Paul McCartney - "RAM" Special Edition CD Review

STREAM: Paul McCartney - "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (from RAM)

When reviewing deluxe reissues, I generally don’t attempt to review the original album as, most often, there is little to add to the hundreds of reviews that have already been written. That being said, I don’t think I had heard Paul McCartney’s second solo LP RAM (originally released in 1971) before and was taken aback by how well this disc stacks up against today’s indie-pop music. It seems such a contradiction in terms to mention Sir Paul and “indie-pop” in the same sentence but…there are definitely elements on this disc (layered production, orchestral elements) that are heard on modern releases from bands like Arcade Fire and Of Montreal.



To provide some background on the original recording of RAM, Paul composed the songs (with input from Linda) while on an extended holiday on McCartney’s farm on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. A number of the videos on the bonus DVD were filmed on the McCartney’s farm during this period. RAM was recorded in New York and Los Angeles and the McCartneys’ backing band was recruited via open auditions. The RAM sessions were prolific and a number of the songs not included on the original 12-track disc ended up as b-sides and on later Wings’ releases.

According to the online “Paul McCartney Sessionography”, twenty-three tracks were recorded:

The "RAM" Sessions (Late January - Late February 1970)

Released as a Single in Advance of RAM but Not Included on the Original LP
Another Day (RAM bonus track)
Oh Woman, Oh Why (RAM bonus track)

Original Issue of RAM
Too Many People
3 Legs
Ram On
Dear Boy
Uncle Albert-Admiral Halsey
Smile Away
Heart of the Country
Monkberry Moon Delight
Eat at Home
Long Haired Lady
RAM On (Reprise)
The Back Seat Of My Car

RAM Bonus Tracks
A Love for You
Sunshine, Sometime (also on Rupert the Bear soundtrack)
Hey Diddle
Rode All Night

Unreleased Tracks from the RAM Sessions
Dear Friend
Little Lamb Dragonfly
Get On The Right Thing
Now Hear This Song Of Mine
When The Wind Is Blowing

Musicians:
Paul McCartney - Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards
Linda McCartney - Vocals, keyboards
Dave Spinoza - Guitars
Hugh McCracken - Guitars
Denny Seiwell - Drums, percussion

The remaining two bonus tracks – “Great Cock and Seagull Race” and “Little Woman Love” – were respectively recorded at the Wild Life sessions in 1971 and “The First Singles Session” in Spring 1972.



My review copy came with bonus DVD from the Deluxe Edition (and this set includes 2 extra CDs - the remastered Mono edition of RAM and the Thrillington CD along with a 112 page book). The playing time on the DVD runs about 25 minutes. While I would have like more material, the likely reality is that the footage used is all that exists from this time period as Macca didn’t tour until 1972 with Wings.

The features on the bonus DVD are:

1 – Ramming – The Story of the Album: This is a current-day audio interview with Macca (backed by studio shots of the recording session which are presumably were shot by Linda) where he reflects on working with Linda in the studio, hiring the band and he also talks about the impetus behind some of the songs. (Note: Macca states that “Dear Boy” was directed at Linda’s x-husband – not, contrary to popular belief, John Lennon)

2 – “Heart of the Country” & “3 Legs”: Both of these are promo videos which combine video footage of the McCartney family at home (and at play) in Scotland with the studio versions of these songs.

3 – “Hey Diddle”: This is an “impromptu” acoustic live performance of Paul and Linda sitting outside of their farmhouse singing this song, backed by Paul’s acoustic guitar.

4 – “Eat at Home” On Tour: This is an early promo video that combines live footage (from Wings 1972 tour) interspersed with tour bus and ‘day in the life’ footage of the band



Links:
Paul McCartney

Francis Bowie - "Francis Bowie" CD EP Review

I’m innately suspicious of white singers with dreadlocks (though Perry Farrell was weird enough to pull it off) as most seem to be either pop tossers or trustafarians. Given these 'biases', Dutch painter/sculptor Francis Bowie’s new self-titled EP came as a pleasant surprise. The four tracks on this new EP (14 minutes) sounds like some of the more intelligent (pre-MTV) new wave/synth-pop that came out of the UK in the early 80’s.

Bowie proclaims himself the founder of the Intelligent Pop Music genre of music and stated that “IPM is an attempt to put some quality, dignity and honor back into popular music.” While that is a fairly lofty goal - this isn’t the autotune nonsense that seems to be all over the radio. Bowie (predominately) sings with a rich baritone that is reminiscent of Peter Murphy and his music ranges between Deep-era Peter Murphy and Bronski Beat. The music is very accessible and catchy but there is a dark edge to all of the songs.



Most of the song lyrics are about love – and Bowie explores both the good and the bad. “Endlessly” has a mellow beat that is powered by low-key “new wave” synthesizers which leaves Bowie’s vocals to ably drive the song. “Wasted Time” follows in the same vein but adds strings and horns to the instrumentation. Bowie picks up the pace for the techno-dance number "Sunny Day" and this number shows the versatility of Bowie's vocals as he sings in almost a falsetto. Shifting styles yet again, the last number, "Silly and Crazy", is a gutter-glam industrial number.

While this new EP doesn't break any new ground, Bowie does an excellent job of mining a variety of sounds from the original post-punk era and his chameleon-like ability to jump between different aspects of the genre with ease may put him on par with the other Bowie given time.

Links:
Francis Bowie

Steve Vai Releases "The Story of Light" on 8/14; Show at Best Buy Theater on 9/11

Virtuoso guitarist and visionary composer Steve Vai will release The Story of Light, a new solo album of original material, on August 14. The title comes out on Favored Nations Entertainment, the label Vai founded in 1999. The sprawling and expressive 12-song set continues a conceptual and cosmic narrative arc that began with the artist's most recent studio release, 2005's acclaimed Real Illusions: Reflections.

Although The Story of Light is largely instrumental, the album does feature guest vocalists including singer-songwriter Aimee Mann-dueting with Vai on "No More Amsterdam," which she also co-wrote. Beverly McClellan, a season one finalist on The Voice, appears on "John the Revelator," a track inspired by a vintage recording of blues singer Blind Willie Johnson, whose acid-soaked vocals are in the mix as well. Other highlights include the title track (which opens the album), "Gravity Storm," "The Moon and I," and "Velorum."

Throughout, three-time Grammy-winner Vai's lead guitar is as lyrically resonant as it is technically masterful, his licks and solos bending sounds and in listeners' minds in equal measure. The Story of Light follows the journey of a man driven mad by grief, intertwining tragedy, revelation, enlightenment, and redemption.

"I'm always pursuing knowledge, I'm a seeker of spiritual equilibrium-and music is a big part of that," says Vai. "I've been obsessed with these kinds of ideas for years." Looking ahead, Vai envisions a third set of songs that will unravel the mysteries and reveal truths that swirl through both The Story of Light and Real Illusions: Reflections. The completed trilogy, intended to be cinematic-even operatic-in scope, will include lyrics and narration.

The Story of Light is currently available for online pre-sale orders. This special pre-sale selection of bundled packages is offered exclusively through Steve Vai's website where complete details on the products and ordering information are available. Each package includes an instant download of a track from the new album personally selected by Vai, "Gravity Storm."



The Story of Light is Vai's 16th solo effort, and the follow up to 2009's live effort, Where The Wild Things Are. In support of its release, Vai will begin a tour of North America on August 15th in Fort Lauderdale Florida, accompanied by his band-who are also featured on the new album: Dave Weiner (guitar), Jeremy Colson (drums), Philip Bynoe (bass), and Deborah Hensen (harp, vocals, keyboards).

