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

John Cale & Band: "Live" (Rockpalast 1983/84) CD Review

Rock “stadium” shows are always a bit of a dicey proposition as rarely will a promoter select a cohesive lineup of bands whose music gels together. This two disc set of John Cale’s 1983/84 performances at Rockpalast start with his 1984 appearance and the other bands on the bill that night were Huey Lewis & the News, Chalice and Level 42. While both Huey Lewis and Level 42 were huge acts at the time, it seems like a very odd pairing with John Cale as the headliner.

With the 1984 show, John Cale took the stage at 3AM on the morning of October 14th and played an angry and raw seventeen song set. Allegedly, Cale was c*ked to the gills at the time he took the stage and he plays stinging and emotive versions of “Fear is a Man’s Best Friend” and “Streets of Laredo”. He totally deconstructs “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Waiting for the Man” and ends the set with a moving version of “(I Keep a) Close Watch”. It is a brilliant performance that shows that rock music doesn’t have to be bombastic to make an impact. While Cale’s setlist spanned his solo career to-date, this may be the only opportunity that one has to hear tracks from Cale’s 1984 release Caribbean Sunset, as this disc is still out of print. There are also two unreleased tracks that are part of the set – “Autobiography”, which I don’t think was played after the 1984 tour and a cover of The Doors’ “Love Me Two Times” (which is appended to “Pablo Picasso”).



CD1 (1984):
"Autobiography"
"Ooh La La"
"Evidence"
"Magazines"
"Model Beirut Recital"
"Streets Of Laredo"
"Dr. Mudd"
"Leaving It Up To You"
"Caribbean Sunset"
"The Hunt"
"Fear Is A Man's Best Friend"
"Heartbreak Hotel"
"Paris 1919"
"I'm Waiting For The Man"
"Mercenaries (Ready For War)"
"Pablo Picasso > Love Me Two Times"
"(I Keep A) Close Watch"

John Cale - vocals, guitar, piano
David Lichtenstein - drums
Andy Heermans - bass
David Young - guitar

The second show was recorded on March 6, 1983 at Zeche, Bochum and this performance was just John Cale solo with a guitar and piano. As compared with the 1984 Rockpalast show, Cale seems to be in a nicer mood and even talks to the audience here and there between songs. For this show, Cale has selected a mellower set of songs, which include a few from his first solo disc Vintage Violence. While this 22 song set starts out with a minimalist interpretation of songs from Cale’s back catalogue, the emotive power that dominated the 1984 show first starts to surface on “Guts” but Cale doesn’t starts building to a throat-shredding howl until “Cable Hogue” and, by the time he reaches “Fear Is a Man’s Best Friend”, his voice is completely raw.





CD2 (1983):
"Ghost Story"
"Ship Of Fools"
"Leaving It Up To You"
"Amsterdam"
"Child's Christmas in Wales"
"Buffalo Ballet"
"Antarctica Starts Here"
"Taking It All Away"
"Riverbank"
"Paris 1919"
"Guts"
"Chinese Envoy"
"Thoughtless Kind"
"Only Time Will Tell"
"Cable Hogue"
"Dead Or Alive"
"I'm Waiting For The Man"
"Heartbreak Hotel"
"Chorale"
"Fear Is A Man's Best Friend"
"(I Keep A) Close Watch"
"Streets Of Laredo"

Links:
John Cale

Tu Fawning - Download "Anchor" from Upcoming Sophomore CD "A Moment" (City Slang)

Tu Fawning return this May with their sophomore release, A Monument. While the band retain their trademark sound in Corrina Repp’s formidable voice, the swampy blues-guitar howls are now replaced by a newfound love for vibrant percussive mania. A more ample use of keyboards have steered the band past the morbidly dark vaudevillian vibes of their 2010 debut album Hearts On Hold, and these new songs are even more focused and pointed than ever. A Monument delivers a set of dense, romantic, and highly energetic songs that fully represent Tu Fawning’s powerful live show. And on A Monument, this sparkles through on every track.

