Savage Messiah (Earache) Release Forthcoming Album, "Plague of Conscience", as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Savage Messiah - "Plague of Conscience" (free download of full length album)

Savage Messiah was formed in 2007 in London, England. The band consists of lead guitarist/singer Dave Silver, lead guitarist Joff Bailey, bassist Stefano Selvatico and drummer Mauricio Chamucero.

In late 2010 the band was signed to Earache Records and set about writing and demoing a new record and also appeared at the 2010 Earache Christmas Party. After months of pre-production work the band hit the studio in the summer of 2011 to record once more with Scott Atkins taking a break from recording to play at Devilstone Open Air in Lithuania and a short run of UK dates with US metallers Skeletonwitch.

The band wrapped up production of its new album titled "Plague of Conscience" in late September 2011 after 6 weeks of intense recording and immedeately embarked on a 15 date nationwide UK tour with label mates Evile.

The new album is due out in January but Earache is making a digital copy available now as a free download. Check out the video message below from Savage Messiah frontman David Silver.



Links:
Savage Messiah

Canon Logic Post Cover of Cinderella's "Don't Know What You've Got (Til Its Gone)"

DOWNLOAD: Canon Logic - "Don't Know What You've Got (Til Its Gone)"

I've got a backlog of postings and CD reviews to finish and yet I spent too much time this evening trying to Photoshop Tim Kiely's head onto a mid-80's photo of Tom Keifer.

The Canon Logic have the lead-off track on the new Engine Room Recordings' Guilt By Association compilation. The theme of Vol. 3 is 80's hair metal and The Canon Logic deliver a rocking power-pop cover of Cinderella's hair-ballad "Don't Know What You've Got (Til Its Gone)".

Below is the press write-up for this new compilation:

Engine Room Recordings is back with another installment of the beloved covers compilation series with Guilt By Association Vol. 3, to be released on November 15, 2011. The Guilt By Association concept is easy, Engine Room asks artists to cover songs that one could call a guilty pleasure, but the catch is we all love these songs guilt free! Past volumes included tracks by Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham, Superchunk, My Brightest Diamond, Matt Pond PA, and Frightened Rabbit covering artists such as Mariah Carey, My Chemical Romance, Ace of Base and Destiny’s Child. On Guilt By Association Volume 3, Engine Room has gone one step further and added a theme within the theme. For this newest installment, all of the songs had to be plucked from everyone’s favorite genre, 80’s hair metal. Vol. 3 features Helmet covering Loudness, Mike Viola tackling Ratt, Madison Square Gardeners doing Poison, Canon Logic taking on Cinderella and Bird of Youth covering Skid Row.



Links:
Canon Logic

Baje One (of Junk Science) Releases "The Only One (House Wigger 2.0)" as a Free Download

"This is a song that I made a while back, in like 2009. Snafu made the beat, which is superdope in my opinion. We considered using the song on a Junk Science project (“A Miraculous Kind Of Machine”) but Snaf wasn’t feeling the song as much as I was so we decided to scrap it. Democracy. Since then it’s been sitting around in my itunes. I’ve been kinda nervous about releasing it… on some “Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood” shit. Today I woke up and was just like “Fuck it.” I think it’s funny. Feel free to tell me what you think." = baje

LYRICS
Most rappers don’t really like rappers
In fact you might say it’s kinda vital to the fabric
The history of hip hop, track by track
The greats rail against imaginary rappers and their wackness
Most white rappers don’t really like rappers
Especially other white rappers
You gotta wonder why it matters so much
Why you got to hate?
What? You were born to rhyme and this is not my fate?
Come on man, this is 2000 and future
And everybody rhymes, it’s just something to get used to
So riddle me this, when I see you around
And then I give you a pound, you gotta give me a frown?
And it’d be one thing if you don’t like my writing
But I’m convinced it’s a white on white thing
It’s a big table I’m just walkin to my seat
But you, you wanna be the H.W.I.C.
The Head Wegro that’s In with the Colored folks
Oh god, here comes Baje with another joke
But I aint laughing, I’m just askin
What about my existence is so taxing?
Does it take away from your creepy little fantasy?
Hip hop Tarzan, swingin through the canopy
In your world we can’t both have fly grammar
Cause there can only be one like Highlander

CHORUS
And I wanna be your only one
I wanna be your only one
Hip hop, I wanna be your only one
I had a dream I was the only one
I wanna be your only one
I wanna be your only one
Hip hop I wanna be your only one
Show me the force like Obiwan Kinobe

Ok, in response to some of your letters… to Jackie in Queens, yes we do tend to prefer expensive coffee. And to Caesar in New Haven, yes a lot of us do like to wear our shoes inside the house. And yes it’s true, we really do like Mos Def.