Steve Vai 2012 North American Tour Dates

8/15 -- Ft. Lauderdale FL | Revolution
8/16 -- St. Petersburg FL | Palladium Theatre
8/17 -- Lake Buena Vista FL | House of Blues
8/18 -- Jacksonville FL | Florida Theatre
8/20 -- Charlotte NC | The Fillmore
8/21 -- Nashville TN | Marathon Musicworks
8/22 -- Asheville NC | Orange Peel
8/23 -- Atlanta GA | Centerstage
8/24 -- N. Myrtle Beach SC | House of Blues
8/25 -- Durham NC | Carolina Theatre
8/26 -- Richmond VA | The National
8/28 -- Washington DC | The Howard Theatre
8/29 -- Stroudsberg PA | Sherman Theatre
8/30 -- Glenside PA | Keswick Theatre
8/31 -- Westbury NY |Theatre at Westbury
9/2 -- Lancaster PA | Chameleon Club
9/4 -- Ridgefield CT | The Ridgefield Playhouse
9/5 -- Wilmington DE | The Grand Opera House
9/6 -- Greensburg PA | Palace Theater
9/7 -- New Brunswick NJ | State Theatre
9/8 -- Morristown NJ | Mayo Performing Arts Center
9/9 -- Albany NY | The Egg
9/11 -- New York NY | Best Buy Theater (Note: Ticket info/prices not yet posted)
9/13 -- Boston MA | Wilbur Theatre
9/14 -- Northampton MA | Calvin Theatre
9/15 -- Concord NH | Capitol Center
9/16 -- Lebanon NH | Lebanon Opera House
9/17 -- Quebec QC CAN | Capitole Du Quebec
9/18 -- Montreal QC CAN | Metropolis
9/20 -- Toronto ON CAN | Sony Centre
9/21 -- Royal Oak MI | Royal Oak Music Hall
9/22 -- Buffalo NY | University of Buffalo Center for the Arts
9/24 -- Cleveland OH | House of Blues
9/26 -- Minneapolis MN | The Brick
9/27 -- Milwaukee WI | Pabst Theater
9/28 -- Chicago IL | House of Blues
9/29 -- St. Louis MO |The Pageant
9/30 -- Salina KS | The Stiefel Theatre
10/1 -- Denver CO | The Ogden Theatre
10/3 -- Boise ID | Knitting Factory
10/4 -- Seattle WA | The Moore Theatre
10/5 -- Vancouver BC | Commodore Ballroom
10/6 -- Portland OR | Roseland Theater
10/7 -- Napa CA | Uptown Theatre
10/9 -- San Francisco CA | Regency Ballroom
10/10 -- Sacramento CA | Ace of Spades
10/11 -- Anaheim CA | City National Grove of Anaheim
10/12 -- Los Angeles CA | Club Nokia
10/13 -- Agoura Hills CA | Canyon Club

Links:
Steve Vai

Athens, GA's White Violet (Nate Nelson) Post "Lays Around Lazy" As Free Download (from forthcoming disc Hiding, Mingling)

DOWNLOAD: White Violet - "Lays Around Lazy"

White Violet is four young men from Athens, GA. Their names are Vaughan Lamb, Brad Elliott, Josh McCauley and Nate Nelson. Their debut album for Normaltown Records is named Hiding, Mingling (out 8/14/12).

The Athens, GA-based band is the brainchild of Nate Nelson, who's known for both his production work, as a touring musician (he's played with Maria Taylor and Nik Freitas, among others), and for his solo albums (the first of which was released when he was only 16). Everything on Hiding, Mingling originated as "Nate Nelson" songs but it didn’t end that way. White Violet is less a traditional band than an idea: a practical construct within which each composition has its edges erased, its bluntness buffered and its ghosts more elegantly shrouded. The new album was also produced by Andy LeMaster (of Now It's Overhead).

(Nate playing with Andy LeMaster and Maria Taylor @ The Earl in Atlanta)


“When I look around/It seemed clearer before…” – “White Wash”

That one lyric from the lead track could sum up the whole experience of Hiding, Mingling. Even the album’s title betrays the pushmi-pullyu nature of these songs. There’s bliss in their claustrophobia, sweetness to their defensive sneer and a commonality to their singularity. This is night music - the sound of one heart beating.

White Violet Tour Dates
6/12 - High Watt, Nashville, TN
6/13 - Bottle Tree, Birmingham, AL
6/21 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
6/23 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

Links:
White Violet

The Hangmen - "East of Western" CD Review (Acetate Records)

PLAY: The Hangmen - "Homesick Blues" (from East of Western)

I had completely forgotten about the 80’s cowpunk/gutter-rock band The Hangmen until the band’s latest disc, East of Western (Acetate Records), hit my mailbox. I remember the band as being a solid outfit but their “Jeffrey Lee Pierce meets X” sound was a clear case of ‘wrong time/wrong place’ during hair metal’s heyday on the Sunset Strip.

With singer/guitarist Bryan Small as the only holdover from the band’s original lineup, the Hangmen’s new ten-track disc (32 minutes) soldiers on in the spirit of later-period Dream Syndicate and Social Distortion. Not so coincidently, the Hangmen have toured with Social D and Mike Ness produced the band’s 2007 disc, In the City. In addition to Small, the current lineup of includes x-Supersuckers Ron Heathman (Guitar, Vocals), Angelique Congleton (Bass, Vocals) and Dino Guerrero (Drums). Guest star Jordan Shapiro (who has played with The Supersuckers) adds wispy trails of pedal-steel adornment to the garage rocker “Graverobbers”

Writing in a style similar to Mike Ness, Small’s songs are semi-confessional road tales about hard luck and hard living, lost loves, self-destruction and redemption. Small’s sneering vocals continue to be as distinctive and immediately recognizable as Johnny Thunders and the music ranges from slow-burning ballads to b*lls-out gutter punk. The music is as distinctive as Small’s vocals as both the hooks and anthemic choruses are memorable. All of this is complemented by Heathman’s stellar slide guitar work. On East of Western, Small sneers his way through boldly hard-rocking romantic pleas (“I’m Your Man”), Western-tinged barn-burners (“Railroad Man”) and insomniac tales of junkie self-destruction and ultimate redemption (“Drink Smoke”). With its big, fat and leering monster riff, “Big Red Rooster” is a fitting homage to the late Lux Interior of the Cramps, who Small lovingly describes as a “teenage bastard of the chosen one.” Adding to the mix of Hangman originals, the band blazes through a red-hot cover of the Modern Lovers' "She Cracked"

Producer Doug Boehm does an excellent job of capturing the grittiness of the band’s sound on East of Western and this was something that was missing from the band’s late 80’s debut disc. (Just so I’m not confusing anyone – East of Western is the band’s sixth disc but…I missed the middle four so I can’t comment on how they compare.)



Links:
The Hangmen

Nehedar - "High Tide" CD Review

Nehedar’s Bio: Nehedar is the project of NYC based singer-songwriter Emilia Cataldo. Emilia has been writing and performing since 2001 and has been compared to Tracy Bonham, Emma Pollock and Aimee Mann.

While spanning indie-rock, folk, jazz and pop genres, the music of Nehedar has continued to deliver her blend of deeply personal yet quirky lyrics, beautiful vocal harmonies, a variety of instrumentation, and momentary departures from strict chord progressions that set her music apart. She has recorded her music at the Little Pioneer Cider House in Brooklyn, NY with producer Craig Levy since 2007. Nehedar released her 5th cd in March 2012 and is currently working on new material and videos.

I can relate to John Cusack’s film “High Fidelity” on multiple levels – while I’m taking a scene from the movie out of context, I need the “side one track one” of an artist that I’m not familiar with to grab and hold my attention. I gave Nehedar’s latest CD, High Tide, as spin and absolutely hated this first track “The Interrogation”. To my ears, it sounded like warmed over Bananarama or Belinda Carlisle – dated 80’s synthesizers with waif-like vocals bemoaning “there is so much confusion, so much f*cking noise”. Needless to say, I didn’t get beyond track one.

After looking at this disc in my review pile over the last few weeks, I was feeling guilty and gave the full disc a spin. Aside for the disaster of track one, the rest of the disc was an enjoyable listen as the music predominately falls into an upbeat (Americana) singer/songwriter groove. In listening to Cataldo’s clear vocals drive the direction of the remaining thirteen songs on the disc (as opposed to the instrumentation), my immediate points of comparison are Nanci Griffth (though not as twangy) or Michelle Shocked.

