has been very gracious in allowing us to use it.” – Joe Spadaro, American Laundromat Records

American Laundromat is now offering 3 exclusive limited-edition, pre-order bundles from their website. The bundles range from $13.00 (CD & Promo Pin) to $35.00 (CD, 7” Vinyl, T-Shirt, Free Digital Download, Promo Pin, and Album Preview prior to release date).

Links:
American Laundromat Records

The Builders and The Butchers - "Dead Reckoning" CD Review (Badman) // Show at Mercury Lounge on April 11th

DOWNLOAD: The Builders and the Butchers - "Lullaby" (from the disc Dead Reckoning)
DOWNLOAD: The Builders and the Butchers - "Rotten to the Core" (from the disc Dead Reckoning)

Last month, Portland's The Builders and The Butchers released their third disc, Dead Reckoning, which is a "Southern Gothic"-hued journey through ideas about the father and the son, early 1900s America, absolute good and evil, addiction, and religion. Vocalist Ryan Sollee said "[o]n this album, I really thought a lot about the end of the world and the dark times we live in, how the feelings we feel and the world we experience is not that different from 1930s America, and I thought about the music that was created at that time. This is where the inspiration for these songs originated."

The Builders’ songs aren’t quite the murder ballads of Nick Cave but they aren’t that far off with Ryan Sollee’s narrative stories of sin, salvation and the devil. Solle delivers his narratives with the passion and conviction of a Southern preacher but, with lyrics like “killing is better than living” (from “Lullaby”), this raw, emotional delivery crosses into the zealotry of the damned. Unfortunately, as Sollee noted, there are many parallels between the Great Depression of the 30’s and the current “Great Recession” and songs like “All Away”, “Rotten to the Core” and “Lullaby” highlight both the greed that caused these crashes and the resultant human suffering.





Dead Reckoning is a fairly stripped-down affair that predominately adds guitar and drums around Ryan Sollee's distinctive vocals. The band recorded this disc using the recording style of the 1950s and 1960s, where the magic of a song was captured by the band playing together live with minimal overdubbing so the urgency and intensity of the music pulls the listener into the darkness it inhabits. The disc ends on somewhat of an uplifting note with "Family Tree" which is the closest The Builders come to a full-band sound on this disc with its predominant up-beat percussion, subtly gospel organ and plucked guitar parts.

The Builders and The Butchers are playing a late show at Mercury Lounge on April 11th. Tickets are $10 and The Builders are sharing the bill with Damion Suomi & the Minor Prophets who go on at 9PM.

The Builders and The Butchers Tour Dates:

APR. 01 -- SPOKANE, WA, A CLUB
APR. 02 -- BOZEMAN, MT, FILLING STATION
APR. 04 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 400 BAR
APR. 05 -- CHICAGO, IL, SCHUBAS
APR. 06 -- MADISON, WI, THE FREQUENCY
APR. 07 -- COLUMBUS, OH, THE SUMMIT
APR. 08 -- PITTSBURGH, PA, BRILLOBOX
APR. 09 -- BOSTON, MA, MIDDLE EAST
APR. 11 -- NEW YORK, NY, THE MERCURY LOUNGE
APR. 12 -- WASHINGTON, DC, RED PALACE
APR. 13 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA, MILKBOY
APR. 14 -- CHAPEL HILL, NC, LOCAL 506
APR. 15 -- ATLANTA, GA, THE DRUNKEN UNICORN
APR. 16 -- NASHVILLE, TN, THE BASEMENT
APR. 18 -- AUSTIN, TX, EMO'S (INSIDE)
APR. 19 -- DALLAS, TX, DOUBLE WIDE
APR. 20 -- WICHITA, KS, FISCH HAUS STUDIOS
APR. 21 -- ST. LOUIS, MO, OFF BROADWAY
APR. 22 -- LAWRENCE, KS, JACKPOT MUSIC HALL
APR. 23 -- DENVER, CO, HI-DIVE
APR. 24 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT, URBAN LOUNGE
APR. 26 -- SAN DIEGO, CA, THE CASBAH
APR. 27 -- LOS ANGELES, CA, THE SATELLITE
APR. 28 -- SACRAMENTO, CA, BLUE LAMP
APR. 29 -- VISALIA, CA, CELLAR DOOR
APR. 30 -- SANTA CRUZ, CA, CREPE PLACE
MAY 01 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA, BOTTOM OF THE HILL
JUN. 08 -- SEATTLE, WA, TBA
JUN. 09 -- PORTLAND, OR, DOUG FIR LOUNGE
JUN. 10 -- PORTLAND, OR, DOUG FIR LOUNGE