Ahem… it’s not just rap
It’s one good lens but it’s not just that
Check it, me and my lady travelin abroad
And we try to be polite the get wrapped up in a conversation
With a bunch of white kids at a hostel
Traveler types, yeah, right, you know what it’s like
White kids with dreads and no shoes
Tryin to tell you about this place they went that’s so cool
“You wouldn’t believe it, the whole entire place
Was a sea of brown people, and me the only white face
Some had never even seen a white person
It’s crazy, right? I felt like a virgin
On virgin territory, off the beaten path
I’d be surprised if it was even on the map”
(cough) Pause – inhale weed smoke
An opportunity, another kid he spoke
Might as well have been the same couple sentences
Different locale with the exact same sentiment
I had to cut him off said I’m off to bed
Plus my girl’s about to stab him in the neck and so we stepped
Peep… it seems harmless, but has a really ill side
If seeing all the brown folks is just another thrill ride
All that melanin to boost your adrenaline
It’s like snowboarding except you’re more snowed in
Look, you gotta travel, just it’s kinda frail
To sit around competing for the most exotic tale
It just so happens these kids are kinda pale
Stuck with the bug to float you gotta sail
With a one-way ticket running away from your whiteness
And here you are in the jungle starin at your likeness
Last thing you wanna do is see another Tarzan
Who forces you to contemplate what you really are man…

CHORUS
Cause you wanna be that only one
You wanna be that only one
You wanna be that only one
You had a dream you were the only one
And I wanna be that only one
I wanna to be your only one
Hip hop I wanna be your only one
Show me the force like Obiwan Kinobe
Or better yet… Mace Windu

Ok. A few more letters. To Araceli in the Bronx, I don’t know, I don’t know why we like weird beers. Thanks for asking I guess. And to Chris in L.A. yes we often do have weird beards. Good observation. Weird beers and weird beards… dot com.

Links:
Junk Science

Christmas: Download Free Single from Self-Titled Debut LP (CMRTYZ / Highfives and Handshakes)

About a week ago, I first heard the pre-LP single "Namiot" from Olympia Washington's Christmas and was immediately hooked. Some points of comparison to the band's music are Ponytail and Pylon but there is all sorts of other craziness thrown into the mix as well. Impose Magazine described the band as "a gang of I-dont-give-a-fuckers known for their wildly, electric shows where you're likely to see the guitarist crowd-surfing naked in a drunken fever."

The band's new self-titled ten-track 12" is available as a digital download or as a limited-edition, hand painted 12" through Highfives and Handshakes webstore.



Links:
Christmas

Country Mice Release Second Free Download from Forthcoming CD "Festival" (Out June 7th)

DOWNLOAD: Country Mice - "Morning Son" (from Festival)

STREAM/DOWNLOAD: Country Mice - "Festival"
(Download link from PopMatters.com)


Breaking away from the close-knit ties of friends and family in rural Kansas, Country Mice front-man Jason Rueger moved east, not to Nashville, where you might expect a country boy to venture, but to Brooklyn. It doesn’t take long to hook up with fellow Midwest transplants Ben Bullington (guitar) and Kurt Kuehn (drums) as they all quickly band together, finding comfort in their shared sense of displacement. Eventually, as the trio becomes more assimilated to their new surroundings, they recruit upstate New Yorker Mike Feldman (bass).

As Country Mice, they rally together to craft apocalyptic ballads through amplifier hazes that thicken into funnel clouds, drums that stomp-clap sedately before the storm peaks, and bass tones that thicken the bloodstream. Rueger draws on his small town rearing with sophistication beyond the ordinarily romantic and reductive Americana troubadour, and his songwriting is anything but dime a dozen.

Strong traces of Neil Young and Wilco are mixed into modern experimental guitar sounds that any fan of mid-90’s Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. will love. Living and gigging in Brooklyn, Country Mice begin to fully develop their sound, which becomes by influenced the other hardworking bands of Brooklyn's fast-paced scene. With the release of two 7” singles and a limited edition cassette on Brooklyn-based indie labels, Country Mice embarked on several national US tours, played CMJ and recorded and recently released a Daytrotter Session.