Cataldo keeps things interesting as the Nanci Griffth/Shawn Colvin only holds for part of the album before she stretches the boundaries into upbeat indie-rock (“Take It Apart” and “The Song No One Hears”) and blues/soul (“Dig Deep” and “Baby, I’m Falling”). Cataldo’s most distinguishing asset is her strong and natural vocals which shine on the ethereal “Intro” and the plaintive and minimalist “Ocean”. The disc goes out on a charmingly goofy note with “Countdown the Days” which is a darkly jolly number that could serve as a drinking song to “countdown the days until your dead”.



Anyone who has spent an evening or two at places like Joe’s Pub is sure to enjoy Nehedar’s new disc.

Links:
Nehedar

At The Moment - "Monte Carlo" CD EP Review

Veteran musician Daniel Stampfel has been playing in bands on NYC circuit for quite a number of years but has finally released his first solo disc. Stampfel previously fronted The Inevitable Breakups, a power-pop quartet, whose debut album, No Wonder You’re So Beautiful, was produced by Richard Lloyd. One reviewer called Stampfel the “the reincarnation of Buddy Holly” and New York Press described the band as follows: “With a sound and infectious vocal harmonies reminiscent of The Raspberries, Weezer, The Cars, and Cheap Trick, they manage to combine those artists’ musical qualities to full effect with some kick-ass results.”



With the (inevitable) breakup of The Inevitable Breakups in 2007, Stampfel kept a low profile for the next few years. “I stopped playing for about three years. I got wrapped up in relationships and real life,” says Stampfel. “I would write here and there, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do; what style, what ideas. But I knew I wanted to do something different.” Without a band for the first time in years, Stampfel didn’t have a set group to give him the yay or nay on his songs — and he didn’t have a set idea of how those songs needed to sound. The time was right for the songwriter to break out; to truly explore what he could do.



The three tracks on At the Moment’s debut EP show Stampfel moving in a direction similar to Matthew Sweet – 60’s/Byrdsian-inspired jangle pop. This is the sort of music that would have come out of Mitch Easter’s studios twenty years ago but, fast-forwarding to the present, Stampfel worked on his new disc with Longwave/Hurricane Bells mainman Steve Schiltz. Armed with a handful of songs he’d demoed at home, Stampfel hit the studio, “not knowing what to expect,” he remembers. Stampfel remembers "Steve suggested we record the songs live to capture the feeling of the original demos. We recruited Benjamin Cartel (Kaiser Cartel, The Benjamin Cartel) to play drums, Steve played bass and I played acoustic guitar. Steve and I shared overdub duties to complete the recording."

The end result was a trio of winsome songs, each with perfectly crafted hooks and ringing guitars.



Links:
At The Moment

MonstrO to Support Danzig on the Way to Bonnaroo

Atlanta, Georgia’s MonstrO will be rolling into Bonnaroo in a few weeks with a handful of impressive warm up dates under their belts. The four-piece will be headlining the fabled Whisky in Los Angeles this Friday before opening for Danzig starting May 26 and making their way eastward to wind up in Manchester, Tennessee for the Bonaroo Music Festival on Thursday, June 7. MonstrO has previously toured with Kyuss Lives! and recently wrapped up a national tour with Clutch and HellYeah.

MonstrO’s debut self-titled album (which hit streets on September 6, 2011 via Vagrant Records) already has fans raving with Outburn Magazine stating, "...this quartet has put out a solid debut album of pure musical honesty and integrity that combines the fearless exploration of Led Zeppelin, the sludgy drone of Alice in Chains, the genre defying art rock of Jane's Addiction, and the rumble of Metallica."

MonstrO is: Juan Montoya (guitar), Kyle Sanders (bass), Bevan Davies (drums) and Charlie Suarez (vocals/guitar).



MonstrO on tour:
05/25 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Whisky (headline)
05/26 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
05/27 – San Francisco, CA The Warfield *
05/31 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre *
06/01 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre *
06/02 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *
06/04 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore *
06/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE *
06/07 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
* - supporting Danzig

Links:
MonstrO

Despite Exile - "Re-Evolve" CD EP Review

In an interview with Metal Shock Finland, Italian metalcore crew Despite Exile described their songwriting process as “every song must be like a train that hits you in the face”. The band’s new EP, “Re-Evolve”, holds true to this promise and the disc’s three tracks (12 minutes) is a solid slab of prog-influenced Djent/Metalcore that can hold its own against established bands like Whitechapel and Meshuggah (both of whom the band cites as influences).

Despite Exile has been together for four years and the band released their self-produced debut EP “Scarlet Reverie” last year. “Re-Evolve”, the band’s sophomore disc, continues in the same view as its predecessor. This time out, the band has added Djent into their sound along with tighter production, which brings out the balance between the band’s brutal riffs and blast beats, their melodies and vocalist Jei Durisotti’s rabid death metal growls.

The disc starts with “Oscillate” (which is streaming at www.bravewords.com) and this track sets the tone for the disc with melodic guitar leads layered on top of driving groove-based riffs and a rumbling bass. “Perfection Neutralized” continues in this vein but the guitar work is a bit more slashing and aggressive than its predecessor and this song also adds gang vocals on the almost-melodic chorus. The band changes paces and slows down a bit on the final track, “Mechanical”, which contains some soaring epic guitar leads and a mid-song breakdown that is sure to get the pit going.



This new EP is evidently a ‘teaser’ for the band’s first full-length which is in-progress and the band expects to be in pre-production soon.

Links:
Despite Exile

Crocodiles - "Endless Flowers" CD Review (Frenchkiss Records)

You have to love a band like San Diego’s Crocodiles for being able to channel their obvious influences (Jesus & Mary Chain / Echo & the Bunnymen / Spacemen 3) into creating a sound that mines this genre without sounding derivative. San Diego’s Crocodiles are releasing their third disc, Endless Flowers, on June 5th on Frenchkiss Records which is a ten-track (42 minute) slab of psychedelic, fuzzed-out garage rock. Note: for vinyl junkies, there is a limited edition LP pressing on red/white marble vinyl available through Souterrain Transmissions' Web Store.

Recorded in Berlin last summer, Endless Flowers is the first album to feature Crocodiles' full five-piece line up, which has evolved from their 2008 genesis as the core duo of singer/guitarist Brandon Welchez and guitarist Charles Rowell to include keyboardist Robin Eisenberg, bassist Marco Gonzalez, and drummer Anna Schulte. Endless Flowers follows in the footsteps of the band's two previous releases (2010's Sleep Forever and 2009's debut Summer of Hate), while adding a refined cohesion and unmistakable sunniness to their glorious noise- and echo-drenched pop.

Tracks range from the title-track opener which sounds like it could have been an Echo & the Bunnymen hit to the post-punk wall of noise of “Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)” to the Byrdsian psychedelia of “No Black Clouds for Dee Dee”. “Hung Up on a Flower” is 6+ minute track that starts with John Lennon style piano (think “Imagine”) before going into a mellow psychedelic shoegazer number and the track ends with two minutes of grinding guitars and vocal sound loops. There is even a track of pure psychedelic bliss where front-man Brandon Welchez sounds as though he is about to float off into space (“You Are Forgiven”).

A number of tracks from Endless Flowers could be indie-rock singles (along the same lines of JAMC’s “Just Like Honey”) and the standouts are “My Surfing Lucifer” and “Dark Alleys”. In comparing the new disc to its predecessors, Welchez said “I think those two albums, while I love them, were somewhat monochrome. This one is in full color”.





Helmut Katzenflugen, neighbor and ”biographer” of the band’s time in Berlin, described his impressions of the new disc as: “Immediately I was struck by the songs. No two were alike, though all were held together by strong hooks and strange layers of floating atmosphere….Charles’ guitar playing alternated between lost-in- space weightlessness and jagged brush-strokes of aural violence. He seemed to strike the perfect balance between his intellectual and more primal tendencies. Marco and Anna cut a strong figure as the rhythm section. Her love of Klaus Dinger (“Mein Klaus”, she called him) was evident in the motorik march of “Dark Alleys,” while her affinity for Robert Wyatt and Tommy Ramone, two of her other drum idols, was showcased elsewhere. Marco’s prowess on the bass was demonstrated in the fluidly melodic runs of some of the album’s poppier moments and the thuggish minimalism of some of its more experimental ones. Robin, the group’s secret weapon, held the album together with her mastery of the organ, contributing moments of Modern Lovers-esque sublimity on one song then swathes of dreamy murk the next. In many places on the record she sang harmony with Brandon, the group’s singer and occasional rhythm guitarist. While her voice provided an ethereal relief from the distortion, his varied from a trashcan croon to pure adolescent snot. I was sold on the album immediately – it satisfied my pop desire while retaining an oddball down-to-Earth grit.”

