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Thursday, September 30, 2010
A bit of Bowie in Bonedome
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20100604/AE/100609932&parentprofile=search
A bit of Bowie in Bonedome
By Kimberly Nicoletti
summit daily news
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Info
What: ‘Bonedome'
Who: Thinktankubator
More info: www.thinktankubator.com
It's not everyday that boys from Texas crank out an album with vocals and minor chords akin to make-up donning David Bowie. Yet Thinktankubator has pulled it off — and fairly well, I might add.
The disc starts strong with a rocking “Sandman” tune and morphs into a more Bowie-sounding collection — that is, until it changes to multi-instrumentals, which occasionally smack of Pink Floyd, and then becomes repetitious.
The band calls it layered, with a symphonic approach.
Oddly enough, fresh tunes intermingle with monotonous ones. “Sandman” asserts, from its first lines, “I have hereby resolved not to do anything I don't want to do, excepting of course, when I find I have to.”
It's too bad they didn't feel they had to push a bit harder with some of the lyrics, particularly in last two songs, “Better” and “Custody Lullabye.” (I mean, certainly, with an intriguing title like “Custody Lullabye,” they could've come up with something more original than “go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep little baby.”)
That said, Bonedome does contain some solid musicianship and great lines like “He ain't heavy; he's fat and American, but the girls still love him; he don't get around so good, rounding up the chosen few really takes it out of you; slow down, Jesus is crossing.”
With a mixture of hip hop beats, funk, soul and rock, in an own format Paper Tongues has released one of 2010's most charming records.
Paper Tongues
"s/t"
(Octone/A&M Records,2010)
Producer: Brian West, Mark Endert, John Fields, Nicolas Balachandran
Genre: Alternative Rock
Format: Album
Website: www.papertongues.n...
Reviewed by: Johan Wippsson
With a mixture of hip hop beats, funk, soul and rock, in an own format Paper Tongues has released one of 2010's most charming records. Because this band and really swings and could well have a breakthrough like Maroon 5. And it would be really wrong not to say that they do deserve it because they have really got it together with good song material and a unique style that still feels natural. One cannot really require much more of the band musically and that it obviously requires the right promotion and a lot of coincidences. But the band really got it as I said, and songs like the groovy "Ride To California" and "Trinity" should take them far. But the band also has a more straightforward style that mixes up the more urban sound in a very neat way without feeling shattering. So this disc is an obvious choice if you like more soul inspired pop ala Maroon 5, The Last Goodnight and also the underestimated Spymob.
"s/t"
(Octone/A&M Records,2010)
Producer: Brian West, Mark Endert, John Fields, Nicolas Balachandran
Genre: Alternative Rock
Format: Album
Website: www.papertongues.n...
Reviewed by: Johan Wippsson
With a mixture of hip hop beats, funk, soul and rock, in an own format Paper Tongues has released one of 2010's most charming records. Because this band and really swings and could well have a breakthrough like Maroon 5. And it would be really wrong not to say that they do deserve it because they have really got it together with good song material and a unique style that still feels natural. One cannot really require much more of the band musically and that it obviously requires the right promotion and a lot of coincidences. But the band really got it as I said, and songs like the groovy "Ride To California" and "Trinity" should take them far. But the band also has a more straightforward style that mixes up the more urban sound in a very neat way without feeling shattering. So this disc is an obvious choice if you like more soul inspired pop ala Maroon 5, The Last Goodnight and also the underestimated Spymob.
CLIMBER "THE MYSTIC" REVIEW on BABYSUE
The Climber - The Mystic (Independently released CD, Progressive pop)
This is a very solid and engaging album from this up-and-coming underground pop band. The first thing that struck us about The Mystic was how strong the rhythms are. These guys write and play songs that absolutely command dancing. The beats are steady and strong and the bass lines thick and driving. The guys in The Climber play a brand of modern pop that is infused with threads of soul and sprinkled with subtle snippets of technology. While their songs sound familiar in many ways...in other ways they have so many unique qualities that they don't really sound like anyone else in particular. The arrangements are always interesting and slightly unorthodox and the vocals are light years beyond what one normally hears. There's a lot to take in here...thirteen tracks delivered over the course of almost 51 minutes. Check out the band's web site (link above)...it features a wealth of information as well as some incredible artwork created by Michael Nelson. The Climber is a band to keep an eye on. These guys are doing everything RIGHT.
http://babysue.com/2010-Oct-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor551975
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
What You Readin’ For?: Climber On ‘Moby Dick’
Climber frontman Michael Nelson just reached out to the Bad Penny to take part in our “What You Readin’ For” series, in which literature and music flirt. The vocalist/pianist/multi-instrumentalist submitted a series of deep thoughts on his latest read: Herman Melville classic “Moby Dick.”