Tu Fawning has also announced the first dates of an upcoming headlining tour this summer. The band will launch the tour with a hometown show in Portland at Holocene on June 8th and continue down the west coast, also performing in San Francisco and Los Angeles. More dates will be announced soon.

Led by Corrina Repp and Joe Haege (31Knots), Tu Fawning expands upon the dark, vaudevillian vibes of their 2010 debut LP Hearts On Hold with A Monument. The album marks the first release written and recorded collaboratively as the four-piece of Repp, Haege, Liza Reitz, and Toussaint Perrault, who came together shortly after the duo of Repp and Haege returned from Tu Fawning's first tour. A Monument is steeped in the band's love of music from around the world, and wastes no time making its impact with the dynamic opening trio of "Anchor", the warped R&B/soul cadence of "Blood Stains", and the moody and sensual "Wager". The spooky theatrics of "Build A Great Cliff" and the choral loops and scaling of "Skin and Bone" segue into the mesmeric second half, which closes with the epic "Bones".



The songs of A Monument were found in the practice recordings made by Haege, or in Perrault's home-recorded demos, and - in addition to the usual guitars, keys, horns, and drums - feature instrumentation such as a ragini, a tuned-down marching band drum, old '80s synths, and South American chant samples turned into chords. Repp's formidable, smoky voice leads the charge throughout, at once ethereal and earthly.

Tu Fawning recorded A Monument with friends at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, CA, and at Type Foundry in Portland last summer, with some additional recording at Menomena's Justin Harris' house - all factors that lent a warm, familial feel to the recordings.

Links:
Tu Fawning

The Skabbs - "Idle Threat" CD Review (Jackpot Records)

You have to love a band that formed around the goal of making music that sounded “less gross than Foreigner”. The Skabbs were a “Class of ’77” West Coast punk band that was making jagged “disaffected with the world” punk right around the same time that similar-minded (though not necessarily similar sounding) bands like Black Flag were first starting out. Adding to the comparison, The Skabbs went into the studio to record with producer Spot right around the same time Black Flag recorded “Nervous Breakdown”.

According to the band’s bio, The Skabbs “were (are) a punk rock or new wave band formed in 1976 or 77. Four guys from Torrance (aka: Lawndale, CA) convinced a uniquely talented guy named Steven J. Salazar (of South Pasadena) to join their already established "band" as lead singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Over the next year or so, Salazar wrote a large quantity of songs for The Skabbs, performed with them, had the time of his life and then died. Eventually (thirty years later) we thought, "who else is gonna play this stuff?". Ultimately, the four of us decided to play Steve's songs again.”

In the disc’s liner notes, the band describes The Skabbs’ concept as “[d]umb guys who can’t play their instruments very well and don’t care if anyone likes them or not”. This comment doesn’t do the band justice as their music fits well alongside with DIY punk bands of the time and the bands that followed. There isn’t a core Skabbs’ sound but, on many of the songs, the band combines quirky and jittery rhythms with the start-stop playing that was the hallmark of a number of the SST bands that sprouted up in later years. Just to confuse things though – on other tracks, the band sounds closer to acts like The Dickies (“N-N-N-Nervous”) or The Avengers (“Long May She Wave”, “Who Killed the Kennedys”). Adding to the disc’s punk charm, these rehearsal tracks were recorded on a open mic two-track reel-to-reel so there is a lo-fi “ragged but right” aura (which sometimes borders on the demented) to these songs. There isn’t a lyric sheet with the disc but, of what I can hear, lyrical themes range from ‘typical’ teen angst nihilism to socio-political punk.

Fans of old-school SoCal punk are going to want to pick this one up.



The Skabbs have started playing live again though, based on their current set of tour dates; it looks like they are just playing local and weekend shows.

The Skabbs Tour Dates
April 14th - Suzy's Bar & Grill, Hermosa Beach, CA
April 21st - Permanent Records, Eagle Rock, CA (In-Store Set for RSD @ 6PM)

Links:
The Skabbs

First Aid Kit Start US Tour @ Webster Hall on March 28th / US TV Debut on Conan on April 16th

Stockholm, Sweden's First Aid Kit are confirmed to make their U.S. television debut April 16th on Conan, in support of their acclaimed sophomore album The Lion's Roar, which was released January 24th via Wichita Recordings.

