'Alone in North America' (featuring The Morning After Girls) Movie Review

STREAM: the morning after girls - "alone"

Touring has to be grueling for an indie band...there are many stories about the tempers, tensions and breakups that come from the forced 'co-habitation' of band mates for long hours at a time in small touring vans. The documentary "Alone in North America" follows the Australia-to-Brooklyn-to-Australia neo-psychedelic outfit, The Morning After Girls on their U.S. tour in support of their most recent release, alone.

"Alone in North America" premiered earlier this month at the CBGB Music and Film Festival and this short film gives a 'you were there' perspective of life on the road which is combined with concert footage from various tour stops.  Director David Hilbert does an excellent job of capturing the desolate, wide-open spaces of (presumably) middle-America along with footage of the band members interacting in what seems to be a very small touring van as the band drives from gig to gig.  The 'road picture' footage is intermixed with some killer live performance, which include the previously unreleased song, "Corruption".

It is somewhat amusing that The Morning After Girls' bassist EJ Hagan had the following to say about the film: "I was like, 'You made a movie?'...I thought maybe it would be something on a website or something people could view on YouTube. I didn't expect the festival."





One of the pull quotes for the movie stated "To trust someone is to allow them to be everything they are" and the viewer can quickly see the friendship the band members have formed being out on the road together.  The "...departures, arrivals and deportations"  occurred more recently as half the band is back in Australia due to visa issues but the members are currently working on their next disc.

For anyone who isn't familiar with The Morning After Girls' sound, vocalist Sacha Lucashenko clearly summed up his views on the band's sound in a 2012 interview with The Big Takeover:

The Big Takeover: Do you get tired of comparisons to typical psych bands such as Spaceman 3 or Brian Jonestown Massacre, or are you used to it? I myself hear bits of Oasis, The Verve, and Engineers in your vocals, especially in the dynamics of quiet and loud across the record. Can you expound a bit on this?

Sacha: Those psych comparisons are really boring for us – especially when regarding Alone. It almost guarantees the journalist or whoever concerned hasn’t even listened to it. You’re right, I’d draw more comparisons to the ones you’ve mentioned. Also modern classical composers like Arvo Part and Gyorgi Ligeti were major influences. Plus the rock records that were coming out by New Order, Interpol, and Oasis in the early 2000’s. That was a great period for consistent albums coming out from bands. I just think we sound a lot like The Morning After Girls.

Links:
The Morning After Girls

The Grayces (Nashville Grunge/Pysch) Guest Editorial on Touring / CMJ Shows at Bowery Electric on Oct. 21st / Day Show at Spike Hill on Oct. 24th

The road. The road is a treacherous place for a heart set in its ways and a mind filled with the assumptions of inexperience.

Lets see...what can I say about traveling on the road as a musician? Always be prepared for just about anything. Take time to research and learn about the places you are going. Never assume you know about a place or its people based solely on what somebody else has told you. Don't get discouraged if something doesn't go to plan or something goes wrong. Fall in love with the process.

As musician folk, we can fall into a mundane pattern of show-to-show city-to-city tunnel vision when touring on the road. I commend the focus based around the main point of putting on a killer show but I do believe there is a lot to gain between the dots. For instance, taking some time to find out what a town has to offer, besides just the venue you are playing at can be quite rewarding for all involved. While we were touring through St. Louis we had researched and decided to visit The City Museum. Best idea ever! This place was literally an interactive art piece designed to be a playground for all ages. I hadn't felt that free since I was 7 years old. There was a point I was clapping my hands smiling and screaming weeeeeeeeeee as I slid down a couple story-twisting slide in the midst of a beautiful sculpture. This shared experience brought us closer together as a band and made for a killer show later that night. If we didn't take the time to understand the city we were in, we would have never found this place. I recommend it to all.

We had never played in Detroit until we scheduled a show as a stop for this tour. I heard so many stories and opinions about Detroit prior to our arrival. Stories of deluged danger. Let me tell you, don’t take to heart everything you hear. The people of Detroit were some of the most enjoyable, kind, generous and easygoing folk we’ve met on this tour. All those stories we heard turned out to be 100% not applicable. I am so glad we didn’t listen to outside opinions and stuck to our gut, which was telling us “Go…go to Detroit.” It made for a wonderful memory with wonderful people.

Sometimes things do not go to plan when you’re on the road but don’t freak out. Our show scheduled in inner city Chicago was a wash. Let’s just say it wasn’t worth the efforts we put into it and leave it at that. Discouraged by the evening, we drove back to where we were staying in the burbs. When we arrived back to our place of rest for the evening, our friends 2 smiling faces greeted us with some good news not knowing the horrible night we had. They had sent out to a local record shop to see if we could play an in-store while we were in town, they had accepted and it was all set up. This off the cuff show was a great success! We met many wonderful people and now have the proper connections to have successful shows in and outside the city next time we come through. The road has many hidden gems if your open to the flow of what it throws at you.

In conclusion, what I am trying to say, is the more you open yourself up to the diverse possibilities of the road the larger your chance of developing the ability of widened perspective. This will aid in the successful capturing of once elusive beauties and new points of view. If you take time to notice life as you are living it, you will always have more than you started with. I believe, as a musician, it is important to gain these experiences, as it is essential for creating music that gives back to your audience with the honesty of true experience. Taking the good with the bad, learning and never letting it defeat your forward motion of predestination - that is life on the road.