If you find Nelson’s erudite essay as provocative as the Bad Penny did, you may have interest in his electronic-infused indie-pop band’s new album, The Mystic, which plops October 14.
—
I’m in the thick of Melville’s “Moby Dick,” and while I knew it was canonical, it has wildly surpassed my expectations. It is broader, more varied and more philosophical than I had ever thought. It is more informative than I expected. Should I ever need to expound upon Yankee whaling in the mid-19th century to a curious inquisitor, I will be amply prepared. But the biggest surprise of all is the humor: The Whale is filled to the brim, like so many drums of gurgling spermaceti, with wit and charm. For whatever reason, I had assumed (something one is frequently warned against) it was dry and Puritanical. It is not.
When I first attempted to read the great leviathan I was no more than 15 years old; I don’t believe I made it past the second or third chapter. The interminable sentences, whole paragraphs made up of endless digressions all springing from one continuous thought, were just too much. Yes, Melville is not to be read casually by 21st century man. One musn’t power on the iPod and shuffle a playlist and still hope to penetrate his prose. If one reads at night, and a hectic day weighs heavily on his mind, he should close the novel resolutely and open it only when his head is clear. Foolishly, I tried to peruse it while waiting for a new set of tires in a crowded showroom with college athletics on the television and pneumatic tools operating in the background. I comprehended very little.
I think many would agree that what we reap from any book at a particular moment in our life is heavily comprised of what we sow into it; I am scattering seeds of spiritual confusion into whatever surfaces will swallow them. So it is no surprise that I’m getting all kinds of these messages from “Moby Dick.” Ishmael’s realization that Queequeg’s devotion to Yojo is not so very different from his own Presbyterian practices felt like my own. And when Melville jabs the stuffy students of philosophers, I cheer him on. He’s right: there is real life to be lived; why just read about it?
And yet read on I will, because I like this book. It helps me to remember that people haven’t changed over the past century and a half. We’re still prejudicial, petty, adventurous, mean, compassionate, self-sacrificing, audacious creatures, trying our best (sometimes) to navigate treacherous seas. We still see others’ fatal flaws much more clearly than we see our own. We still envy our superiors and abuse our subordinates. I never expected to see all of that from a story of a deranged, revenge-bent whaleman.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Caravan of Thieves hopes to steal hearts at Rock & Roll Hotel
Caravan of Thieves hopes to steal hearts at Rock & Roll Hotel
By: Nancy Dunham
Special to The Examiner
September 22, 2010 It’s just about impossible to become jaded when you listen to Caravan of Thieves.
There’s something so jaunty, so exciting, so old school mixed with contemporary that it true is like nothing else out there. The creators, Fuzz and Carrie Sangiovanni created the band after they decided to move away from rock and head straight back to acoustic – and then some.
If you go
Caravan of Thieves opening for
Tom Tom Club
with Tony Castles
» Where: Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE
» When: 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. show Thursday
» Info: $20; 202-388-7625; rockandrollhoteldc.com“We didn’t want to [become] some hum drum singer-songwriters,” Fuzz Sangiovanni said. “As we were thinking along those lines we started listening to gypsy jazz … and the whole thing came together.”
And it’s still growing and evolving. Bringing influences in from everyone from the Grateful Dead to Queen to classic folk, the band puts on some of the most eclectic sets many concert audiences have ever seen – and keep it all full of family fun, too.
“We are still trying to fit in the mix,” Sangiovanni said. “We are finding a lot of folk audiences love what we’re doing [but we also attract those that enjoy] left of center or experimental types of pop. … We are definitely doing something very different.”
“When we were planning it we looked at stage shows of [Jean “Django” Reinhardt] and … others, thought about spooky ghost stories,” Sangiovanni said. “From there is just grew.”
But don’t think the band is a tribute or vaudeville-type show. Caravan of Thieves may mix many formats but they are true to a particular sound.