Links:
Crocodiles

The Doc Marshalls Release New LP on May 29th / Show at Mercury Lounge on June 10th

DOWNLOAD: The Doc Marshalls - "Here They Come"

The Doc Marshalls’ front man, Nick Beaudoing, has arrived in Nashville armed with an album that still reeks of Brooklyn, his former home. Whereas previous releases evoked a humid musical landscape along the Texas-Louisiana border, the Doc Marshalls’ new album, Look Out, Compadre, sheds the honky-tonk and Cajun two-steps in favor of crooked, shimmering folk reminiscent of Bonnie Prince Billy and A.A. Bondy.

This hard left turn comes on the heels of years of preaching roots music in indie rock venues, where country flavors are seldom heard. Look Out, Compadre is a surprising and welcome departure, demonstrating that even hardcore country boys are unable to keep the city at bay forever.



Eager to capture the moment of a signature sound in flux, the band enlisted engineer Alex Lipsen at Headgear Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (Phosphorescent, Nada Surf) with the goal of recording in an atmosphere where instruments like the fiddle and pedal steel would be treated as outsiders. Session musicians such as guitarist Josh Kaufman (Dawn Landes, Rocketship Park) further sharpen the edges of songs whose lyrics spin tales of last stands, exploding houses, and the calm that forgiveness brings.

A versatile repertoire has taken the Doc Marshalls from indie rock clubs in NYC, to rural Texas dancehalls, Europe, and countless festival stages in between. Their busy touring schedule has afforded them the opportunity to open for the likes of Bobby Bare Jr., Carrie Rodriguez, the Bottle Rockets, and even reggae legend Burning Spear.

The Doc Marshalls are playing a record release show at Mercury Lounge on June 10th. This is a late show - opener Benyaro (indie acoustic soul and roots power duo) is going on at 9PM and The Doc Marshalls are going on at 10PM. Advance tickets are $10 and the show is 21+.

Links:
The Doc Marshalls

In Cages - Self-Titled CD EP Review (Modern Rock)

DOWNLOAD: In Cages - "Dirty Water" (Requires email)

In Cages is a new quartet based out of Hillsdale, NJ and the band’s self-titled debut EP (which drops June 23rd) is a solid slab of 90’s post-grunge “modern rock”. The four tracks (13 minutes) on this disc are melodic, guitar-driven numbers that bear more than a passing resemblance to bands like Fuel and Hinder crossed with the melodic hooks of the Foo Fighters. On the disc’s leadoff track, “Dirty Water”, Lionnel Mascarenhas’ vocal style even sounds a bit like Grohl’s.

In Cages breaks from the current crop of “modern rock” bands (…or goes back to Nirvana’s Unplugged album) by including cellist Filomena Jack in the lineup. Her contribution is noticeable and welcome on three of the disc’s four songs. The remaining song, “London”, is a grunge song that is driven by a dirty bass and drum beat.

For anyone who likes what they hear, vocalist/bassist Lionnel Mascarenhas released a solo disc in 2007, Wonderland”, which is available as a free download through Lionnel’s website.

In Cages are playing some local shows over the next few weeks:

Saturday, June 23 - L4 Black Door, 41 Murray Street (between Church & West Broadway), NYC
Friday, July 27 - Clash Bar, 39 Harding Avenue, Clifton, NJ

Links:
In Cages

Future of What Release "I Wait For You" from Forthcoming EP / Release Party at Cameo Gallery on June 21st

Brooklyn, NY's Future Of What will release their debut EP "Moonstruck" on June 26th, 2012 and the band is throwing an EP release party at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn on June 21st.

The four-piece band - Blair (Gimma), Sam Axelrod, Max Kotelchuck, Seth Waldstein - is a new project from Blair, whose debut album, Die Young, was released by Autumn Tone Records in 2010. Blair also wrote the songs on "Moonstruck" over the course of 2011 and, home from tour, found she wanted to play in a collaborative band setting. Quickly, one came together: Waldstein had been playing drums with her since 2010; she met Axelrod, who'd played in Chicago band The Narrator, through mutual friends; and he knew Kotelchuck through his sister. The newly dubbed Future Of What further fleshed out and arranged Blair's songs, and began rehearsing in January 2012. After playing their first show in February (opening for a sold out Mirah), the band recorded and mixed "Moonstruck" with Daniel Schlett (Here We Go Magic, Friends, DIIV) at Strange Weather studio in Brooklyn, NY over four days in March.

On "Moonstruck", Future Of What takes listeners on a 14-minute trip that begins late one night in the city and ends the following night in heaven. Blair's airy, intimate vocals float over keyboard-driven melodies, from the kick drum heartbeat of the wistful opener "Back To The City", to the forlorn, evocative pop of "I Wait For You", to the moody synths and bass lines of "White Light", and the aching, dreamlike pulse of "Party In Heaven." It's an impressive introduction to the young band, indicating a definitive charm and prowess that promises only good things from Future Of What, who are currently working on their debut LP.

"Moonstruck" EP track listing:
Back To The City
I Wait For You
White Light
Party In Heaven

Links:
Future of What

Tu Fawning - "A Monument" CD Review (City Slang) / Show at Glasslands on August 3rd

Portland, OR’s Tu Fawning released their sophomore album, A Monument, today on City Slang. This album marks the first release written and recorded collaboratively as a four-piece. This time out, band leaders Corrina Repp and Joe Haege are joined by Liza Reitz (piano, organ, violin, percussion, vocals) and Toussaint Perrault (synth, trumpet, percussion, vocals).

The nine tracks on this new disc are layered and musically dense and show the band heading down a dark path similar to some of the early 80’s post-punk, gothic bands (Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Birthday Party). While there are some moments of shoe-gazer and indie-rock brightness, most of the tracks are brooding numbers, driven by Repp’s ethereal vocals, hypnotic rhythms, layered syths and chanted choruses. All of the songs are perfect for headphone listening as the band builds up each song organically until it reaches epic proportions.



The disc starts out with “Anchors”, which is a shimmery, reverb-heavy number which features Repp’s emotive vocals backed with a “4AD” style chorus. From there, the band goes into “Blood Stains”, which is a slinky, slow-burning R&B number that would fit perfectly on a David Lynch soundtrack. Moving styles tangentially, “Wager” features Joe Haege on lead vocals and this song captures the best moments of the early 90’s shoegazer bands. Continuing to change directions, the disc goes out with the 7+ minute number “Bones”, which combines a long percussive intro (think White Rabbits) with Repp’s smoky, soulful vocals. The band described a listener’s journey through their new disc as “Lush and romantic at one stop on the journey, followed by sinister bombast at the next destination".

With the lyrics, Repp set out to put a true sense of tenderness front and center in the album; frequently writing lyrics while listening to mixes through headphones in the dark. While working on the words over a concentrated period of time, a common thread began running between them. Each track explores different permutations of what a monument is: the idea of something revered something that represents something else, something pure. In their mix of the sincere and mildly unconventional, the songs explore the connection between the good and bad, the light and dark, the sensuality and earnestness in being alive.

For this new disc, Joe Haege said that the band set out to “capture a feeling that someone listening to it couldn’t easily pin down the era it’s from“. To my ears, Tu Fawning more than achieved their goal and they said it best in an interview with FemaleFirst – “The hiss and crackle of vintage 78 rpm folk records swims alongside sparkling new wave synthesizers, R&B horn blasts interrupt gothic funeral marches, choirs of angels accompanied by demonic guitar distortion.”