Links:
The Builders and The Butchers

Thee Attacks - Danish Garage Rock Band Plays Two NYC Shows in Advance of SXSW

"Thee Attacks are a mod-looking four-piece from Aalborg in north Denmark. Soulful vocals complement a '65-era Townshend guitarist, who whacks out Have Love, Will Travel-style riff after riff. So good - and with no covers - they'll easily move beyond the garage and could crossover to become a successor to The Hives. Primitivist über-producer Liam Watson is here and smiling along." - MOJO Magazine

Here is one of the pre-SXSW show that caught my attention...Danish bands Thee Attacks (garage rock) and Lars and the Hands of Light (psychedelic/pop) are playing local pre-SXSW "warm-up" shows next Friday (March 11th) and Monday night (March 14th) in addition to a DJ set on Saturday night at Motor City Bar, where Jon Spencer will be spinning along with both Danish bands.

Friday night's show (March 11th) is at Fontana's and cover is $8.00. The lineup for the evening is Swords of Chaos (Iceland) [8PM], Dinosaur Eyelids [9PM], Theee Attacks [10PM] and Lars and The Hand of Light [11PM].

Monday night's show (March 14th) is at Santos Party House and tickets is $10. Doors are at 7:30PM and the lineup for the evening is Who Made Who, Lars and The Hand of Light and Thee Attacks.



Links:
Thee Attacks

The Bright White Make East Coast Debut With Show at Mercury Lounge on March 18th

Chicago's The Bright White just released their debut EP "Until Then" and the band is making their East Coast debut with a late show at Mercury Lounge on March 18th. The Bright White are going on at 9:30PM and they are playing with Plastiq Passion and Dujeous. Tickets are $10 and the show is 21+.

The Bright White have already begun creating a buzz in the Midwest and beyond. Combining soaring vocals with an exciting guitar driven attack, The Bright White have won comparisons to bands such as Oasis and The Replacements. Their highly anticipated debut EP, "Until Then", blends the energy and passion of The Bright White live experience with all the influences that define the band: a dash of Revolver-era Beatles, a hint of mid 90s Brit pop, and a helping of classic American rock - all serving to create one of the most memorable debuts of the year.



Having played in bands in NYC and Nashville, and now finally settled in Chicago, lead singer Matthew Kayser lives and breathes rock and roll. His fiery intensity makes him the ultimate front man. Propelled by a dynamic rhythm section, the four-piece play with a raw intensity that has won them gigs at Chicago's most esteemed venues, including an EP release at the legendary Double Door.

Links:
The Bright White

Keegan DeWitt Plays Communion @ Public Assembly This Sunday, March 6th

Communion was born in the Summer of 2006 at London’s Notting Hill Arts Club. Founded by Ben Lovett (Mumford and Sons), former Cherbourg bassist Kevin Jones, and acclaimed producer Ian Grimble, it quickly grew into a flourishing community of musicians and fans alike, providing a first independent platform for the freshest young artists on London’s circuit and beyond.

Since its humble beginnings from a West London basement bar, Communion has branched out across the UK to Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, York, Oxford, Dublin and Belfast, and internationally to Sydney and New York City. Communion is now working closely with the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, The Camden Crawl, HMV’s Next Big Thing series, The NME awards, Belfast’s Open House Festival, and many more clubs and companies who all have a hand in promoting exciting new music to as big and broad an audience as possible.

Later this month, DeWitt will make his way down to Austin, TX, to perform at SXSW. He is confirmed to play at the 2011 Paste Party In Austin, The Billy Reid & K-Swiss SXSW Shindig presented by American Songwriter, and the Storychord day party, all on March 16th. A full itinerary is below. A noted film score composer, DeWitt's most recent work will also premiere at the festival in official selection No Matter What, directed by Cherie Saulter, and in the short film "Remigration," directed by Barry Jenkins (Medicine For Melancholy).