That sound — that you can also hear on their album “Bouquet” – is a bit classical, a bit theatrical, a bit Dead Head, a bit jazz, a bit blues and completely unlike anything else.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lifestyle/Caravan-of-Thieves-hopes-to-steal-hearts-at-Rock-N-Roll-Hotel-103564599.html#ixzz10OrY5qqW
By: Nancy Dunham
Special to The Examiner
September 22, 2010 It’s just about impossible to become jaded when you listen to Caravan of Thieves.
There’s something so jaunty, so exciting, so old school mixed with contemporary that it true is like nothing else out there. The creators, Fuzz and Carrie Sangiovanni created the band after they decided to move away from rock and head straight back to acoustic – and then some.
If you go
Caravan of Thieves opening for
Tom Tom Club
with Tony Castles
» Where: Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE
» When: 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. show Thursday
» Info: $20; 202-388-7625; rockandrollhoteldc.com“We didn’t want to [become] some hum drum singer-songwriters,” Fuzz Sangiovanni said. “As we were thinking along those lines we started listening to gypsy jazz … and the whole thing came together.”
And it’s still growing and evolving. Bringing influences in from everyone from the Grateful Dead to Queen to classic folk, the band puts on some of the most eclectic sets many concert audiences have ever seen – and keep it all full of family fun, too.
“We are still trying to fit in the mix,” Sangiovanni said. “We are finding a lot of folk audiences love what we’re doing [but we also attract those that enjoy] left of center or experimental types of pop. … We are definitely doing something very different.”
“When we were planning it we looked at stage shows of [Jean “Django” Reinhardt] and … others, thought about spooky ghost stories,” Sangiovanni said. “From there is just grew.”
But don’t think the band is a tribute or vaudeville-type show. Caravan of Thieves may mix many formats but they are true to a particular sound.
That sound — that you can also hear on their album “Bouquet” – is a bit classical, a bit theatrical, a bit Dead Head, a bit jazz, a bit blues and completely unlike anything else.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lifestyle/Caravan-of-Thieves-hopes-to-steal-hearts-at-Rock-N-Roll-Hotel-103564599.html#ixzz10OrY5qqW
INDIE MACHINE on THE BURNING HOTELS
INDIE MACHINE
The Burning Hotels – Austin’s Birthday (Video)
by David
The Burning Hotels come to us from Ft. Worth, Texas. The band has recently released their debut LP, ‘Novels’. The album was produced by Mark Needham who has also worked with the likes of The Killers & Bloc Party. Check out the video for the ridiculously catchy ‘Austin’s Birthday’ below. You can find more info about the band, including tour dates on Myspace.
The Burning Hotels – Austin’s Birthday (Video)
by David
The Burning Hotels come to us from Ft. Worth, Texas. The band has recently released their debut LP, ‘Novels’. The album was produced by Mark Needham who has also worked with the likes of The Killers & Bloc Party. Check out the video for the ridiculously catchy ‘Austin’s Birthday’ below. You can find more info about the band, including tour dates on Myspace.
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Daily Tar Heel is a fan of CLIMBER and "THE MYSTIC"
Music Review: Climber
By JOE FAILE | The Daily Tar Heel
http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2010/09/music_review_climber
On Climber’s The Mystic, oddity is the record’s raison d’etre. From the bizarre, Dr. Seuss-like album art to a set of songs that bounces from one extreme to another, the band lets its freak flag fly.
If Animal Collective, MGMT and Of Montreal and were to play an impromptu jam session, it might provide an apt indication of the sounds emanating from Climber’s amps.
There are plenty of discrepancies between the rhythms and instruments employed, but overall electro-psychedelic sounds reign supreme.
Meandering from pop to ambient to electronic, The Mystic doesn’t convey a definable sound for Climber. Experimentation on the album concocts a few successes, but largely jumbles the listener’s perception of the band from song to song.
The heavy synthesizer and cutesy keyboards on “I Have Seen Everything” contradict the “Black Betty”-esque guitar riffs in “We Are The New Man.” The bluesy lead-in to “The Simians Speak” that slowly layers pinging electronic beats repudiates the gloomy, space-age instrumentals of “Gladly I Would Leave.”
The unifying force behind the album is Michael Nelson’s vocals. They’re highly affable on each track, regardless of pitch or the milieu instrumentation. Nelson’s voice is one of the constants in Climber’s ever-differentiating formula.