-Thoughts on the road brought to you by Iz Stone of The Grayces somewhere between Pennsylvania and New York City-

Links:
The Grayces

Brainstorm - 'Firestorm' CD Review (AFM Records)

While German power metalers Brainstorm’s tenth disc, Firesoul (AFM Records), came out earlier this year, I never got a chance to put my thoughts about the disc on ‘paper’. After the local Judas Priest show, I was reflecting that Brainstorm’s new disc captures a lot of the elements that were missing on Judas Priest’s most recent release so I thought I should finally sit down and knock out a review.

Brainstorm’s core sound falls solidly into the power metal genre but the band extends this sound to include elements of NWOBHM with the down-tuned dual lead guitars of Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric, light orchestral elements along with a little bit of prog, which includes clean, technical guitar solos. Adding to this, Andy B. Franck’s raspy but melodic vocals are directly comparable to artists like Rob Halford or Bruce Dickenson though Franck never goes for the high-end scream.

The disc starts with “Erased By the Dark”, which is an old-school power metal number that is powered by some breakneck drumming and the band just picks up the pace from here. The title track, “Firesoul”, is the next cut and this track is a bit more aggressive. This number focuses around driving guitar riffs and dual NWOBHM guitar leads and the vocals match this intensity.



One of the many standout numbers is “Entering Solitude”, which is a slower number than the disc openers. This track has a ‘classic rock’/AOR feel centered around clean melodic guitar lines, soaring vocals on the chorus and a melodic guitar solo toward the back-half of the song. This number is followed by “Recall The Real”, which really changes up the pace with its Gregorian choral intro and outro. After this ethereal opening, this slow burning number kicks into high-gear with staccato guitar riffs which are accompanied by soaring vocals and meaty, melodic choruses.

Looking at some of the other tracks, “Feed Me Lies” is a return to the aggressive and driving sounds of the disc’s opener and this track is the one that stuck with me after a few spins of the disc. “The Chosen” is the closest that Brainstorm comes to ‘traditional’ power metal as the keys are higher in the mix for this number and the riffs are downplayed in favor of orchestral flourishes. The soaring choruses are a notable standout along with the very clean guitar lines, which include a technical power-prog solo. The disc wraps up with “…And I Wonder”, which is another AOR rocker and the minimal instrumentation allows this number to be powered by Franck’s vocals.

Links:
Brainstorm

At the Gates Release 'Death and the Labyrinth' Video from Forthcoming Release 'At War With Reality' (Century Media)

Not to be a total fanboy geek but...meeting At The Gates was one of the highlights for me of MDF 2014. The band's studio followup to 1995's Slaughter of the Soul, entitled At War with Reality, will be released in North America on Monday, Oct. 27th. Similar to last year's comeback album from Carcass, Century Media is releasing this disc in a number of different formats and on different color vinyl.

At War With Reality is available in the following versions:
- Jewelcase CD (20 page booklet)
- Digipak CD (20 page booklet; 2 bonus tracks; patch)
- Cassette (limited to 500 copies worldwide)
- Digital download
- Gatefold 180gr. LP (20 page booklet; poster)
- Ltd. mediabook CD (40 page booklet; 2 bonus tracks; patch)
- Ltd. 3-disc artbook (48 page booklet; 4 bonus tracks; 5.1 surround mix DVD; patch) - limited to 3000 copies
- Ltd. 2x10" boxset (20 page booklet; poster) - limited to 1000 copies worldwide via CM Distro

The limited edition mediabook and digipak format will include the bonus tracks "Language Of The Dead" and "The Skin Of A Fire", as well as a vintage ATG-logo patch. The 3-disc artbook format will also include the patch and those same two bonus tracks, as well as a demo version of "Eater Of Gods" and a cover version of "Re-Animation" by Canadian cult thrash metallers Sacrifice. The 3rd disc is an exclusive bonus DVD featuring a special 5.1 surround mix of the album.

The 12" LP format will be available in the following colored vinyl editions:
- Black (unlimited)
- Transparent red (limited to 300 copies via CM Webshop EU)
- Dark green (limited to 500 copies via CM Distro EU)
- Clear (limited to 500 copies in Sweden)
- Lilac marble (limited to 100 copies via CM Distro USA) *sold out*
- Blue marble (limited to 200 copies via CM Distro USA) *sold out*
- Magenta marble (limited to 200 copies via CM Distro USA) *sold out*
- Ash grey marble (limited to 500 copies via CM Distro USA)
- Silver (limited to 400 copies in the USA)
- Gold (limited to 1500 copies in the USA)
- White (limited to 100 copies; exclusive 2015 MDF edition in the USA)

In advance of the release, At The Gates has now debuted a video for the album track "Death And The Labyrinth" which was directed by Patric Ullaeus (IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY, LACUNA COIL, etc.).



Tomas Lindberg (vocals) comments: "We had a very special idea about the kind of approach we wanted for the first video from 'At War With Reality'. What we needed was someone gifted enough to throw himself artistically into the project full on. The lyrics to the song are very multi-layered and surreal, so we wanted someone to create a fevered dreamworld that went with the melancholic frustration and dramatic desperation that we feel comes across in the song. This is exactly what Patric has created for us. It's his vision of the music and lyrics, which compliments the track perfectly in my opinion. I couldn't be happier!"

Director Patric Ullaeus adds: "It's always nice to work with creative artists who are like-minded. Ideas seem to flow easily. We had a lot of fun making our vision come true. Being on these amazing locations in Antelope Canyon, Arizona was truly an unforgettable experience."