Leading up to the performance, First Aid Kit will travel cross-country on their North American headlining tour, which begins on March 28th at Webster Hall in New York, NY and wraps up on April 18th at Slim's in San Francisco, CA. The tour includes multiple sold out dates - Washington, DC, Toronto, ON, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, and Seattle, WA - as well as shows in Boston, MA and Portland, OR that have been upgraded to larger venues due to demand. First Aid Kit will also perform at the Coachella Music and Arts festival on April 15th and 22nd, and are confirmed to support Wild Flag at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on April 19th. In late July, the band will perform at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.

The band's North American trek comes on the heels of their tours in Europe, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, the majority of which were sold out plays (including Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, and all UK shows). First Aid Kit will return to the stage overseas this summer for six shows supporting Jack White, who produced and released the band's Third Man Records Blue Series 7-inch single in January 2010. A full itinerary is below.



First Aid Kit Tour Dates:
MAR. 28 -- NEW YORK, NY -- WEBSTER HALL
MAR. 30 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- BLACK CAT (SOLD OUT)
MAR. 31 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- UNION TRANSFER
APR. 2 -- BOSTON, MA -- PARADISE ROCK CLUB
APR. 3 -- MONTREAL, QC -- LA SALA ROSSA
APR. 4 -- TORONTO, ON -- THE GREAT HALL (SOLD OUT)
APR. 6 -- CHICAGO, IL -- LINCOLN HALL (SOLD OUT)
APR. 7 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER (SOLD OUT)
APR. 10 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- VENUE
APR. 11 -- SEATTLE, WA -- THE CROCODILE (SOLD OUT)
APR. 12 -- PORTLAND, OR -- WONDER BALLROOM
APR. 15 -- INDIO, CA -- COACHELLA
APR. 18 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- SLIM'S
APR. 19 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- EL REY THEATRE*
APR. 22 -- INDIO, CA -- COACHELLA
JUN. 22 -- LONDON, UK -- HAMMERSMITH APOLLO**
JUN. 25 -- AMSTERDAM, NL -- HEINEKEN MUSIC HALL**
JUN. 26 -- BERLIN, DE -- TEMPODRUM**
JUN. 27 -- COLOGNE, DE -- E-WERK**
JUL. 2 -- PARIS, FR -- L'OLYMPIA**
JUL. 5 -- HAMBURG, DE -- DOCKS**
JUL. 28 -- NEWPORT, RI -- NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL
* supporting Wild Flag
** supporting Jack White

Links:
First Aid Kit

Rooftop Runners - "We Are Here" CD EP Review

Canada-to-Germany transplants Rooftop Runners are releasing their debut EP “We Are Here” – a disc of dark and melancholy torch songs with a slow-burning dance club beat - on April 3th. Rooftop Runners is composed of brothers Benedikit and Tobias MacIsaac, who are no strangers to the performing arts as they are respectively an internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer.

The band describes their music as trip-pop…while this label makes me think of post trip-hop bands like Sneaker Pimps and Alpha, Rooftop Runners’ music is more atmospheric than ambient and it is carried soulful falsetto vocals and minimalist instrumentation comprised of slinky bass beats, brooding electronica and dissonant guitar work. All-in-all, “We Are Here” is closer in sound and spirit (as the lyrics are equally as dark as the music) to Soft Cell than one of these later-period bands.



Links:
Rooftop Runners

Public Image Limited - "Live at Rockpalast 1983" DVD Review

I just finished a review of Michael Schenker Group’s Rockpalast show and what MSG has in common with PiL is that both bands are led by mercurial leaders who change lineups as often as they change shoes. This particular Public Image Limited show was filmed Halloween night in 1983 with the short-lived “cabaret band” lineup. To put some context around this, bassist Pete Jones had left the band in early 1983 and guitarist Keith Levine had left (or was fired, depending on whose story you believe) prior to the band’s Japanese tour. As such, drummer Martin Atkins and producer Bob Miller recruited local NYC musicians Lou Bernardi (bass), Joseph Guida (guitar), and Tom Zvoncheck (keyboard) for the Japanese tour. Zvoncheck left the band prior to the band’s subsequent European tour (to work with BOC’s Albert Bouchard) and he was replaced by Arthur Stead (Frehley’s Commet, Foreigner, etc.) for the European tour which included this Rockpalast show. The “cabaret” tag was given to the band as Atkins had them wear tuxedos on the Japanese tour.