The multiplicity that Climber presents on The Mystic is at times defeating and, at others, quite admirable. There are moments of clarity in the midst of the chaos, but when they’re buried under inconsistent songs, it’s hard to find the urge to dig them up.
THE BURNING HOTELS LIVE ON FEARLESS RADIO while in CHICAGO
http://www.fearlessradio.com/cms/index.php/Fearless-Shows/NMB/the-burning-hotels-060310.html
THE BURNING HOTELS
Forged under the inspiration of post-punk and angular melodies, the Burning
Hotels cut through modern rock with driving sounds and propulsive rhythms.
The band made their recording debut with a self-released EP titled Eighty
Five
Mirrors, licensed by Razor & Tie. This EP won the Fort Worth Weekly's Album
of the Year and 3 of the Top 10 Songs of the Decade. In April of 2010, the
Burning Hotels will release their debut full-length LP, Novels. This
upcoming release was mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Bloc Party).
The Burning Hotels have supported the Cribs, the Horrors, Ghostland
Observatory, Ladytron, the Octopus Project, the Appleseed Cast and Midlake
along with countless other major artists at various festivals across the
nation.
The Burning Hotels was a mutual project of Chance Morgan (vocals, guitar),
Matt Mooty (vocals, guitar) and Wyatt Adams (drums), as the three began
forming their ideas in the attic of a garage on a desolate farm. Following
the addition of Marley Whistler (bass), the Burning Hotels were finally
christened as a working band. The group has all of the pieces for indie-rock
stardom in place. Described by the FW Weekly as "One of town's coolest bands
period," they create a driving sound, strongly founded on dark thoughts,
dynamic rhythms, youth and, of course, the hipster look that's all together.
Building on furiously down-stroked guitar rhythms, circular riffs and
charging, impossibly crisp beats, the Burning Hotels proudly wear their
influences on their collective sleeve. Equally inspired by the attitude and
riffs of Gang of Four and the Clash, the Burning Hotels were blessed with an
enormous amount of buzz before they even played one show. Barely in their
twenties by the time their self-released debut EP, Eighty Five Mirrors,
arrived in the spring of 2007, local success wasn't exactly of the overnight
variety, but it still arrived pretty swiftly.
In August of 2009, the Burning Hotels acted as themselves in Summit
Entertainment's nationwide release of Bandslam, featuring Lisa Kudrow,
Vanessa Hudgens and David Bowie. The band's hit song "Stuck In The Middle"
is also featured on the Hollywood Records soundtrack. Both the film and the
soundtrack include music from the likes of David Bowie, the Velvet
Underground, Nick Drake and Wilco.
THE BURNING HOTELS
Forged under the inspiration of post-punk and angular melodies, the Burning
Hotels cut through modern rock with driving sounds and propulsive rhythms.
The band made their recording debut with a self-released EP titled Eighty
Five
Mirrors, licensed by Razor & Tie. This EP won the Fort Worth Weekly's Album
of the Year and 3 of the Top 10 Songs of the Decade. In April of 2010, the
Burning Hotels will release their debut full-length LP, Novels. This
upcoming release was mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Bloc Party).
The Burning Hotels have supported the Cribs, the Horrors, Ghostland
Observatory, Ladytron, the Octopus Project, the Appleseed Cast and Midlake
along with countless other major artists at various festivals across the
nation.
The Burning Hotels was a mutual project of Chance Morgan (vocals, guitar),
Matt Mooty (vocals, guitar) and Wyatt Adams (drums), as the three began
forming their ideas in the attic of a garage on a desolate farm. Following
the addition of Marley Whistler (bass), the Burning Hotels were finally
christened as a working band. The group has all of the pieces for indie-rock
stardom in place. Described by the FW Weekly as "One of town's coolest bands
period," they create a driving sound, strongly founded on dark thoughts,
dynamic rhythms, youth and, of course, the hipster look that's all together.
Building on furiously down-stroked guitar rhythms, circular riffs and
charging, impossibly crisp beats, the Burning Hotels proudly wear their
influences on their collective sleeve. Equally inspired by the attitude and
riffs of Gang of Four and the Clash, the Burning Hotels were blessed with an
enormous amount of buzz before they even played one show. Barely in their
twenties by the time their self-released debut EP, Eighty Five Mirrors,
arrived in the spring of 2007, local success wasn't exactly of the overnight
variety, but it still arrived pretty swiftly.