Keegan DeWitt Tour Dates:

MAR. 06 -- BROOKLYN, NY -- PUBLIC ASSEMBLY (Communion New York)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- SXSW
* 12:00PM - The Billy Reid & K-Swiss SXSW Shindig presented by American Songwriter, The Swan Dive (651 Red River; RSVP)
* 1:30PM - Storychord SXSW Day Party, Cheer Up Charlies (1104 E. 6th St.; Free)
* 2:30PM - 2011 Paste Party in Austin, The Stage On Sixth (507 E. 6th Street; RSVP)

Links:
Keegan DeWitt

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Release New Video for "40 Day Dream"

DOWNLOAD: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - "40 Day Dream"

"40 Day Dream" is the third installment of SALVO!, a 12-part music video series from Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. "40 Day Dream" finds Edward and Brother hiding out in the desert after their violent jail-break. Jade, having received a telepathic message from Brother, brings them to meet the rest of the Magnetic Zeros. Edward is welcomed by his new family and his troubles are briefly lifted by a healing vision of togetherness. After a night of revelry, Edward is awakened by Angel.



CAST:
Edward Sharpe: Alex Ebert
Angel: Lisa Richards
Brother: Orpheo McCord
Jade: Jade Castrinos
Guard: Tay Stratharin
The Magnetic Zeros: Nico Anglietti, Stewart Cole, Aaron Embry, Aaron Older, Josh Collazo, Nora Kirkpatrick, Christain Letts, Tyler James, Chris Richard, Benjamin Kutsko

Links:
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Guitars: Brooklyn Country Psychedelic Band Releases New EP "I'm Really Sorry You Guys" as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Guitars - "I'm Really Sorry You Guys" EP

Guitars are proud to announce the release of their new EP, "I'm Really Sorry You Guys".

Recorded in a spontaneous studio session at Mysterious Mammal in LA while touring in support of their debut album Soundtrack To Your Future Nostalgia, the new EP represents an expansion of Guitars delicate and moving psych-folk sounds further into the realms of psych and country. The dynamic live sound Guitars has developed on the road is fully present on the new EP. Tracked live by the band in one day without a click track, the recording embodies Guitars obsession with classic country and soul recordings. Piano, organ and sixties style mixing all add to the vintage feel.

The four songs on the EP were written while the band was living in upstate NY and working on Soundtrack To Your Future Nostalgia. Shanna and Kenric were deeply immersed in the work of sci-fi author Philip K. Dick and various spiritual and psychedelic end times narratives. While the lyrical content is indeed cosmic there is a newfound focus on storytelling and concrete imagery that will engage listeners.

The cover art sums up Guitars goals for the EP while continuing their practice of collaborating with excellent photographers. Collapsing western creation and historical narratives into a single hilarious and trippy moment, the image asks the question that is implicit throughout all of I'm Really Sorry You Guys, "What have we done??? What have we done???"

Credits:
Vocals, ukulele - Shanna Hill-McDowell
Vocals, guitars, organ, piano, mixing- Kenric McDowell
Bass - Bug
Drums - Malcolm Holt
Recorded and mastered by Matt Lynch
Cover photo of Shanna and Kenric by Jen Rodewald, collage by Kenric McDowell
Snake provided by reptilerecyclery.org

Upcoming Tour Dates
With Bug (bass), JC (drums) and Kuz (gong + hype).

*SXSW* March 16th Beatles Complete w/Roger Greenwal @ Jo's Coffeet Austin,TX
*SXSW* March 19th Spiderhouse Austin, TX
March 22nd Valley of the Vapors Festival Hot Springs, AR
March 23rd Valley of the Vapors Festival Hot Springs, AR
March 24th Soundpony Tulsa, OK
March 25th Double Wide Dallas, TX

Links:
Guitars

Those Dancing Days: "Daydreams & Nightmares" CD Review (Wichita)

DOWNLOAD: Those Dancing Days - "F@ckarias" (from Daydreams & Nightmares)

Stockholm, Sweden’s Those Dancing Days made their East Coast debut just about two years ago with shows at Mercury Lounge and Union Hall. With the band’s second album, Daydreams and Nightmares (Witichita) released yesterday, the band is back in the States and are playing some shows around their appearance(s) at SXSW.