From my perspective, this lineup of the band gets unfairly blamed for the band moving its sound in a more commercially accessible direction. Like many of the bands who recorded in the 80’s, keyboards are prominent in the mix and the band plays with a rock-oriented polish that is comparable to Gang of 4’s evolution once Dave Allen left the band. All-in-all, this 13 song (60 minute) show is very solid and the crowd responds in full pit/pogo mode on the percussive rock-oriented tracks.

PiL gets the crowd moving with an opening 1-2 punch of “Public Image” and “Annalisa” but numbers like Metal Box’s “Chant” seem to take the fight out of the crowd. Lyndon doesn’t allow these slower moments to linger though and, in this case, he fired the crowd back up with a slick run-through of “Anarchy in the UK”.



John Lydon isn’t quite as obnoxious at this show as when I saw the band on the 1982 tour but he does get off a few audience-baiting zingers. He starts the show doing his spastic cheerleader dances and tries singing from in front of the security barricade for “Annalisa”, which nearly got him pulled into the crowd. There is a minimal amount of mugging for the camera with the cockeyed stare that John used to use with Pistols and a few comments about being bored and wanting to go home. Aside for blowing a few “snot rockets” at the audience, John is reasonably well behaved.

The bonus segments on the disc are interesting but somewhat of a mixed bag. There are a few classic one-liners during Lydon’s interview with Rockpalast host Alan Bangs (“I’m an egomaniac – I love being adored”) but, for the most part, John looks bored and abruptly ends the interview with the comment “Is that it?” as he gets up. The two rehearsals tracks “Annalisa” and “Chant” are both interesting but the audio comes through the soundboard and it sounds as through the mix is being balanced during the recording (i.e., there are missing and/or too loud instruments in parts of the audio and Lydon’s vocals are inaudible during the first minute of “Annalisa”).

Set List:
Public Image Limited
Annalisa
Religion
Memories
Flowers of Romance
Solitaire
Chant
Anarchy in the U.K.

Encores:
(This is Not a) Love Song

Low Life
Under the House
Bad Life
Public Image II (Second run-through)

Just to make a couple of comments about the set list, “Under the House” is particularly impressive as I don’t think I’ve seen this song performed live before so it was fascinating to watch Bernardi and Guida take up positions on opposite sides of the stage and join Atkins on percussion while Lydon wails away. Some of the “oddities” about the set list are that the band opens and closes with spirited run-throughs of “Public Image”. They also leave the stage after “(This is Not a) Love Song” and house music comes over the PA (obviously someone in production thought the show was over) but Lydon quickly returns to the stage with the comment “Turn that tape off!”.

Links:
Public Image Ltd.

Huntress: Win a Pair of Tickets to Paganfest 2012 @ Gramercy Theatre on March 31st

Win a pair of tickets to see Huntress at Gramercy Theatre on March 31st. The band is playing on the Paganfest America 2012 tour, which features Turisas, Alestorm, Arkona and Huntress.

Drop me an email at Mike.BrooklynRocks at Gmail Dot Com with the subject "Huntress Tickets" and a winner will be chosen at random. Be sure to include your first and last name in the email as tickets will be at will-call.



Huntress was birthed in the underground of Highland Park, California, clawing at the roots of heavy metal. Lead singer Jill Janus is an operatic banshee with an unparalleled four-octave range and lust for the occult. Born and raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York, she toured Europe as a teenage opera starlet. Upon her return to the States, Janus embraced Manhattan nightlife, creating Felliniesque cabarets and parties in a nihilistic club scene. Years later, Janus moved to Los Angeles and began the gestation period of Huntress. In 2009 she met underground metal band Professor. The universe spread her legs and delivered Huntress to Janus, combining former members of Professor, Dark Black and Skeletonwitch.