Tu Fawning US Tour Dates
06-08 Portland - Holocene
06-20 San Francisco - Brick and Mortar
06-21 Los Angeles - The Bootleg Room
06-23 San Diego - Soda Bar
06-24 Santa Cruz, Ca -Crepe Place
07-26 Minneapolis, Mn -7th Street Entry*
07-27 Madison, Wi -U. Of Wisconsin*
07-28 Chicago, Il -Schubas*
07-31 Montreal, Qc - Divan Orange*
08-1 Boston, Ma - Great Scott*

08-2 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge*
Note: This is an early show; Tickets are $10 and AU opens the show with a 6:30PM set time

08-03 Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands* (No show info posted yet)
08-04 Philadelphia, Pa - Johnny Brenda’s*
* Shows with AU

Links:
Tu Fawning

The Buddies Release Video for "All the Beer is Gone", Directed by Ryan and Eric Henriquez

Last year, the video's co-director Ryan Henriquez was directing a web series on the making of Deer Tick's last album Divine Providence in Providence, RI. Ryan spent several days with the band and the album's two producers, Adam Landry and Justin Collins, both of whom were interviewed for the series. During a break from recording, Justin Collins played Ryan the demo for "All The Beer Is Gone" by The Buddies, a band in which Justin sings and plays guitar, comprised of members from Chicago and Justin's hometown of Nashville. Ryan's mind was instantly blown by the demo. Over the course of the next several months, Ryan played it for literally anyone who would listen. When the Buddies' album F*** the Buddies was released later that year, Justin sent Ryan the album and talks began immediately about the creative direction for a video for "All The Beer Is Gone."

In an interview last year with Chicago blog DO312, vocalist Coley Kennedy described the band's sound as "Garbage-rock!” (As Justin once referred to our sound). The Mouse and I love old rockabilly music. We are also really into bands like The Smiths, Echo and The Bunny Men, and Jesus & Mary Chain (as is Pete). I think the front-porch/alt-folk/’60s/grunge-ier sounds The Buddies make are the result of Justin, Scott and Kim. The six of us all place a lot of importance on a really strong melody. We all share adoration for bands such as The Clash, The Faces, The Replacements, The Pogues, and The Stones. Throw all of our influences in a trash can, shake it up and dump it out … voila! The Buddies!"



In early 2012, the band members flew from their respective cities to NYC to film the video over a weekend at a loft in Greenpoint. The video was directed by brothers Eric and Ryan Henriquez and produced by Ryan's Perry Rome Productions. The video marks the Henriquez brothers' first collaboration since co-directing a live video of "Baltimore Blues, No. 1" by Deer Tick's John McCauley & Ian O'Neil. The video was shot by Bill Antonucci and edited by Miku Happonen, both of whom had collaborated with the Henriquez brothers on several music-related video projects over the past few years.

Links:
The Buddies

Ministry - "Relapse" CD Review (13th Planet Records)

STREAM: Ministry - "Relapse"

In thinking about all the ‘farewell’ tours of the past twenty years (which have included UFO, Ozzy Osbourne, The Who and Elton John), I can’t remember any musicians that have stayed ‘retired’. As such, it should come as no surprise that, after a five year hiatus from studio recording, Al Jourgensen has put out a new disc under the Ministry banner.

Relapse is Ministry’s twelfth studio disc and it was released on March 23rd through Jourgensen’s 13th Planet Records. Hold-overs from last decade’s ant-Bush trilogy, Mike Scaccia (guitars) and Tommy Victor (guitars) rejoin Jourgensen for this outing along with newcomers Tony Campos (bass), Arron Rossi (drums), and Casey Orr (bass, keyboards).

 Jourgensen described this new disc as “being the fastest and heaviest record I've ever done” but I don’t think that is quite the case as this new disc is closer to the Bush trilogy than the pissed-off industrial sounds of Psalm 69. Jourgensen is still righteously angry but his venom is directed toward record companies and band managers, Operation Geronimo and the hunt for Bin Laden, Wall Street and Big Business and there is also a semi-confessional tale about drug abuse. The disc also includes a straight-forward run-through of Stormtroopers of Death’s “United Forces”.

 In an interview with Metal Hammer, Jourgensen was asked “without a Bush in office what’s your muse?” “Trust me I got plenty of Republican’s to rail at. Look at Wall Street look at the complete destruction of the middle class in the world, I mean we have a ruling oligarchy which happened in the early 1900s with the robber barons. What these idiot greedy bastards don’t realize is that if they make a class of poor and a class of super wealthy, who’s gonna buy their product? There’s no middle class, there’s no money. That’s the Republican strategy. In the political process and the right wing too with the Murdochs and the Camerons and the shit u got going on over there. If you’re 1 % of the population and you own 80% of the wealth, who’s gonna buy what you’re making?”

 It is great to see Ministry back in action! Now for the bad news...this disc has a ‘radio friendly’ gloss, sing-along choruses and little of the menace that made the Psalm 69 era of Ministry great. Only the disc’s final track, “Bloodlust” shows signs of the Ministry of the past and songs like “Ghouldiggers” and “Weekend Warrior” sound like GWAR or Meatmen leftovers that are geared toward a “Hot Topic bro-pit” audience. I’m not one of those people who get grumpy when a band changes their sound – Relapse isn’t a bad disc but it is indistinguishable from the numerous “flavor of the month” bands that played the second stage at OzzFest and similar festivals. Without the Ministry name on the packaging, this disc would likely get minimal attention.

 Ministry is playing a short run of US show which includes a stop at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square with Blackburner on June 23. Tickets are $69.69 and VIP tickets are $110. (Hmm Al…good job raging against the ‘greedy bastards’ and then come through with a $70 ticket).

Ministry 2012 Tour Dates
June 17, 2012 – Denver, Ogden Theatre
June 21, 2012 - Los Angeles, Club Nokia
June 23, 2012 - New York, Best Buy Nokia
June 28, 2012 – Chicago, The Vic Theatre
June 29, 2012 – Chicago, The Vic Theatre

Links:
Ministry

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's are Playing MHOW on April 11th along with Writer and Ezra Furman

(Photo: Stephanie Bassos)
Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s released their fifth disc, Rot Gut, Domestic, last month which was Nukes' rawest take on their evocative, soaring brand of guitar-centric pop. Singer/songwriter Richard Edwards wrote Rot Gut, Domestic over 26 days in Pismo Beach, CA last spring. Plagued by chronic stomach pain, he'd headed to Pismo Beach - which had become a somewhat mythical place for the band, a respite of calm and healing where they'd somehow always been drawn - following the last days of the band's touring around Buzzard.

The new album was conceived as the second installment of the band's 'panic pop' trilogy, Edwards composing a new set of songs about Midwestern fringe characters set to his skewed version of the pop music on which he was raised. Upon returning to his current hometown of Chicago, IL, Edwards and the rest of the band headed into Electrical Audio studio with producer/engineer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Bill Callahan, The Walkmen). The Nukes churned out these 12 resounding tracks over 10 days in July before Congleton returned to his Dallas, TX studio to mix the album.



Margot and the Nukes are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Wednesday, April 12th along with Ezra Furman and Writer. (Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 DOS)

Links:
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

DRUNKSOULS - "Revolution" CD Review

DRUNKSOULS is an indie reggae/rock band from Marseille, France and the band released their second disc, Revolution, late last year. The band has gotten some comparisons to Gorillaz (don’t hear it at all) and Manu Chao (never heard his music) but I think a better comparison is to the light, breezy reggae sounds of Michael Franti’s last Spearhead album crossed with hints of The Specials along with some elements of commercially accessible worldbeat thrown in the mix.

DRUNKSOULS formed in 2002 and the band has progressively generating a buzz with over 100,000 downloads of their debut album and a song included in the documentary “I Believe I Can Fly” (the story of Skyliners, a team of French adventurers who specialize in highline tightrope walking, base-jumping, and mountaineering). Footage from this film can be seen in the band’s latest video “Human Race”.



DRUNKSOULS’ music doesn’t stray much beyond a mid-tempo “bounce” but it touches on a number of styles across the different tracks. “Drifter Song” is classic 80’s dance-funk and the band follows this by adding horns and stop/start rhythms to the next track, “Human Race”, where DRUNKSOULS sounds somewhat like The Beat or The Specials. “Lust” has a slow R&B pulse and “The End” is almost cabaret in its construction. As a fan of 80’s alt-rock, the band hits its groove with “Supermarket”, which has the pace and intensity of the classic British two-tone bands and “Revolution” which sounds like something Peter Gabriel would have written. “Sullivan Story” could have been a winner as well if the band had picked up the tempos a bit more.