Links:
At The Gates

Tom Vek (UK Electronic Post-Punk) Plays Baby's All Right on 10/20 and Mercury Lounge on 10/21

London, England-based artist Tom Vek debuted his video for “Pushing Your Luck” back in August and this song – Vek’s open message to the Internet age – is a droning, moody track that builds to dancefloor proportions and can be found on his third album Luck, which was released in the US on June 10, 2014 via Moshi Moshi Records.



Following a two and a half week long UK tour, Vek will land stateside next week for a run shows in New York and Los Angeles. He will perform at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, NY on October 20th; at Mercury Lounge in Manhattan on October 21st; and at The Echo in Los Angeles on October 23rd. A current itinerary is below.

Drawing on the modern anxiety of finding your place in a world saturated by information, Luck plunges the personal to deliver tracks that are sincere, angry and poignant. As ever, Vek delivers an album that eludes straightforward definition. As he puts it, the ‘garage rock for the pro-tools generation’ is alive and well, only now it is met with the grandest production and some of the biggest beats of his career. ‘There’s noise everywhere,’ Vek tells us, but with enough force we might return to a place of truth. Luck is the magnificent offering from an artist who has achieved the rare feat of preserving the seduction of youthful rebellion and marrying it with experience. It’s big, angry and impossible to ignore.

Over the course of his decade-long career, Vek has forged a reputation as one of London’s most enigmatic and exciting musicians. Breaking on to the scene with the attitude-spiked We Have Sound (2005), he channeled his homegrown musical prowess into a bastion of mid-90s electronic punk rock rebellion. His long awaited follow-up, Leisure Seizure (2011), was less raw but no less impactful.

Tom Vek Tour Dates:
SEPT. 1 -- DERBYSHIRE, UK -- Y NOT FESTIVAL
SEPT. 5-7 -- PORTMEIRION, UK -- FESTIVAL NO. 6
OCT. 3 -- FALMOUTH, UK -- PRINCESS PAVILION
OCT. 4 -- OXFORD, UK -- THE ART BAR
OCT. 6 -- SOUTHSEA, UK -- WEDGEWOOD ROOMS
OCT. 7 -- BRIGHTON, UK -- THE HAUNT
OCT. 8 -- MANCHESTER, UK -- MANCHESTER GORILLA
OCT. 9 -- GLASGOW, UK -- KING TUT’S WAH WAH HUT
OCT. 11 -- LEEDS, UK -- THE COCKPIT
OCT. 12 -- LIVERPOOL, UK -- THE KAZIMIER
OCT. 14 -- NOTTINGHAM, UK -- THE BODEGA SOCIAL CLUB
OCT. 15 -- LONDON, UK -- KOKO
OCT. 20 -- BROOKLYN, NY -- BABY’S ALL RIGHT
OCT. 21 -- NEW YORK, NY -- MERCURY LOUNGE
OCT. 23 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE ECHO
NOV. 4 -- TOKYO, JA -- TSUTAYA O-NEST

Links:
Tom Vek

Heliosage (Symphonic Power Metal) - 'Towers in the Distance' CD Review

(Note: This single was released last year and is not on the full-length album)

Outside of Operatika, I haven’t seen too many US bands successfully pull off the Nordic symphonic power metal sounds of bands like Nightwish, Therion and Epica. Texas-to-Minnesota transplants Heliosaga’s self-released debut, Towers in the Distance, is an exception to this rule as the band’s ornate and majestic sounds are very comparable to these aforementioned bands. Heliosaga’s sound focuses around the soaring operatic and emotive vocals of classically trained singer Chelsea Knaack along with the melodic, yet aggressive, guitar riffs and solos and dense, swirling keyboard sounds of band leader and principal songwriter Damien Villarreal.



The band’s core sound can be heard in the riff-heavy power metal of “A Tower So Tall” “To Heal All Wounds” and “Lost”, all three of which highlight the band’s heavier side with aggressive, chugging guitar work and shredding solos. Heliosaga isn’t afraid to stray from their core as, musically, the band touches on a variety of styles across this disc. One of the highlights is the epic ‘Iron Maiden like’ rocker “All Souls”, where this 9+ minute song brings in significant proggy elements and tempo changes that will hold the listener captivated. Other styles range from the mid-tempo symphonic prog rock of “Edenscar” to the slow burning ethereal exorcisms of “Hideaway”. There are also a number of hard rock stops in between these points where Villareal’s riffs border on thrash.

While the vocals are upfront on all of the tracks, Knaack’s hypnotic vocals complement the instrumentation and never attempt to overpower it. Her vocals are the highlight of tracks like “Hideaway”, which adds angelic backing vocals that rise to the level of harmonies, and “Hunter’s Moon”, which is a hard rock number where the guitars are dialed back to allow the vocals to shine.

Heliosaga has posted on their website that they are looking for a bassist and guitar player so it seems unlikely that there will be any live dates anytime soon but this will be something to watch for in the future.

Links:
Heliosaga

JoyCut (Italian Experimental Rock) Play Bar Matchless on Friday, 10/17 and Trash Bar (CMJ) on 10/23

Bologna, Italy's JoyCut have an intriguing dark-wave/post-rock sound and a dynamic live show to go along with the music. The trio played Mercury Lounge earlier this year on their first proper US tour and the two drummers sat face to face with a guy with 'machines', both a conductor and author, in between them. According to the band's bio, "JoyCut produce a mesmerizing and conceptual sound based on dilated and biting electro sound."