The powerful pentad signed to Napalm Records in November 2011. They unleashed their first music video for “Eight of Swords” in October 2011, directed by Simon Chan of Artificial Army. The song was produced and engineered by Chris Rakestraw of Sunset Lodge Recording in Silverlake, CA. Rakestraw will also produce their debut album, slated for release Spring/Summer 2012 on Napalm Records.

Links:
Huntress

Jonquil Plays Glasslands on April 2nd with Keep Shelly In Athens

Last month, Oxford quartet Jonquil released their full-length debut Point Of Go and, more recently, the band just finished a series of high-profile shows at SXSW. Following SXSW, Jonquil is kicking off a short US tour starting in Chapel Hill, NC on March 21st and the local tour stop is at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn on April 2nd. At Glasslands, Jonquil is playing alongside Keep Shelly in Athens and New Moods. Tickets are $15 and doors are at 8:30PM.



Point Of Go emerges as a glimmeringly positive step in a new direction, a record that is, in the words of the band, “far more poppy and accessible” than anything they’ve previously written. Recorded over a six-week period in a farmhouse studio it takes the band’s summery flourishes and intricate guitars, and strips them back to a set of immediate, direct pop songs. With influences rooted firmly in the past – from Fleetwood Mac to The Smiths, Chic and Earth, Wind and Fire to Arthur Russell – the quartet’s LP is an exercise in classic pop sensibilities held up by a modern backbone.

Links:
Jonquil

Dead Fame - "Frontiers" CD EP Review / Shows at Lit Lounge & Pianos in March/April

Richmond post-punk band Dead Fame released their debut EP “Frontiers” early this year which shows the band’s sound firmly rooted in the darkly melodic melancholia of bands like Joy Division and The Chameleons. Dead Fame started in 2009 when synthesizer player Christopher DeNitto reunited with former band mate, guitarist KC Byrnes and duo slowly found additional players to give the group a “live band” sound. The group is fleshed out by bassist Sadie Powers, drummer Eric Klemen and singer/lyricist Michael Means. Given that Dead Fame is Eric and Michael’s first band, the group’s debut EP is strikingly mature.

The five songs on “Frontiers” all run about 4 minutes in length and the disc’s clean mix brings the band’s edgy drive quickly to the surface. The disc was produced by Cam DiNunzio [of Heks Orkest, Denali and others] at Black Iris Studios and he did a wonderful job of balancing all of the instrumentation. There isn’t one instrument that stands out over another but I was especially taken Eric Klemen’s innovative drumming and Michael Means’ world-weary, almost British-sounding vocals.

Adding to the music, Michael Means’ lyrics are detailed and interesting: “As far as lyrics go, it is usually several "pictures" or contexts that feed into the lyrics. It seems to be that several ideas always go spinning around, interacting with each other, leading to the lyrical fabric for each song, with the music helping to spark or trigger many of those ideas and pictures. So for instance, "Glass Jacket" isn't about one thing - it’s more contextual, with various themes working off the other to create an overall effect. ” (from Magazine33's 2011 interview with Dead Fame).

The disc starts out strong with the dark and raw sounding “Frontiers” which starts with prominent keyboards and a pulsing bassline before heading into a big chorus. This track is followed by the edgy Chameleons sounding “We Can Run”. The band changes pace on the slow burning “Glass Jacket” but keep the high-energy and drive consistent across the disc. What makes Dead Fame exciting is that they have been able to put their own personal imprint on a well-traveled genre.



Dead Fame is playing two local shows at the end of the month. The first is at Lit Lounge on March 31st and the second is at Pianos on April 1st. At the Lit Lounge show, Dead Fame is playing with Praha Depart (from Japan), Keeps (NYC), and Good Morning Valentine; Cover is $6. At the show at Pianos, Dead Fame is playing with Autodrone, Star Fawn, and Labirinto and cover is $8.

Links:
Dead Fame