The band’s lyrics touch on both the personal and the political with themes of war, sex, apathy and revolution (and almost all of the songs are sung in English) and often build to a sing-a-long chorus. Djamil Ramdane styles his vocals to almost become another instrument and his varied vocal delivery ranges from smooth R&B to rap.

This is the sort of disc that you would listen to while hanging outside where the drinks are flowing and “sink” into the disc’s smooth pop, pulsing bass lines and slow burning Jamaican ska beats. There is also enough substance to the music, the interesting atypical instrumentation and lyrics so that different elements reveal themselves upon repeat listens.

Links:
DRUNKSOULS

Fort Wilson Riot: Indie Dance-Rock Duo Plays Fontana's on April 18th

DOWNLOAD: Fort Wilson Riot - Daytrotter Session 1/29/11 (Note: Requires login/membership to download)

Minneapolis dance-rock duo Fort Wilson Riot came through town last December in support of their then new EP, "Generation Complex". If I had bothered with a "Best of 2011" list, this disc would have made the list as the EP pulled me in right away with its dark and catchy rhythms.

In their own music, Fort Wilson Riot isn’t just happy to let it stay the same either. Yes, they make great harmonies, with Amy’s soprano lifting and floating over Jacob’s growl and yelp, but there is nothing easily classifiable about the rest of their sound. From the crashing guitars and keys, to the blasting uplift of trumpet and harmonica lines to the dancing thump of electronic drums, Fort Wilson Riot are an energy that grabs a hold of you and takes you on a journey. The music doesn’t let up, and wherever they are, neither do Fort Wilson Riot.

Fort Wilson Riot are playing Fontana's on April 18th along with Shane Shane and The Tangibles. Cover is $7 and Fort Wilson Riot goes on at 9PM.

Links:
Fort Wilson Riot

Town Hall: Brooklyn Indie-Folk Band Releases Video for "Good Boy" / Record Release Show at The Studio at Webster Hall on April 15th

Town Hall "sold me" with their EP "Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps" which was a mellow "late night" listen and the band is now following up this EP with their full-length debut Roots and Bells. The new disc is out April 15th and Town Hall is also playing a record release show that night at The Studio at Webster Hall. As a run-up to the album release, Town Hall just released their first official music video for "Good Boy", which is the first single off the new disc.



Here is what the band had to say about the new video:

“Good Boy" is incredibly different from any track on our EP, Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps (released in January & available for FREE at townhall.bandcamp.com.) People who heard the EP might expect our new album to be just as quiet and introspective. This will totally catch them off guard. This song uses heavier rock conventions to convey the dark, crafty story of a kid up to no good. He sets his neighbor's cat on fire, gets violent revenge on a bully, and even ends up robbing a bank. While the backbone of the song is that old, familiar rock n' roll adage of 'sticking it to the man,' there is plenty of humor and fun expressed in the melodies, rhythms, and vocals. The video is set in any New England suburb, where big, white houses line the streets and neighbors stand outside trimming their hedges. The familiarity of it all contrasts the quirky, inventive camerawork of cinematographers Andrew Ellis and Ryan Nethery and director Matt Porter. They seized every opportunity to create a music video that is as much of a delinquent as the main character. The song and the video were produced by Mason Jar Music, a Brooklyn based collective of musicians, producers, filmmakers, and composers. We highly recommend visiting their site for more information and examples of their exceptional work.

For the show at Webster Hall, Town Hall is playing with EMEFE and Flearoy and the band is also playing an acoustic opening set. Tickets are $10 and doors are at 7:30PM.

Links:
Town Hall

Violens: Brooklyn Shoe Gazers Play Record Release Show at Le Poisson Rouge on May 16th

Violens' forthcoming album, True, finds the Brooklyn three-piece further amplifying their innovative songwriting with a palette of exquisitely crafted sound. The band's music eludes classification, expertly blending percussive guitar work and silky harmonies, seeking the silver lining yet to be discovered between the sounds we know and love. With a wash of 90s sonic pop drawn from artists like Pale Saints, Cocteau Twins and McCarthy, Violens paint soft watercolor notes across their compositions, adding crucial emotional depth via layered vocal harmonies.

The album's first single, "Totally True," demonstrates this with its stone-washed, semi-improvised feel, celebrating bands like The Chameleons and Martin Newell's Cleaners From Venus. The guitars are clean and jangling, meshing perfectly with the driving bassline. The lovely vocals have an almost 60s feel; their debt to such soft-rock touchstones as The Association and Sagittarius is one of the unique elements of Violens' sound that sets them well-apart from many of their contemporaries. According to the band, "'Totally True' is a nearly impossible idea if you think about it, but a fun song to play live. I think we were imagining an ego-driven 19-year-old when we wrote it, extremely attractive, blonde and treacherous. It took Jorge months to learn the solo and he still fucks it up all the time..." The b-side, 'Something Falling', is a dreamy ballad marked by an effectively spare production, sweeping synths and the band's trademark harmonies.

Violens East Coast Tour Dates (more dates to be announced soon)
4/14 - Miami, FL @ Maps Backlot -Art Walk Concert Series
4/28 - Hamden, CT @ Outer Space w/Lower Dens
4/29 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott w/Lower Dens
5/03 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's w/Lower Dens
5/04 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel w/Lower Dens
5/05 - Baltimore, MD @Otto Bar w/ Lower Dens

5/16 - New York, NY @Le Poisson Rouge (Record Release show)
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 DOS



Links:
Violens

Monks of Mellonwah - "Neurogenesis" CD Ep Review

If one waits long enough, what was old becomes new again. I recently reviewed a CD where the immediate comparison was to 90’s ‘modern rock’ bands like Fuel. Australian buzz band Monks of Mellonwah mine a similar 80’s alt-rock/90’s modern rock vein on their new EP “Neurogenesis”. The band’s music is built upon a core that is comparable to warm and shimmering sound that Eno and Daniel Lanois added to U2’s Joshua Tree. The four songs on this disc (there is also a remix of the title track “Neurogenesis”) sound like the band draws upon a range of influences that include Californication-era RHCP (“Never Ending Spirit”) and Deep-era Peter Murphy (“Kyoto”). The title track “Neurogenesis” has a Joshua Tree shimmer and will be on the soundtrack for the upcoming movie The Errand Boy and the disc’s final track, “You Shine”, is captivating with its tribal chanting and drumming.





Monks of Mellonwah recently won the “Best Indie Rock Band” award at the Artists in Music Awards 2012 and have been nominated for the best International Artist in the LA Music Awards. “Neurogenesis” will be released May 24, 2012.

Links:
Monks of Mellonwah

Cattle Decapitation Release In-Studio Video for "Monolith of Inhumanity" (Out May 8th on Metal Blade) / Show April 24th at Club Europa

California progressive grind conquerors Cattle Decapitation reveal the first of three in-studio video segments from their Monolith Of Inhumanity recording sessions. Set for North American release on May 8, 2012, the record was produced by Dave Otero of Denver's Flatline Audio and sees the band exploring innovative new techniques in song writing without abandoning their signature formula of confrontational audio wreckage and self-loathing lyrical content.

Check out Dave McGraw’s drum demolition and behind-the-scenes studio footage as well as first single “A Living, Breathing Piece Of Defecating Meat”.



Monolith Of Inhumanity is an achievement that stands out as one of the most volatile, ambitious, and impossible to aptly categorize records you will hear in 2012. Dragging their ever-evolving deathgrind sound kicking and screaming into the epic territory inhabited by the likes of Dimmu Borgir and Anaal Nathrakh, the quartet redefine all perceptions of what Cattle Decapitation is. With their seventh full-length, the band have never sounded more focused, aggressive, or manically determined to get in the faces of those who erroneously believe they’ve already experienced the band at their extreme best.