The eleven tracks on Daydreams and Nightmares show that the band’s sound has matured over these last few years. After listening to the band’s 2008 full-length debut In Our Space Hero Suits, I compared their sound to 60’s girl-group ‘revival’ band The Pipettes. This time out, the band has a jagged edge and captures a fuller alt-rock sound, all without giving up any of their pop-hooks. “We didn’t go into the studio and say: ‘Let's change our sound.’ It happened naturally, almost unconsciously. I think it is because we have gone through so much together the last few years. We have grown up, simple as that,” says drummer Cissi Efraimsson.

Similar to the previous disc, lyrical themes are predominently about relationships starting, ending or going aray, This time out though the lyrics are wrapped around catchy pop hooks and soaring choruses and delivered with a sense of urgency and edgyness. With the move away from the twee cuteness of the first disc, there is enough slashing guitar and tribal drumming on this disc to keep the band out of the pure pop scene. Producer Patrik Berger gives the band a high-gloss but doesn’t overdo it so Those Dancing Days can now be compared to bands like The Graces (Charlotte Caffey, Meredith Brooks) or perhaps The Breeders. Those Dancing Days haven’t completely lost their twee roots though as the disc ends with “One Day Forever” where Linnea Jönsson trades-off vocals with The Macabees’ Orlando Weeks and the end-product sounds something like The Brunettes.

Tracks on the disc range from the perfect power-pop of “Can’t Find Entrance” to the pounding slash n’ burn punk of “Fuckarias” to the new wave-ish “Dream About Me”.





The band is playing a small set of US shows this month when they are over for SXSW which include a stop at Mercury Lounge on March 22nd. The Mercury Lounge show is an early show (6:30PM doors) and Bloc Party's Gordon Moakes' latest project Young Legionnaire opens the show. Tickets are $10.

Links:
Those Dancing Days

Arson Anthem - "Insecurity Notoriety" CD Review (Housecore Records)

Arson Anthem is an crossover thrash band that was formed in New Orleans in 2006 by vocalist Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod), guitarist Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual), drummer Hank Williams III (Assjack, Superjoint Ritual) and bassist Collin Yeo (Ponykiller). The band’s self-titled debut EP came out in 2008 and their full-length Insecurity Notoriety came out toward the end of last year on Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Records.

For anyone who remembers CBGB’s Sunday hardcore matinees and the lineup of bands that were on Combat Records in the 80’s, that is exactly what you have with Arson Anthem. Insecurity Notoriety carries only minimal traces of its members’ other bands; instead you have seventeen tracks of raw, hardcore thrash blasting by like a speeding freight train. The majority of tracks clock-in under one minute with the only exception being the album closer “Teach the Gun (To Love The Bullet)”, which runs over three minutes.

Insecurity Notoriety was obviously recorded live in a one-take studio session as there seems to have been little-to-no attempt at production. On top of the raw lo-fi sound, you can hear the band talking and laughing between songs. Williams sings with a guttural bark which is accompanied by gang backing vocals on some tracks and the lyrics touch on typical hardcore themes of injustice and alienation. Phil Anselmo plays by-the-books screeching hardcore riffs while Collin Yeo lays down a twisting bass line beneath Anselmo’s chords. Hank III more than fills the space that remains by staying in lock-step with Yeo and delivering some pounding blast beats. Throughout the disc, the band seems on the edge of chaos and collapse but they never spin totally out of control.

Some of the stronger tracks are “Isolation Militia”, “Insecurity Notoriety” and “Polite Society Blacklist”.



Arson Anthem is playing the Housecore Records Showcase at SXSW on March 16th along with Ponykiller, Haarp and Warbeast.

"Illegal Downloading is Killing Music…but so is Arson Anthem"

Links:
Arson Anthem

The Church: Live Photos from "Future Past Perfect" Show at BB King's, NYC 2-17-11

This past Thursday, The Church brought their "Future Past Perfect" tour to a full house at B.B. King's in Times Square. The concept of the evening was that the band would play the following albums in their entirety: Untitled #23 (2009), Priest=Aura (1992), and Starfish (1988). Over the last few years, some indie and alt-rock bands have played one of their classic albums from start to finish, this is the first time that I've heard of any band taking this concept to such a grand scale.