On March 28th, the band unleashed a new single “Festival” and their debut album Twister is due out on June 7th. This is a record that sonically chisels through the calloused shell of glossy rock & roll to find the dissonant live wire beneath and play it for all its worth. It tells a tale of strained memory: the hardships, joys, and love of growing up in a small town in the Midwest, with the hopes and dreams of traveling the world – a record for every kid seeing the big world from his small bedroom window.

Tracklisting
1. Ghost
2. Festival
3. Morning Son
4. Rabbit On A Leash
5. Close Behind
6. Clover
7. Worn Hearts
8. Bullet of a Gun
9. Shasta

Links:
Country Mice

Karen Rockower Plays Cake Shop on Wednesday, April 27th

Based on recent Twitter postings, it sounds like art-punk band Bugs in the Dark are "re-emerging" after a period of inactivity. During this downtime, guitarist/vocalist Karen Rockower recorded a stunning solo disc, Whales Standing, which led to comparison to artists such as Joanna Newsome and Hope Sandoval.

Karen is playing a full-band solo show at Cake Shop on Wednesday night along with Ovlov and Diehard. Tickets are $7 and Ovlov kicks off the night at 9PM.



Links:
Karen Rockower

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Links:
Guitars

Lucky Ghost (aka Seth Berkowitz) Releases "Sex Griddle" as a Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Lucky Ghost - "Love With a Ghost"
DOWNLOAD: Lucky Ghost - Sex Griddle (full-length disc)

Cold war anxiety, video game theme songs and the ever-elusive mysteries of human connection all come to bear on the ten infectiously quirky and occasionally melancholic tracks of Sex Griddle, the latest LP from Lucky Ghost.

Cultivating the distinctive voice that emerged on the 2008 LP Network Stars, Lucky Ghost (the bedroom brain-child of multi-instrumentalist, Seth Berkowitz) delivers an incredible amalgamation of 70s prog-rock, the sparkling sadness of 80s pop, chugging guitar rock and the lyrical aplomb of British singer-songwriters.

From the shimmering and crunchy synths of "Made in America" to the male-female vocal-interplay on the whimsical "Love with a Ghost" - the latter was recently featured in a commercial for Helzberg Diamonds - Sex Griddle acts as the spoonful of sugar to help the dystopian malaise go down. Even when Berkowitz sings of impending nuclear winter on "The Republic," it's as if there's a Saturday morning cartoon playing in the background - cradling his fears in innocence and a bowl of Frosted Flakes.



Links:
Lucky Ghost

King Crimson - Live Stream from Robert's NYC Soundscape Show // Free Download from The Vicar

I really dropped the ball by not seeing Robert Fripp perform at World Financial Center this past December as I think this clip (hosted by WNYC) from his live show is brilliant. If you go over to WNYC's site, there are some audio interviews with Robert on being sampled by Kanye for "Power" and on finding the original master for In The Court of the Crimson King.

DOWNLOAD: The Vicar - "Show Reel"

This week's free download from DGMLive.com is from The Vicar. I've been a fan of King Crimson for over 25 years and I have absolutely no idea how The Vicar fits within the whole Crimso family but...give it a spin and see if you can figure it out.

This is Stormy's fast ride through the world of The Vicar, Song Book No.1. Encompassing the many moods of this wonderful album in less than ten minutes!

Links:
Robert Fripp
King Crimson

NYC Sucks Volume 1: Free Download of the Best of NYC's Metal Scene (courtesy of MetalSucks.Net)

DOWNLOAD: NYC Sucks Volume 1

IT’S HERE! IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! Volume 1 of NYC Sucks, the completely free comp we’ve compiled to spotlight some of the best metal bands currently dominating the New York metal scene. This volume features fourteen songs by as many bands, who run the gamut of genres, from death to tech to prog to grind to black to hardcore to doom and more. We truly feel that this is a great sampling of all that New York’s thriving metal scene has to offer, and we’re beyond proud to be sharing it with you — absolutely, 100% free of charge.

Track Listing:
1. East of the Wall, “The Ladder”
2. Made out of Babies, “Invisible Ink”
3. Tiger Flowers, “Cuts”
4. Black Anvil, “The Evil of All Roots”
5. Naam, “Frosted Tread”
6. Batillus, “The Children of the Night Make Their Music”
7. Meek is Murder, “Sundowners” (demo)
8. The Binary Code, “Encircled”
9. Castevet, “Stones”
10. Hung, “Desert of Sad”
11. Wizardry, “The Falconer”
12. Pyrrhon, “King of All Tears”
13. Mutant Supremacy, “Epitaph”
14. Incendiary, “Victory in Defeat”

Robert Fripp Releases "Non-Loop Idea" Tracks from 1979 as Free Download

PLAY: Robert Fripp - "Non Loop Idea VIII"
DOWNLOAD: Robert Fripp - "Non Loop Ideas VIII & IX" (Requires Free Registration on DGMLive)

This week's free download from Robert Fripp/King Crimson are some short instrumental pieces that were recorded in 1979.