The 11-track Monolith Of Inhumanity features a host of guests including Mike Majewski of Devourment (guest vocals on "Projectile Ovulation"), Lenard Leal of Cephalic Carnage (backing vocals by on "A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat"), The Cephalic Carnage Community Men's Choir, consisting of all current Cephalic members and alumni Jawsh Mullen and Zac Joe (gang choir vocals on "The Carbon Stampede"), and ambient and noise interludes by Los Angeles' most extreme decimator of sound, John Wiese, as well as another strikingly brutal cover by Wes Benscoter.

In addition, Cattle Decapitation collaborated with famed pop culture artist Tom Bunk, best known for his work for the 1980s Garbage Pail Kids trading cards and MAD Magazine, for a very special art project. Bunk was gracious enough to create individual pieces of art for each member of the band, heavily influenced by and practically just as they appeared in the Garbage Pail Kids series of the ‘80s! A GPK-inspired Cattle Decapitation trading card set and T-shirts are included with special limited pre-order packages and collector’s bundles.

Cattle Decapitation recently returned from the successful Reborn of Death European Tour with Suffocation, Blood Red Throne, Cerebral Bore, Adimiron, Sadist and Ulvedharr and will take a short break before heading out on the Occupation Domination 2012 with Origin, Decrepit Birth, Aborted, Rings Of Saturn, Battlecross and more!

CATTLE DECAPITATION - Occupation Domination 2012
w/ Origin, Decrepit Birth, Aborted, Rings Of Saturn, Battlecross
4/14/12 - Forum 619 – Cheyenne, WY
4/15/12 - Budd Ugly's – Rapid City, SD
4/18/12 - Blackened Moon – Lansing, MI
4/19/12 - Lansing Elementary Community Center, Lansing OH
4/20/12 - Sonar – Baltimore, MD
4/21/12 - Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
4/22/12 - Champs Backstage – Trenton, NJ
4/23/12 - Railroad Tavern – Keene, NH
4/24/12 - Club Europa – Brooklyn, NY (Advanced Tickets are $20)
4/25/12 - Harpos – Detroit, MI
4/26/12 - Brass Rail – Peoria, IL
4/27/12 - Mojoe’s – Joliet, IL
4/28/12 - Camelot Arena – Portage, IN
4/29/12 - Fubar – St. Louis, MO
4/30/12 - The Rogue – Fayetteville, AR
5/02/12 - El Rey Theatre – Albuquerque, NM
5/03/12 - Cheyenne Saloon – Las Vegas, NV
5/04/12 - Ruby Room – San Diego, CA
5/05/12 - The Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ
5/06/12 - The Whisky a Go-Go – Hollywood, CA
5/07/12 - Slidebar – Fullerton, CA
5/08/12 - DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA
5/09/12 - Plea For Peace Center – Stockton, CA
5/10/12 - The Alley – Sparks, NV
5/11/12 - Branx – Portland, OR
5/12/12 - Studio Seven – Seattle, WA
5/13/12 - The Venue – Boise, ID
5/14/12 - In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
5/15/12 - The Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
5/16/12 - People's Court – Des Moines, IA
5/17/12 - Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
5/18/12 - The Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS

Links:
Cattle Decapitation

Cannibal Corpse: "Torture" Interview with Guitarist Rob Barrett, March 29, 2012

DOWNLOAD: BrooklynRocks Interview with Cannibal Corpse Guitarist Rob Barrett

Long-running band Cannibal Corpse is back with their twelfth disc, Torture (released March 13th on Metal Blade). This new twelve track disc combines the raw thrash of the band’s early works with the technical precision of the band’s later works and complements this with clear production from (Hate Eternal/x-Morbid Angel) Erik Rutan. This new disc is the band’s third with Rutan and it follows in a similar musical vein as Kill (2006) and Evisceration Plague (2009).

I had the pleasure of talking with guitarist Rob Barrett last week about the making of the new disc and the band's upcoming tour. Check out the interview - the link is posted above.

Cannibal Corpse Tour Dates
Apr 05 - Jacksonville Beach, FL, Freebird Live
Apr 08 - Huntington, WV, V Club
Apr 13 - Rochester, NY, Club @ Water Street
Apr 14 - Cincinnati, OH, Bogart's
Apr 15 - Phoenix, AZ, Rhythm Room
Apr 16 - Des Moines, IA, People's Court
Apr 21 - Grand Junction, CO, Mesa Theater
Apr 25 - Houston, TX, Jake's
Apr 27 - Columbia, MO, The Blue Note
Apr 28 - Oklahoma City, OK, Diamond Ballroom
Apr 30 - Nashville, TN, Exit/In
May 01 - Birmingham, AL, Zydeco (Upstairs)
May 02 - Pensacola, FL, Vinyl Music Hall
May 03 - Gainesville, FL, Double Down Live

Links:
Cannibal Corpse

Cursive Plays Headlining Shows at Bowery Ballroom on Apr. 3 & 4

STREAM: Cursive Live on Minneapolis Radio 3/23/12


On Cursive's seventh disc, I Am Gemini (Saddle Creek), the band tells the story of Cassius and Pollock, twin brothers who had been separated at birth. “One good and one evil, their unexpected reunion in a house that is not a home ignites a classic struggle for the soul, played out with a cast of supporting characters that includes a chorus of angels and devils, and twin sisters conjoined at the head.”

Cursive kicked off their US tour in February and the band is playing two nights at Bowery Ballroom on April 3rd and 4th with support from Cymbals Eat Guitars and Conduits. Tickets for each of the nights are $16 and doors are at 7:30PM.



Later this month, Cursive will reissue their classic 2001 EP "Burst and Bloom" as a limited edition 12-inch in celebration of Record Store Day 2012 on April 21st via Saddle Creek. Available in this format for the first time in years, the EP will be pressed on RSD-exclusive yellow, white, and black marbled vinyl, with only 1,500 copies issued. A list of participating stores can be found here.

Burst and Bloom track listing:
Sink To The Beat
The Great Decay
Tall Tales, Telltales
Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?
Fairytales Tell Tales

Links:
Cursive

Crocodiles Play Glasslands on April 11th / New Album "Endless Flowers" out June 5th (Frenchkiss)

DOWNLOAD: Crocodiles - "Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)"

San Diego, CA's Crocodiles are confirmed to support The Temper Trap on a set of North American tour dates in June. Beginning on the 10th at the House of Blues in Dallas, TX, the run will continue up the west coast before wrapping up on the 19th at the Malkin Bowl at Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. The band is also performing twice in New York this month: on April 11th at Glasslands in Brooklyn and on the 12th at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan. A current itinerary is below and more Crocodiles touring news will be announced soon.

Last week, Crocodiles premiered an album teaser video for upcoming release Endless Flowers, which will be out in the US on June 5th via Frenchkiss Records, on AOL Music's Spinner. The Max Petrich-directed infomercial - which debuts clips of LP tracks "My Surfing Lucifer", "No Black Clouds For Dee Dee", and "Welcome Trouble".



Recorded in Berlin last summer, Endless Flowers is the first album to feature Crocodiles' full five-piece line up, which has evolved from their 2008 genesis as the core duo of singer/guitarist Brandon Welchez and guitarist Charles Rowell to now include keyboardist Robin Eisenberg, bassist Marco Gonzalez, and drummer Anna Schulte. Endless Flowers follows in the footsteps of the band's stellar two previous releases (2010's Sleep Forever and 2009's debut Summer of Hate), while adding a refined cohesion and unmistakable sunnyness to their glorious noise- and echo-cloaked pop. The title track opener is four and a half minutes of soaring, alarm-ringing guitars, while "Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)" comes next with a resounding, punk-inflected charge. The 7-plus minute "My Surfing Lucifer" begins with two minutes of grimy, hissed spoken word before ascending to glammy, distorted heights; the bass-heavy and buzzing "Dark Alleys" is a motorik march; and the swirling "Bubblegum Trash" has a sweet, dirty charm. Nearly all are single-worthy, and are embellished with Welchez's newly forward-mixed croon.