The concert was nothing short of impressive. As the band took the stage, Steve Kilbey came to the mic and said "We are called The [pause] Crouch and we are going to give you Untitled #23". There was a minimal amount of stage banter after this as the music and the art (projected on the screens) did all of the talking needed. This first set was stellar so it is hard to pick out a individual song or two but "Anchorage" was particularly stunning as the band added a backing vocalist (Tour Manager Tiare Helberg) and an additional guitarist to create a haunting and memorable soundscape.

After a twenty minute intermission, the band returned for Priest = Aura and gave a shout-out to Jay Dee Daugherty who was in the audience (Jay Dee played drums on Priest = Aura and toured with The Church for a few years). While I don't think I gave this album the time of day when it originally came out, the band's live performance made me realize that I have been missing something. Particularly stellar was "The Disillusionist" where Steve Kilbey became more animated than I've seen once he put his guitar down. The other track of note was "Film" where this melancholy instrumental seemed to perfectly ramp-down the second set.

As the band went off for the second intermission, I could hear Marty saying something about needing to rest his hands and that made me really pay attention to the amount of energy and precision that went into this 3+ hour show. On the audience side, not everyone was able to appropriately pace themselves. One "nice" young man staggered right into me after the second set and I watched as his date was trying to help him get his arms into his jacket sleeves as he was having no luck on his own.

For the last set, the band played Starfish from start to finish and the album has aged well. While I've heard "Under The Milky Way" way to many times, the overall album doesn't have that "big" (aka dated) 80's sound that many bands were utilizing at that time. Songs like "Destination" and "Hotel Womb" sound just as vital today as they did when originally released.

Someone sitting on the floor obviously brought a pocket camera into the show and filmed the last song of the night - "Hotel Womb". My post-show thoughts are that an official live album/DVD from this tour is really needed as this was a show not to be missed.



Links:
The Church

Hollis Brown - "When The Weather's Warm" CD EP Review // Release Show at Brooklyn Bowl on Feb. 26th

DOWNLOAD: Hollis Brown - "Doghouse Blues"

NYC quartet Hollis Brown has been playing around town for the last three-four years but I've never had an opportunity to hear what they sound like prior to receiving a copy of the band's forthcoming EP "When The Weather's Warm". A number of reviews that I've read over the last few years have compared Hollis Brown to The Black Crowes (which I don't hear at all) but I would suggest a better comparison is the bastard child of John Fogerty and the MC5 (if you can image such a combination) with a little bit of Del Shannon thrown in on the side.

"When The Weather's Warm" is a gritty, blues-drenched slab of old-school rock that doesn't require visual props like bell-bottoms and feathered boas to prove its authenticity. Hollis Brown embraces a variety of styles and tempos across this 16-minute/five tracks EP, all the while staying true to its blues-rock core. The disc's lead-off track "Doghouse Days" comes on like early MC5, back in the day when they were playing James Brown medleys. Both "Miracle" and "Down On Your Luck" sounds like tracks that easily could have been part of John Fogerty playbook. Continuing to mix things up though, "Hey Baby, Shake Mama" sounds like the sort of thing Led Zeppelin was playing on their first post-Yardbirds tour but with a more relaxed vibe.



Hollis Brown are playing a CD Release Show at Brooklyn Bowl on Feb. 26th. Tickets are $5 and there will be a special guest appearance from DMC (of Run DMC) who recently finished a new single ("The Fly") with Hollis Brown that will be released as a limited edition 7" in the Spring.

Links:
Hollis Brown

BTBAM Vocalist Tommy Rogers (aka Thomas Giles) Announces Solo Show at Santo's Party House on April 2nd

Tommy Rogers, lead vocalist, keyboardist and founding member of the award-winning North Carolina progressive rock band Between the Buried and Me has announced special U.S. tour dates in support of his just-released solo album, Pulse. The versatile front man / multi-instrumentalist who uses the pseudonym Thomas Giles (his given middle name) on the record will perform songs from the new release backed by a hand-picked live band. Support on the mini-tour will be provided by Steven Brodsky (of Cave In) and Braveyoung.

TOMMY ROGERS' TOUR DATES:

March 30 --Charlotte, NC, Casbah @ Tremont Music Hall
March 31 --Norfolk, VA, Jewish Mother
April 01 --Philadelphia, PA, North Star Bar
April 02 --New York, NY, Santo's Party House
April 03 --Providence, RI, The Met

The show at Santos Party is 18+ and tickets are $10 in advance.