The band is back in town for shows at Bar Matchless on Friday, 10/17 and Trash Bar (as part of CMJ), on Thursday, 10/23.



Fall Tour Dates:
10.13 - Wilmington, DE · Oddity Bar
10.14 - Philadelphia, PA · Johnny Brenda's
10.15 - Boston, MA · O'Brien's
10.16 - Hamden, CT · The Space
10.17 - Brooklyn, NY · Bar Matchless (Headling - 11PM, Cover is $8)
10.18 - Spring City, PA · Chaplin's
10.19 - Asbury Park, NJ · The Saint
10.21 - Montreal, CA · L'Esco
10.23 - Brooklyn, NY · Trash Bar (CMJ) (Playing at 11PM with Tuscon garage-punk act Prom Body closing out the night with a set starting at 11:45PM; Cover is $7)
10.25 - York, PA · The Depot
10.26 - Pittsburgh, PA · Howler's
10.27 - Cincinnati, OH · MOTR
10.29 - Nashville, TN · Springwater Super Club
10.30 - Paducah, KY · Maiden Alley Cinema
10.31 - Louisville, KY · Haymarket Whiskey Bar
11.01 - St. Louis, MO · Cicero's
11.02 - Wichita, KS · John Barleycorn's
11.03 - Oklahoma City, OK · Conservatory
11.04 - Houston, TX · Mango's
11.05 - Austin, TX · Holy Mountain
11.07 - New Orleans, LA · Beat Nik
11.08 - Birmingham, AL · Trim Tab Brewery
11.10 - Bloomington, IN · The Back Door
11.11 - Chicago, IL · Elbo Room
11.13 - Toronto, CA · The Silver Dollar

Links:
JoyCut

Exodus and Slayer Play The Wellmont Theater in Mont Clair, NJ on 11/29 / Hatriot - 'Dawn of the New Centurion' CD Review (Massacre Records)

Thrash veterans Exodus just released their 10th album, Blood In Blood Out, on Oct. 14th and this disc features the return of vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza, who last recorded with Exodus on their 2004 disc, Tempo of the Damned. What is interesting is that original Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett also guests on this album with a solo on “Salt The Wound”. Slayer, Exodus and Suicidal Tendencies are out together on a fall tour and the closest the tour geta to NYC is a show at Wellmont Theater in NJ on November 29th.

What many people may not know is that Zetro is pulling double-duty as he is also the vocalist of Hatriot, a Bay-area thrash band which includes Zetro’s two sons in the lineup. Earlier this year, Hatriot released its sophomore disc, Dawn of the New Centurion, on Massacre Records.

This disc is exactly what you would expect from Zetro and crew – nine tracks (50 minutes) of hard-hitting, heavy thrash. This disc starts off with "From My Cold Dead Hands" which opens with Charleton Heston’s speech to the NRA and follows this with a slow build that will get a crowd into the pit waiting for the explosion. Hatriot doesn’t disappoint as the thrash kicks in with Zetro’s sneering, spat vocals, cross-over guitar riffs that straddle the border between speed metal and thrash and a gang vocal chorus. Across this disc, the music is punctuated by surprisingly clean production which emphasizes Hatriot’s sonic attack and, lyrically, Hatriot are pissed off about the state of the world, the hypocrisy of organized religion (check out the scathing 7+ minute “Silence in the House of the Lord”), etc. and aren’t afraid to call out the abuses that they see. The band even calls to free Pussy Riot at the end of “Superkillafragsadisticactsaresoatrocious”.

The band doesn’t stray far from their crossover thrash core, but Dawn of the New Centurion contains some complex variations on this core. “The Fear Within”, which is 7+ minutes long, is a hard rock/power metal number with a bit of doom metal thrown into the mix. This track starts with a slow burning opening and features clean, melodic guitar lines. This song then brings on gang vocals in an almost call-and-response counterpoint to Zetro’s vocals, slows radically toward the end for an introspective moment before picking back up for a boot stomping finish. “World Funeral” is a schizophrenic metal number with an aggressive gang vocal opening and some shredding riffs.



Links:
Hatriot

EULA (Post-Punk) Plays Glasslands Gallery Tomorrow Night Along with Members of Deerhoof, Speedy Ortiz and Titus Andronicus (Castle of Spices)

Alyse Lamb, singer/guitarist from the post-punk trio EULA, is curating the "Castle of Spices" event tomorrow night at Glasslands Gallery. It is an evening filled w/ collaboration & experimentation with artists from all different mediums (music, dance, poetry, photography). Performances will be from Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, Sadie of Speedy Ortiz, Adam Schatz of Man Man, EULA....and many more.

This show is being presented by Famous Swords, which is an artist collective run by Lamb. In a recent Village Voice article, Lamb describes the collective as: "a huge production collective...we want to do music videos, recordings, t-shirts, kind of an all-encompassing art collective, that's kind of our vision behind it." EULA's latest video "Orderly" was produced by the collective and Lamb said "[w]e wanted to use sort of trippy psychedelic images that had a very feminine edge to them, but also [have it be] very sharp and angular to go with the sounds of the song."



Tickets for tomorrow night's show are $10 and doors are at 8PM.

Links:
EULA

'Alone in North America' (featuring The Morning After Girls) Premiers at the CBGB's Music and Film Festival on Oct. 9th

“to trust someone is to allow them to be everything they are”

Hypnagogia Films has announced the world premiere of "alone in north america" during the forthcoming CBGB’s Music and Film Festival. The documentary is a collaborative effort between award-winning Director, David Hilbert (Ikland) and neo-psychedelic outfit, the morning after girls. Part narrative, part existential road picture, the film follows the U.S. tour of the band in support of their 2011 LP (which is titled Alone).