In August of 2009, the Burning Hotels acted as themselves in Summit
Entertainment's nationwide release of Bandslam, featuring Lisa Kudrow,
Vanessa Hudgens and David Bowie. The band's hit song "Stuck In The Middle"
is also featured on the Hollywood Records soundtrack. Both the film and the
soundtrack include music from the likes of David Bowie, the Velvet
Underground, Nick Drake and Wilco.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
OREGON MUSIC NEWS supports CLIMBER's new FREE SINGLE!
New Climber mp3
PDX stalwarts Climber are finally set to drop their long-awaited third album The Mystic on October 14th. From soulful to brooding, poppy and new wave, Climber is giving away their first, optimistic single off their upcoming album I Have Seen Everything" for free.
oregon music news here
PDX stalwarts Climber are finally set to drop their long-awaited third album The Mystic on October 14th. From soulful to brooding, poppy and new wave, Climber is giving away their first, optimistic single off their upcoming album I Have Seen Everything" for free.
oregon music news here
yet another wonderful review on MICROTIA anyone getting it yet! that this album rocks!
read here i xo you adam n.
Microtia – Spacemaker
Category: Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 07:00
Microtia
Spacemaker
False Eye; 2010
It’s easy to use the work of Josh Homme, whether Kyuss or Queens Of The Stone Age, as a touchstone to describe any sort of hard rock that’s actually good, and not the sort of derivative crap enjoyed by meathead jock types. I guess that’s what happens when you are able to create strong, driving rock tunes that possess some authentic musicianship while still being able to punch you in the gut. Much to its credit, Microtia stands firmly in Homme’s camp, as Spacemaker is replete with complex arrangements that flirt with prog rock, but still know how to throttle your ears to maximum effect.
If the guys in Muse actually had balls or if Silversun Pickups were able to drop some of its Smashing Pumpkins affection and come up with its own ideas, they’d probably be able to affect what this rugged quartet has crafted here. Admittedly, there’s nothing necessarily new here, but it is damn good – powerful drums are paired with a thundering bass, while pummeling guitar riffs serve as a keen complement to the Soundgarden-esque vocals. The band has definitely matured since its 2008 debut, Distance Is Oval, but the tunes are still appropriately ragged at the edges, and the band is sounds eager to show people that not all bands from Portland, OR are clones of The Shins or The Decemberists.
I could heap a veritable pile of aggressive and apt adjectives upon the band’s sound, but that would only display my acumen with a thesaurus (and that’s not very rock-n-roll at all). What I enjoy most on stirring tracks like “Can You Hear The Jets,” “I’ll Fight Harpsichord,” “Tone Mountain Vs. The Body Of Riffage,” and “Pocket Full Of Bee Stings” is how the band regularly gives itself ample room to rock out so that the music never falls into any sort of rut. And there’s still plenty of meat-and-potatoes rock to go around here, as the group has a firm grasp of proper hard rock dynamics: i.e., they know exactly when to pull back just enough before launching into an ever larger section.
It’s good to know that, in an indie music world overwhelmed by chillwave and all manner electro-tweakery, there are still bands seeking to make neo-classic rock music, and Microtia has delivered such tunes on Spacemaker. It’s your move, Brooklyn.
Microtia – Spacemaker
Category: Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 07:00
Microtia
Spacemaker
False Eye; 2010
It’s easy to use the work of Josh Homme, whether Kyuss or Queens Of The Stone Age, as a touchstone to describe any sort of hard rock that’s actually good, and not the sort of derivative crap enjoyed by meathead jock types. I guess that’s what happens when you are able to create strong, driving rock tunes that possess some authentic musicianship while still being able to punch you in the gut. Much to its credit, Microtia stands firmly in Homme’s camp, as Spacemaker is replete with complex arrangements that flirt with prog rock, but still know how to throttle your ears to maximum effect.
If the guys in Muse actually had balls or if Silversun Pickups were able to drop some of its Smashing Pumpkins affection and come up with its own ideas, they’d probably be able to affect what this rugged quartet has crafted here. Admittedly, there’s nothing necessarily new here, but it is damn good – powerful drums are paired with a thundering bass, while pummeling guitar riffs serve as a keen complement to the Soundgarden-esque vocals. The band has definitely matured since its 2008 debut, Distance Is Oval, but the tunes are still appropriately ragged at the edges, and the band is sounds eager to show people that not all bands from Portland, OR are clones of The Shins or The Decemberists.