Crocodiles on tour:
APR. 11 -- BROOKLYN, NY -- GLASSLANDS (Tickets are $15)
APR. 12 -- NEW YORK, NY -- MERCURY LOUNGE (Tickets are $15)
JUN. 10 -- DALLAS, TX -- HOUSE OF BLUES*
JUN. 11 -- AUSTIN, TX -- STUBB'S (outdoors)*
JUN. 13 -- SAN DIEGO, CA -- HOUSE OF BLUES*
JUN. 15 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM*
JUN. 16 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- WARFIELD THEATRE*
JUN. 17 -- PORTLAND, OR -- ROSELAND THEATRE*
JUN. 18 -- SEATTLE, WA -- SHOWBOX AT THE MARKET*
JUN. 19 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- MALKIN BOWL AT STANLEY PARK*
* supporting The Temper Trap

Links:
Crocodiles

Across Tundras: Nashville Americana-Doom Band Plays Union Pool on April 20th (Neurot Recordings)

Nashville, Tennessee's panoramic country crushers Across Tundras' Neurot Recordings debut, Sage, was released in May 2011, capturing the band's heritage perfectly, through an amalgam of haunting doom-tinged Americana, melding echoes of traditional country blues and psychedelic sludge. Their organic sound is well-honed, marking it as their most fully realized album to date with all of their influences and elements flowing cohesively.

Across Tundras will be heading "out with the truckers and the kickers and the cowboy angels" on a massive American tour this Spring in support of their Neurot Recordings debut Sage. The band also pressed and hand-screened 300 copies of Sage on 2xLP as well as a brand new split 7" with fellow Tennessee heavy psych rockers Hellbender, especially for these tour dates. Get stoked like a raging prairie fire for the Across Tundras live experience!



ACROSS TUNDRAS 2012 Spring Tour:
4/11/2012 The Foxhole - St Louis, MO w/ Thorlock, Time and Time
4/12/2012 Mike n Molly's - Champaign, IL
4/13/2012 Rozz Tox - Quad Cities, IL w/ Electric Machete, Greg Colson
4/14/2012 Club Garibaldi - Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Day's Fest w/ Northless
4/15/2012 Ultra Lounge - Chicago, IL w/ Larks Tongue
4/16/2012 Peoria Pizza Works - Peoria, IL w/ Larks Tongue
4/17/2012 The Butcher Shop - Dayton, OH w/ Before the Eyewall, Imbroglio
4/18/2012 Carabar - Columbus, OH w/ Tank Destroyer, Traitors Return to Earth
4/19/2012 Smiling Moose - Pittsburgh, PA w/ Molasses Barge, Carousel
4/20/2012 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
4/21/2012 The Level Room - Philadelphia, PA w/ Ominous Black, Sadgiqacea, Hivelords
4/22/2012 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA @ Year of Shit 3 Fest
4/23/2012 TBA - Raleigh, NC (HELP WANTED)
4/24/2012 The Cave - Chapel Hill, NC w/ Bitter Resolve
4/25/2012 The Milestone - Charlotte, NC
4/26/2012 The Owl - Greenville, SC
4/27/2012 Lexington Avenue Brewery - Asheville, NC
4/28/2012 Wonderroot - Atlanta, GA
4/29/2012 Longbranch Saloon - Knoxville, TN w/ Wampus Cat, War Injun
4/30/2012 The Green Lantern - Lexington, KY w/ Stampede
5/01/2012 The Muse - Nashville, TN
5/17/2012 The Buccaneer - Memphis, TN
5/18/2012 The Road Map - Texarkana, AR
5/19/2012 The Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK
5/20/2012 Lola's - Ft. Worth, TX w/ FTW
5/21/2012 The 806 Coffee House - Amarillo, TX
5/22/2012 Burt's Tiki Lounge - Albuquerque, NM
5/23/2012 The Red Owl - Phoenix, AZ w/ Rituals, Via Vengeance
5/24/2012 La Cocina - Tucson, AZ
5/25/2012 Matsumoto's 2nd Street Jazz - Los Angeles, CA
5/26/2012 Thee Parkside - San Francisco, CA w/ Electric Shepherd & Outlaw, Hollow Mirrors, Owl
5/27/2012 TBA - Sacramento, CA (HELP WANTED)
5/28/2012 The Alibi - Arcata, CA w/ Uzala, Witch Sermon
5/29/2012 TBA - Eugene, OR (HELP WANTED)
5/30/2012 Billy Kyle's House - Portland, OR
5/31/2012 Plan B - Portland, OR w/ Megaton Leviathon, Diesto, White Orange
6/01/2012 The Shakedown - Bellingham, WA
6/02/2012 The Highline - Seattle, WA w/ Samothrace
6/03/2012 The Venue - Boise, ID
6/04/2012 Burt's Tiki Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT w/ Lo Pan
6/05/2012 3 Kings Tavern - Denver, CO w/ The Sewer Rats, Varlet
6/06/2012 B & B Bar - Spearfish, SD w/ The Sewer Rats, Don't Touch Me
6/07/2012 Latitude 44 - Sioux Falls, SD w/ The Sewer Rats, Rifflord
6/08/2012 The Medusa - Minneapolis, MN w/ The Sewer Rats, Lungs
6/09/2012 Off Minor - Dubuque, IA w/ Aseethe

Links:
Across Tundras

Cannibal Corpse - "Torture" CD Review (Metal Blade)

Long-running band Cannibal Corpse is back with their twelfth disc, Torture (released March 13th on Metal Blade). This new twelve track disc combines the raw thrash of the band’s early works with the technical precision of the band’s later works and complements this with clear production from (Hate Eternal/x-Morbid Angel) Erik Rutan. This new disc is the band’s third with Rutan and it follows in a similar musical vein as Kill (2006) and Evisceration Plague (2009).

Torture is everything that you would expect from a Cannibal Corpse disc – brutal riffs and technical solos, throat-shredding guttural vocals and pounding blast beats. To mix things up, the band slows down on a couple of numbers (“Scourge of Iron” and “Sarcophagic Frenzy”) for some down-tuned, slow burning dirge. Rutan’s clean production gives the band’s music an ‘accessibility’ that really wasn’t heard on previous discs as each song has room to breathe and stand on its own. The production also highlights the band’s maturing songwriting and brings out the razor-tight interplay between the members. In an interview with ThisIsNotAScene, guitarist Rob Barrett said “we have got to a point where the chemistry has developed to its best point, now we’re all writing songs to a point where we’re keeping each individual in mind, as opposed to before where perhaps we were writing whatever we wanted to play and weren’t really keeping into consideration what anyone else was going to play”.

Some of the standout tracks are the Barrett-penned “Sarcophagic Frenzy”, “The Strangulation Chair”, which has a killer bass solo from Alex Webster and “Intestinal Crank”, with its chugging bass and tightly integrated start/stop riffs.



With track names like “As Deep as the Knife Will Go” and “Followed Home Then Killed”, one can see that Cannibal Corpse’s lyrics continue in the same horror/gore vein as past releases (…as if anyone would have expected differently). Going back to the This IsNotAScene interview, Rob Barrett said “When we were thinking about potential album titles and ended up agreeing on the ‘Torture’ title that pretty much gave us a focus of what we were going to write all the lyrics about, each song deals with some sort of form of different torture.” Adding to the overall experience is a return to the horror/gore art of the band’s early days with carefully packaged gruesome album cover by artist Vince Locke.

Cannibal Corpse Tour Dates
Apr 05 - Jacksonville Beach, FL, Freebird Live
Apr 08 - Huntington, WV, V Club
Apr 13 - Rochester, NY, Club @ Water Street
Apr 14 - Cincinnati, OH, Bogart's
Apr 15 - Phoenix, AZ, Rhythm Room
Apr 16 - Des Moines, IA, People's Court
Apr 21 - Grand Junction, CO, Mesa Theater
Apr 25 - Houston, TX, Jake's
Apr 27 - Columbia, MO, The Blue Note
Apr 28 - Oklahoma City, OK, Diamond Ballroom
Apr 30 - Nashville, TN, Exit/In
May 01 - Birmingham, AL, Zydeco (Upstairs)
May 02 - Pensacola, FL, Vinyl Music Hall
May 03 - Gainesville, FL, Double Down Live

Links:
Cannibal Corpse