In the words of Hypnagogia Films: the morning after girls survived break-ups, break-downs, departures, arrivals and deportations. When the smoke cleared, they toured North America - playing music to gather people together. The ensuing miles would be their greatest test. As individuals and as a band, they found themselves on the wrong side of the law, the wrong side of the clock, and the wrong side of the wheel..

In addition to live performance footage taken across the country, the documentary features a previously unreleased song entitled “Corruption.” The official premiere of Alone will commence on Oct 9th at the Anthology Film Archives and advance tickets are $10. Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.cbgbfest.com/aloneinnorthamerica



About the band: the morning after girls was formed in Melbourne, Australia by Sacha Lucashenko (vocals and guitar) and Martin B. Sleeman (vocals and guitar). In 2008, the band relocated to New York City and added Americans Alexander White (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals), EJ Hagen (bass guitar), and Anthony Johnson (drums). As a band, the morning after girls have played shows worldwide with such notables as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Mercury Rev, and many others.

Upon its release in 2011, Alone, the bands second full-length album received album of the year honors from such press outlets as the San Francisco Chronicle, The Big Takeover, Detroit Metro Times and Popshifter Magazine.

About the filmmaker: David Hilbert is a New York based writer and filmmaker. He is the director and editor of the award-winning film Ikland, which documents the rediscovery of the lost Ik tribe, who were famously disparaged as the worst people in the world. The film was honored as the Best Documentary of the Boston International Film Festival and has been critically praised by The New York Times, Variety and Indiewire. He has lectured at Harvard University and been a guest on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show.

Links:
Alone Films
the morning after girls

Three Lions (AOR Power Trio) - 'Three Lions' CD Review (Frontiers Records)

Three Lions self-titled debut disc came out earlier this year and this disc is a well-crafted throwback to the sound of 80’s melodic AOR rock. Three Lions is composed of Dare/Ten alumni Vinny Burns (guitar) and Greg Morgan (drums) along with Nigel Bailey (vocals/bass). The band was formed when Vinny, Greg and Nigel were introduced by Frontiers Records President Serafino Perugino to producer Alessandro Del Vecchio at Firefest in October 2012. The guys hit it off straight away and immediately set about writing new material for an album. The songs were written without an agenda and these songs were sent to Perugino for consideration, who loved the material and immediately commissioned an album.

This album has huge melodic hooks, choruses that invite singing along and many of these songs would have been a staple of FM radio if released thirty years prior. “We set out to write good songs, the only criteria was that all of us liked them” said Nigel Bailey. While the band sounds really tight, the focal point of most of the songs are Vinny Burns’ stellar guitar work and Nigel Bailey’s ‘Lou Graham meets John Wetton’ vocals. Musically, most of the songs are in the vein of Asia, early Foreigner and the Brian Howe-fronted lineup of Bad Company along with hints of Bryan Adams and Whitesnake around the edges. With an album full of anthemic rock, as one would expect, a number of songs are about girls.



The disc starts out with “Trouble in a Red Dress” (the first single from the disc) which is a melodic AOR rocker with solid guitar work and a bit grittier sound that brings the 80’s AOR sound into the present. This is followed by “Hold Me Now”, which is a Bryan Adams style guitar-driven tale about girls and summer. “Twisted Soul” starts with a slower intro before the driving atmospheric rock kicks in. The song sounds like a Foreigner number with a bit more punch in the guitar. “Winter Sun” is an old-school rock ballad which is powered by a big guitar sounds and upfront melodic vocals. Picking up the pace with “Just a Man” and “Holy Water”, either of these numbers could easily become the second single from the disc. Both of these numbers are mid-tempo rockers with the hooks that stick with you long after the song has ended.

One of the most diverse numbers on the disc is the eastern-influence “Kathmandu”. The band seems to take a page from 90’s metal with some slashing guitar lines while never losing its sense of melody. The other number that shows the band willing to take some risks is “Sicilian Kiss”, the final track on the disc, which is a moody, guitar-driven instrumental with strong leads and a slight hint of flamingo on the outro.

Links:
Three Lions

Wes Anderson : American Laundromat Records Announce Vinyl Release of 'I Saved Latin! A Tribute to Wes Anderson'

American Laundromat Records is proud to announce their popular Wes Anderson tribute I Saved Latin! A Tribute To Wes Anderson is getting the vinyl treatment. The 24-song, double-LP is scheduled for release on March 10, 2015 and includes all 23 songs from the original CD plus an exclusive new track recorded and mixed over the summer by French chanteuse Marianne Dissard who tackled Francoise Hardy’s classic “Le Temps de L’Amour” used by Anderson in Moonrise Kingdom. In addition to the exclusive bonus track, the LP features brand new cover art by critically-acclaimed illustrator Lonny Unitus who once again handled all art direction.

American Laundromat Records has committed to pressing the 2xLP on 180 Gram Black Vinyl in a Dual Gatefold Jacket. The release is limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and available for $26.00 + shipping exclusively from the label’s website.