I could heap a veritable pile of aggressive and apt adjectives upon the band’s sound, but that would only display my acumen with a thesaurus (and that’s not very rock-n-roll at all). What I enjoy most on stirring tracks like “Can You Hear The Jets,” “I’ll Fight Harpsichord,” “Tone Mountain Vs. The Body Of Riffage,” and “Pocket Full Of Bee Stings” is how the band regularly gives itself ample room to rock out so that the music never falls into any sort of rut. And there’s still plenty of meat-and-potatoes rock to go around here, as the group has a firm grasp of proper hard rock dynamics: i.e., they know exactly when to pull back just enough before launching into an ever larger section.
It’s good to know that, in an indie music world overwhelmed by chillwave and all manner electro-tweakery, there are still bands seeking to make neo-classic rock music, and Microtia has delivered such tunes on Spacemaker. It’s your move, Brooklyn.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Memorials Reveal 3 Full Tracks On ReverbNation, Play Two Shows In NoCal: Oakland And Sacramento
The Memorials Reveal 3 Full Tracks On ReverbNation, Play Two Shows In NoCal: Oakland And Sacramento
Email: info@xopublicity.com
Website: http://www.reverbnation.com/thememorials
9/21/2010 - The Memorials, featuring former The Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen, are racing towards a November 23rd release date for their debut SELF-TITLED album, and will play a few shows close to home to get ready. First, The New Parish in Oakland on Friday, September 24th and Harlow’s in Sacramento the following night. The band recently made 3 FULL TRACKS available via stream on their ReverbNation Page, giving a glimpse of what’s to come on their first full length record. The band’s energy as a live act is evident on the recordings, as Thomas Pridgen propels his band mates towards what appears will be a meaningful contribution to the current sonic landscape.
The Memorials are of course led by their founder, drummer Thomas Pridgen, who is well-known for his meteoric rise to the forefront of drum-culture as a bombastic and kinetic force behind the kit. In late 2009, he departed from his post as drummer for The Mars Volta, and quickly put together a stellar cast of musicians, rounded out by vocalist Viveca Hawkins and guitarist Nick Brewer, as well as guitarist Brad Ackley, bassist Uriah Duffy, and keyboard player Randy Emata. The band has played a slew of shows throughout California and are powering towards the release of an album the band can’t wait to unleash.
LINKS:
http://www.reverbnation.com/thememorials
This band is apparently blowing up in the Northwest, and it’s easy to see why. METRO SPIRIT REVIEW on STRENGTH
Issue #22.09 :: 09/22/2010 - 09/28/2010
Strength's “Mind Reader”
BY JOSH RUFFIN
read here
Strength
“Mind Reader”
Available Now
CommunityDisco.com
Look at that cover…I mean, just look at it. Stare at it; let it wash over you; absorb it. If your skin is now emitting a strange, luminescent glow, don’t panic; that’s just Fear itself being scared shitless and leaving your body. Honestly, I don’t know why you’re still looking—if I had to look directly into the eyes of three Petri Dish babies obviously cobbled together from the DNA of Rivers Cuomo and Crispin Glover, I’d burn my eyes out with the tips of my own flame-engulfed hair.
Obviously, Strength could do with a cover artist that doesn’t rely on drunkenly Photoshopping tuxedos and fire. Actually, though, tuxedos-and-fire may be an apt analogy for the band’s combustible cross-section of punk, electronica, rave, and what-the-f*ck. The sound is slick and laser-precise, but imbued with a sneering, frenetic pace. True, openers “Metal” and “Brandy” border on self-parody, but when the album finds its footing on “Disaster” and the pulsing, disco-ish “Marianne, it holds pretty steady.
This band is apparently blowing up in the Northwest, and it’s easy to see why. Not necessarily the universal cup of tea, but if you’ve ever asked yourself how that blood actually got on the dance floor, “Mind Reader” may provide the answers you’ve been looking for.
Strength's “Mind Reader”
BY JOSH RUFFIN
read here
Strength
“Mind Reader”
Available Now
CommunityDisco.com
Look at that cover…I mean, just look at it. Stare at it; let it wash over you; absorb it. If your skin is now emitting a strange, luminescent glow, don’t panic; that’s just Fear itself being scared shitless and leaving your body. Honestly, I don’t know why you’re still looking—if I had to look directly into the eyes of three Petri Dish babies obviously cobbled together from the DNA of Rivers Cuomo and Crispin Glover, I’d burn my eyes out with the tips of my own flame-engulfed hair.