Thomas Giles' Pulse is a challenging rock record designed so that the parts build up to a larger, cinematic-like structure where everything from production to arrangements to lyrics to album art is carefully crafted towards a unified purpose. Testing the limits of what he can do naturally with his voice, Rogers' strikingly beautiful falsetto and dynamic range conjures tales of anxiety, collapse, end-times and strength against swelling, heart-lifting arrangements and pristine backdrops of ambient loops, digital burbles, analog hiss and woozy drones. Exploring combinations of the outré genres of both post-rock and glitch, the music's emotionally resonant yet textural sounds draw reference to artists such as NIN, Radiohead, Muse, The Verve, Beck and Spiritualized, balancing both rock and electronic impulses.

Links:
Thomas Giles Music

The Church - "Deep in the Shallows: The Classic Singles Collection" CD Review (Second Motion Records)

STREAM: The Church - Live on KEXP 2/8/11

There was a guy on my hall in college who ran out to buy R.E.M.’s Fables of the Reconstruction right when it came out and the only song he would play was “Driver 8” over and over (and over) again. This is the sort of person that I think singles compilations are designed for.

When Pink Floyd won their court case blocking iTunes from selling single song downloads, David Stubbs lamented in The Independent that the rise of iTunes has led to “fewer groups hav[ing] license or encouragement to express themselves across the album format, à la Radiohead. It's all about those 79p downloads. This is a shame and a loss, since the album listening experience is cumulative and greater than the sum of its single-track components…if it has taken a rock dinosaur to help stave off this idea from extinction, then so be it.”

The Church have some glorious singles but I don’t consider them a “singles” band. There is a context, mood and overall aesthetic to each of The Church’s discs and, to apply Dave Stubbs’ comment from above, the overall album listening experience is greater than the sum of the singles. (…or, to put it more crudely, this isn’t like recent output from a band like The Rolling Stones where there are two or three good songs per disc and the rest is filler).

On the positive note, this compilation contains some 7” versions and tracks from the “Too Fast For You”, “Sing Sing” and “Persia” EPs that aren’t available on any of the current reissues.

CD 1:
1. She Never Said (from the 7” “She Never Said”, 1981)
2. The Unguarded Moment (from Of Skins And Heart, 1981)
3. Too Fast For You (from “Too Fast For You” EP, 1981)
4. Tear It All Away (from “Too Fast For You” EP, 1981)
5. Almost With You (from The Blurred Crusade, 1982)
6. When You Were Mine (from the 7” “When You Were Mine”, 1982)
7. A Different Man (from “Sing-Songs” EP, 1982)
8. It's No Reason (from Seance, 1983)
9. Electric Lash (from Seance, 1983)
10. Constant In Opal (from “Persia” EP, 1984)
11. Already Yesterday (from Heyday, 1986)
12. Tantalized (from Heyday, 1986)
13. Columbus (from Heyday, 1986)
14. Disenchanted (from Heyday, 1986)
15. Antenna (from Starfish, 1988)
16. Reptile (from the 7" “Reptile”, 1988)
17. Destination (from Starfish, 1988)
18. Under The Milky Way (from Starfish, 1988)

CD 2:
1. Metropolis (from Gold Afternoon Fix, 1990)
2. You're Still Beautiful (from Gold Afternoon Fix, 1990)
3. Russian Autumn Heart (from Gold Afternoon Fix, 1990)
4. Ripple (from “Ripple” CD Single, 1992)
5. Feel (from Priest = Aura, 1992)
6. Two Places At Once (from Sometime Anywhere, 1994)
7. Welcome (from Magician Among The Spirits, 1996)
8. Comedown (from Magician Among The Spirits, 1996)
9. Louisiana (from “Louisiana” CD Single, 1998)
10. Numbers (from After Everything Now This, 2002)
11. Song In Space [Short Trip] (from “Song In Space” CD Single, 2003)
12. 0408 (from El Momento Descuidado, 2004)
13. Block (from Uninvited, Like The Clouds, 2006)
14. Unified Field [Short Circuit Mix] (from “Unified Field” CD Single, 2006)
15. Easy [Sliced Mix] (from “Easy” CD Single, 2006)
16. “Pangaea” (from Untitled #23, 2009)
17. “Operetta” (from Untitled #23, 2009)

Links:
The Church