TRACKLIST

LP1 - Side One
1. Margaret Yang's Theme - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
2. A Quick One While He’s Away - Saint Motel
3. These Days - Matt Pond (feat. Laura Stevenson & Chris Hansen)
4. Let Her Dance - Freelance Whales
5. I Am Waiting - Tomo Nakayama (feat. Jesse Sykes)
6. The Wind - William Fitzsimmons
7. Needle In The Hay - Juliana Hatfield

LP1 - Side Two
1. Making Time - Generationals
2. The Way I Feel Inside - PHOX
3. This Time Tomorrow - Telekinesis
4. Strangers - Escondido
5. Alone Again Or - Sara Lov
6. Nothing In This World Can Stop Me Worrin' Bout That Girl - Solvents

LP2 - Side One
1. Le Temps De L’Amour - Marianne Dissard
2. Here Comes My Baby - Tea Cozies
3. Fly - Kristin Hersh
4. Ziggy Stardust - Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
5. Play with Fire - Elk City
6. Stephanie Says - Tele Novella

LP2 - Side Two
1. Oh Yoko - The Ghost In You
2. Fairest Of The Seasons - Trespassers William
3. 30 Century Man – Tomten
4. Street Fighting Man - Mike Watt & The Secondmen
5. Five Years – Santah

Links:
A Beginner's Guide to Wes Anderson Movies
American Laundromat Records

Whitechapel (Deathcore) Plays Gramercy Theatre on Nov. 10th / 'Endless War' CD Review (Metal Blade)

Whitechapel’s fifth disc came out this past April and Our Endless War (Metal Blade) is a solid slab of hard-hitting deathcore. The music is brutal, the lyrics are nihilistic yet the music is surprisingly accessible which is evidenced by this new disc cracking the US Billboard Top 10 chart. The band is bringing their sonic attack to NYC for a show at Gramercy Theatre on Nov. 10th along with supporting acts Upon a Burning Body and Glass Cloud. This show is general admission and tickets are $20 (+$9 ‘convenience fee’).

The disc starts out with the instrumental “Rise” which is comprised of a marching beat and bending middle-eastern sounding guitar line that progressively build and serves as the lead-in to the galloping title track, “Our Endless War”. “Our Endless War” explodes out of the gate with driving drums and a slashing guitar attack while vocalist Phil Bozeman takes the listener into the abyss with the roar “let’s go”. It is noticeable right away that the disc’s clean production, hints of the Scandinavian sound and Bozeman’s understandable vocal growl means that this is not your run-of-the-mill deathcore album. The lyrics for “Our Endless War” also sets the tone for the disc as Bozeman growls out an anthemic call to arms: “My country tis of greed, sweet land of idiocracy…While we still have liberty, let’s take back our justice for all.”

Whitechapel mixes up levels of intensity across the disc all the while staying close to their deathcore roots. “The Saw is the Law” (the first single from the new disc) has a big bottom end and locks into a sludgy bass groove while Bozeman’s vocals range from a death shriek to a glass-gargling growl.



“Mono” is solid, blast-beat driven pit fodder where bending and twisting guitar lines add atmosphere and mood to change up the tempos. “Let It Burn” is more of a hardcore number with a tribal beat and a menacing bass line that will get the boots stomping. “Worship the Digital Age” is another brutal number with a grinding groove that sounds like a decaying industrial machine grinding to a halt.

The band takes something of a breather on the tracks “How Times Have Changed” and “Psychopathy”. “How Times Have Changed” is the sort of grid metal tune reminds me of the type of music that one would hear at L’Amour in the early ’00s. “Psychopathy” is a slower stomper that has clean guitar and slows in the middle for an evil moody build. “Blacked Out” jumps right back into the death metal with the double-bass blast beats. Finally, “Diggs Road”, a tale about someone contemplating suicide, is one of the most diverse songs on the disc. This number starts with a moody, middle-eastern guitar intro that leads into a slow-burning stomper. The band changes up the tempos during different parts of this song and this number includes some very clean guitar solos. There are two bonus tracks on the disc, “A Process So Familiar” and “Fall of the Hypocrites” and both of these tracks are pummeling death metal that follow the sounds heard earlier on the disc.

Links:
Whitechapel

Regulator (Cro-Mags + Bad Brains Members) to Play Benefit Concert (9/25) at Bowery Electric

In late 2005, the Bad Brains played two sold-out shows at CBGBs with Cro-Mags' John Joseph on vocals and Mackie Jayson on drums and the band focused on songs from the Bad Brains' self-titled debut album and I Against I. (I can't remember the reason given for HR being in CA these nights). This lineup is back and is playing a benefit show on Thursday, Sept. 25th at Bowery Electric under the name Regulator.

A NYHC all-star event, Regulator includes John Joseph & Mackie of The Cro-Mags and performs all classic Bad Brains material.

Special guests to join Regulator during this performance will be none other than the Bad Brains own Darryl Jennifer & Dr. Know. All proceeds from the event will benefit The Children’s Tumor Foundation (which is also the charity John Joseph supports through competing in Ironman Triathlons). Also performing will be Wilding Incident (which features members of Crown Of Thornz, Maximum Penalty and The White Mandingos) and the recently re-united Subzero.

Tickets are $20 and you have to figure that this show will sell out.



Links:
Cro-Mags
Bad Brains

The Swan King (Chicago Post-Hardcore) - 'Last So Long' CD Review (War Crime Recordings)

Chicago post-hardcore unit, The Swan King, featuring members of Pelican and Planes Mistaken For Stars, released their second LP, Last So Long (War Crime Recordings), this past June. Spawned in 2009 in the Windy City, The Swan King is made up of Pelican guitarist and former Duane Denison pupil, Dallas Thomas (guitar/vocals), bassist Jamie Drier (x-Planes Mistaken For Stars) and drummer Zafar Musharraf (x-Toro! Toro!). Over the years, The Swan King has shared the stage with the likes of Red Fang, Black Tusk, Indian and Whores.