It’s interesting how ideas might come along but don’t necessarily find their place until many years later. The driving chords of Brightness Falls by Sylvian and Fripp are instantly recognisable on the first of two unplugged outings from 1979. Fifteen years would pass before the record buying public would get a chance to wig out and exchange dandruff to this little head-banger. As far as these ears can tell, Non Loop Idea IX sounds as though it has still to find a proper home, although that ascending run near the end would surely make for a lovely bitter-sweet ballad.

Robert Fripp is coming to NYC in December to "soundscape" in World Financial Centre's Winter Garden. The concerts take place on Friday, December 3rd at 12.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. and Saturday, 4th December at 12.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. For anyone who hasn't heard Fripp's Soundscapes, check out the powerful performance he gave in November of 2000.

Links:
Robert Fripp
King Crimson

Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Release Free EP of Unreleased Tracks

Legal, free downloads are always a good thing...

In support of the upcoming NIN|JA 2009 Tour, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper have released a 6-song EP of previously unreleased material as a free download. You have the option of downloading the files as MP3s, Apple Lossless/MP4s, FLAC or WAV files.

I've read that the NIN tracks are from 2005's With Teeth sessions and the Jane's Addiction tracks are new recordings that were done with Trent Reznor. If anyone is as unfamiliar with Street Sweeper as I was, this is the new project by Tom Morello and Boots Riley.

Here are the current tour dates for NIN|JA 2009:
5.08.09 - w. palm beach, fl [cruzan amphitheatre]
5.09.09 - tampa, fl [ford amphitheatre]
5.10.09 - atlanta, ga [lakewood amphitheatre]
5.12.09 - austin, tx [frank erwin center]
5.14.09 - albuquerque, nm [journal pavilion]
5.15.09 - phoenix, az [cricket wireless pavilion]
5.16.09 - chula vista, ca [cricket wireless amphitheater]
5.18.09 - las vegas, nv [the pearl]
5.20.09 - irvine, ca [verizon wireless amphitheater]
5.22.09 - mountain view, ca [shoreline amphitheatre]
5.24.09 - george, wa [the gorge amphitheater] - sasquatch festival, nin and ja only
5.26.09 - englewood, co [fiddler’s green amphitheatre]
5.27.09 - kansas city, mo [starlight theatre]
5.29.09 - chicago, il [charter one pavilion] - nin only
5.30.09 - noblesville, in [verizon wireless music center]
5.31.09 - clarkston, mi [dte energy music theatre]
6.02.09 - toronto, on [molson amphitheatre]
6.03.09 - mansfield, ma [comcast center]
6.05.09 - camden, nj [susquehanna bank center]
6.06.09 - holmdel, nj [pnc bank arts center]
6.07.09 - wantagh, ny [nikon at jones beach music theater]
6.09.09 - columbia, md [merriweather post pavilion ]
6.10.09 - burgettstown, pa [post-gazette pavilion]
6.12.09 - charlotte, nc [verizon wireless amphitheatre]

Links:
Nine Inch Nail's Website
Jane's Addiction's Website
Street Sweeper's Website

New Art Brut Track, "Just Desserts", Available as a Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Art Brut - "Just Desserts" (MP3)

RCRD LBL is exclusively hosting a non-LP track from Art Brut, "Just Desserts", which was recorded at the Frank Black produced sessions for Art Brut vs. Satan.

From anyone who needs more Art brut - here is the video for "Alcoholics Unanimous", which is the first single from the forthcoming disc.


Links:
Art Brut's Website

Bruce Springsteen Posts New Halloween Song as a Free Download

Bruce Springsteen has posted a new blues song, "A Night with the Jersey Devil", as a free download on his website. There is also a video posted for the song where Bruce takes on the role of the Jersey Devil.

Springsteen posted the following message to his site yesterday:

To our friends and neighbors:

So as not to inconvenience you this Halloween, due to "catastrophic success" (read: too many visitors for the neighborhood to handle) and concern for the safety of kids and parents! we won't be having our usual Halloween display this year in Rumson.

We wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween!

Thanks,
Bruce and Patti

In older news, Bruce and the band are playing the Superbowl Halftime Show on February 1st.

Links:
Bruce Springsteen