This new eight-track/30 minute disc is a refreshing throwback to the post-hardcore sounds of the late 80’s/early 90’s and was recorded by uber-producer Sanford Parker (Buried at Sea and Minsk) at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio. This three-piece band works up a big head of noise (think Helmet or any of the early AmRep bands) with chugging and distorted guitar riffs and a pounding rhythm section but the band keeps the music accessible with solid melodies.

This is a big-sounding “rawk” disc where the band consistently maintains head-banging, high energy across all of the tracks. The band doesn’t stray far from their post-hardcore ‘core’ but the guitar riffs and melodies twist and turn within each of the songs (occasionally straying into mathcore) which keeps the disc from ever getting stale. Dallas Thomas’ vocals are up-front in the mix and he sings with a gruff but melodic yell which becomes another weapon in the band’s sonic attack. Some of the standout cuts showcase the band’s diversity which range from the hardcore of “Explore the Void” to the mathcore of “Returning to Haunt” to the melodic punk of “Last So Long”.



Links:
The Swan King

X (@XtheBand) - Live Photos from Second Night at City Winery, 8-22-14 ('Wild Gift' set)

(from X's online bio)
Q: When you look back at old photos, what do you think?

John: I don't
Billy: I was so thin!
DJ: We were so young
Exene:  I can't believe I thought I was so plain looking.  We were lucky to be around so many good photographers.

I caught the first two nights of X's four-night run at City Winery and, while the band sounded great the first night, it all came together on the second night. I don't know if I can attribute this increased energy to any one particular thing: Billy Zoom seemed to take more leads and his 'trademark' grin was more in evidence, DJ Bonebrake seemed to hit the drums a bit harder - ranging from tribal beats to jazzy fills - and John and Exene were all over the stage and seemed incredibly energized.

The crowd was having fun this night as this is the first time that I've seen City Winery staff try to get audience members who were trying to dance back in their seats. The band must having also been having fun as they played another 15 songs after wrapping up their Wild Gift set.

The set list for the second night was:

Set 1
01 The Once Over Twice
02 We're Desperate
03 Adult Books
04 Universal Corner
05 I'm Coming Over
06 It's Who You Know
07 In this House that I call Home
08 Some Other Time
09 White Girl
10 Beyond and Back
11 Back 2 the Base
12 When Our Love Passed Out on the Couch
13 Year 1

Set 2
14 The Hungry Wolf
15 Breathless
16 Drunk in My Past
17 Dancing with Tears in my Eyes
18 I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts
19 We're Having Much More Fun
20 How (I Learned my Lesson)
21 Nausea
22 Johnny Hit and Run Pauline
23 Motel Room in My Bed
24 Soul Kitchen

Encore
25 The World's a Mess, It's in my Kiss
26 Blue Spark
27 Because I Do
28 Devil Doll

I'm 'cheating' a bit as this video is from the fourth night (most the video posted to YouTube from the second night isn't that good quality) but this should give a good indication of what X's live set sounds like.

Links:
X (the band)

Simple Minds Release 'Blindfolded' from forthcoming 16th Album, Big Music (Out Nov. '14)

"We have audiences within our audiences who only care about the greatest hits – but new material brings vitality to the set, and should stop you calcifying and being a museum piece." - Jim Kerr

Simple Minds just posted a studio version of "Blindfold", a new song that has been part of the band's live set since summer. This song will be on their 16th album, Big Music, which is due out in November. Big Music will be the band's first studio disc since 2009's Graffiti Soul and Kerr has said in recent interviews that band has been working on this album over the last few years, in between touring behind their greatest hits album Celebrate.





For anyone who wants more Simple Minds, in exchange for your email address (free membership), you can download the following tracks from Simple Minds' website:

Live at Werchter Festival on 8th of July 2006:
1. New Gold Dream
2. See the Lights
3. Stay Visible

Links:
Simple Minds

Uriah Heep - 'Outsider' CD Review (Frontiers Records)

Uriah Heep’s twenty-fourth disc, Outsider (Frontiers Records), picks up where 2011’s Into the Wild left off with 11 tracks of melodic hard rock that are sure to leave a memorable mark with fans of the classic rock genre. Now that I’ve heard my second Uriah Heep album, I really don’t understand why the band isn’t big in the States. In a different era, Outsider is the sort of arena rock that one would hear in coliseums (as opposed to B.B. King’s) but, unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be an active concert circuit in the States for hard rock bands outside of those acts pandering to boomers with ‘greatest hits’ shows.

Just a couple of ‘operational notes’ before getting into the review:

• there are two bonus tracks on the Japanese edition - the first, “One Minute (Sixty Seconds)”, is presumably a studio track and the second is a live version of 1998’s “Between Two Worlds”,
• long time bassist Trevor Boulder (who joined Uriah Heep in 1976) died last year from cancer and this new disc was recorded with his replacement, Dave Rimmer.

When reviewing Into the Wild, I had noted that, musically, the heavy use of a Hammond organ and Bernie Shaw’s Ian Gillian-like vocals make for an immediate comparison to Deep Purple’s comeback albums in the 80’s/90’s. While this comparison is still mostly valid, where it falls away is that founding member Mick Box delivers some solid guitar work without ever crossing into the realm of ‘guitar hero’ histrionics and all the songs have a “full band” sound rather than lingering too long on any of the members’ individual efforts.



This first single/video from the album, “One Minute”, is a solid indication for what the rest of the disc sounds like. The first minute of this song is the slowest the band gets as all of the eleven tracks range from mid-tempo to b*lls-out rockers. Within each of the songs, there is a healthy sense of melody but there is little of the pop commercialism that crept into the metal scene in the mid-80’s.



The first two songs on the disc (“Speed of Sound” and “One Minute”) will suck the listener in but the gloves come off for the two songs that follow: “The Law” and “Outsider”, as both of these songs are driving, hard-rock numbers. “The Law” starts with a repeating groove riff from Box and a galloping beat. This number shows the band at their peak as there are a number of tempo changes throughout the song where the band brings the pace down and the vocal harmonies up just to pick up speed again and pile-drive through the next part of the song.

Some of the other strong numbers on the disc are “Is Anybody Gonna Help Me?” and “Kiss the Rainbow”. On “Is Anybody Gonna Help Me?”, the band slows down the pace and highlights melancholy shimmering organ from Phil Lanzon (which has some shades of Argent) along with a stomping chorus. Similar to “The Law”, the band slows down the tempo of this song mid-way before bringing it back up again with a full head of steam. On the track “Kiss the Rainbow”, all of the band’s individual parts come together to form a memorable hard-rocker. The band doesn’t go quietly as disc ends, musically, where it started. “Say Goodbye” is a mid-tempo melodic hard-rocker that is in the same spirit as the two tracks that opened the disc.

Links:
Uriah Heep

The Young (Matador Records): Win Tickets to Tomorrow Night's Show at Glassland

Austin, TX’s The Young has made a solid album that is, simply stated – high quality, straight up rock and roll. While Chrome Cactus is a little darker in it’s lyrical and musical content than their past efforts, it’s still an album that reinforces everything great about American Rock music currently. The rhythm section of drummer Ryan Maloney and bassist Lucas Wedow lay down a heavy (though nimble where they need to be) foundation for the already formidable guitar interplay of Hans Zimmerman and Kyle Edwards. While their last two albums were produced by Zimmerman himself, this time they brought in fellow sonic assassin Tim Green (Nation of Ulysses, The Fucking Champs, Thee Evolution Revolution etc.) who also played on the record.

The Young’s members have all spent many collective years exploring musical interests previous to and in addition to their time in the band. Hans is a recording engineer, and he produces records out of his home. In addition to the first to albums by his own band, he’s recorded Spray Paint, Criaturas, Destruction Unit, Total Abuse, Institute and more. Kyle builds his own guitar pedals.. Lucas previously played bass for the notorious band Women In Prison in which Hans was also the drummer. Ryan was previously the drummer in Deskonocidos. Ensconced in their scene in Austin, these guys have given it their all. No shtick, no drama, just four friends playing music together. Chrome Cactus has been called the “highway record of the summer”. If you need bells and whistles and shtick, you probably won’t like this album. If you like straight up rock, sans gimmick, then this one’s for you. “...if you’re in the market for a summer guitar record - nothing that asks you to think deeply or emote, just sun-dazed guitars that coat your soul in industrial-strength reverb dust.” - Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone



At tomorrow night's show, The Young are playing with Fly Golden Eagle and local swamp-rockers Degreaser.

To win tickets - send along your full name to Mike.BrooklynRocks at Gmail Dot Com at winner will be chosen at random.

Links:
The Young

The Grayces (Nashville Grunge/Pysch) Play CMJ Show at Bowery Electric on Oct. 21st / Day Show at Spike Hill on Oct. 24th

Nashville's The Grayces are set to release their sophomore album, Westing on 10/14/14. The band is already making waves with singles "Do It to Me," "Lord and Gods of Alcohol," and "Drop In a Bucket." Influenced by Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, and The Ramones, The Grayces are known for their howling vocals, pounding drums, and swaggering bass lines. Iz Stone (Vocals, guitarist), Patrick Ward (bass, vocals), and Chase Cantrell (drums) hit the ground running, releasing a self-titled vinyl in 2010, the single, “Just Another Thing” in the Spring of 2011, and their first full-length, Social Shock, in the Fall of 2011.



Gearing up for Westing's release, The Grayces will be starting their extensive tour this fall, including an appearance at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. "On the new record, The Grayces have gotten heavier. The band is more hardcore punk and metal, less sexy blues than The Dead Weather, reflecting their influences from the heavier side of Nirvana and Black Sabbath" (No Country For New Nashville).

The Grayces' Fall Tour
9/25-Louisville, KY @ Magnolia Bar
9/26- Evansville, IN @ PG (Arts and Entertainment)
9/27 -Carbondale, IL @ PK’s
9/28-St Louis, MO @ Melt
9/30- Kansas City, MO @ Vandals
10/5- Chicago, IL @ Live Wire Lounge
10/7- Detroit, MI @PJ's Lager House
10/9- Indianapolis, IN @Melody Inn
10/11- Cincinnati, OH @ Rake’s End
10/15- Pittsburgh, PA @31st Street Pub
10/17- New York, NY @ Arlene's Grocery (NYC Official Release Show)
10/21 New York, NY @ Bowery Electric, CMJ Music Marathon (Official Show)
10/23-Philadelphia, PA @ The Fire
10/24- Brooklyn, NY @ Spike Hill, CMJ Music Marathon (Official Day Show)
10/25-Raleigh, NC @ Slim's

Links:
The Grayces