Obviously, Strength could do with a cover artist that doesn’t rely on drunkenly Photoshopping tuxedos and fire. Actually, though, tuxedos-and-fire may be an apt analogy for the band’s combustible cross-section of punk, electronica, rave, and what-the-f*ck. The sound is slick and laser-precise, but imbued with a sneering, frenetic pace. True, openers “Metal” and “Brandy” border on self-parody, but when the album finds its footing on “Disaster” and the pulsing, disco-ish “Marianne, it holds pretty steady.
This band is apparently blowing up in the Northwest, and it’s easy to see why. Not necessarily the universal cup of tea, but if you’ve ever asked yourself how that blood actually got on the dance floor, “Mind Reader” may provide the answers you’ve been looking for.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
They walk among us. Los Angelinos Judge Jackson have long been infiltrated
JUDGE JACKSON
DRIVE
Curtis-Joe Records
They walk among us. Los Angelinos Judge Jackson have long been infiltrated
by lead vocalist Todd McTavish hailing from (you guessed it) Canada! These
SoCal good timers have played over a thousand concerts through five albums
during the past decade and it shows. This band is tight. The power-ballad
card sometimes gets overplayed, but ask Guns N’ Roses, that’s just part
of the scene. You’ll be up in the attic digging for your Molly Hatchet
and Blackfoot records. Get some UFO and Black Crowes while you’re up
there, too. Judge Jackson’s scored soundtrack time on NASCAR, Fox Sports,
and (most bitchin’ of all) My Name is Earl. If you fit this demographic,
then Drive is boss hog this summer. Bust a can loose from the 30 pack and
party on.
read here
From the opening bass solo, we know we’re ready to rock.
MICROTIA review on ROCKET MAGAZINE
Spacemaker
False Eye Records
From the opening bass solo, we know we’re ready to rock. Some tricky time
changes add a progressive edge while the soaring vocals stay cleanly in
tune, keeping us safely clear of thrashier metal territory. While you might
not bring Microtia over to Grandmother’s house, no one is going to leave
the party if the soundtrack gets a little edgier, either. An actually cool
drum solo even emerges. Rhythm and harmonics, these fellows got ‘em.
They’ve also got the requisite facial hair styling, boasting one full
beard, one solo moustache, and two five-o’clock shadows. The CD features
truly green packaging, as the sleeves are hand crafted from the cartons of
over 1,650 beers and 2,500 cigarettes, all consumed by the band. Save the
earth and rock out at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.
Figuring out Bonedome requires a bit of perspective
http://metrospirit.com/index.php?cat=1993101070394080&ShowArticle_ID=11010206102848966
Issue #21.45
Bonedome
“Thinktankubator”
BY JOSH RUFFIN
Bonedome
“Thinktankubator”
Summer Break Records
myspace/bonedomemusic
AUGUSTA, GA - Figuring out Bonedome requires a bit of perspective. The band is not so much a “band,” or even a “project,” in the traditional sense. It’s…well, let’s put it this way: you know how, when Neil Young recorded “After the Gold Rush,” he sequestered an 18-year-old Nils Lofgren away from his guitar and stuck him instead behind the piano, an instrument with which he had almost zero experience? And it ended up actually working? Like, really really well? Yeah — imagine a whole band being put through that.
So that’s Bonedome. Strictly speaking, it’s the brainchild of 41-year-old Dallas resident Allan Hayslip, and a collective that amasses an indie-prog roundtable of his closest friends as sidemen. The only reason I bring up Hayslip’s age is to illustrate the tone of the album: at this point in his life, the man has developed the kind of dead-serious-by-proxy sarcasm that can only come from directly channeling middle-aged ennui — check the catchy, loping smirk of “Girl One” for proof. If Hayslip had recorded that song 20 years ago, it would likely have been overshadowed by a sneering sense of youthful entitlement, and would NOT have worked.
But it does work. The whole album works. Considering that all of these dudes have long been entrenched in one of the country’s most formidable and eclectic musical hotbeds, it’s no exaggeration to say that “Thinktankubator” sounds like, well, everything. If pressed, I’d say that the first three Elvis Costello albums and the more rockin’ varieties of New Wave are decent points of reference, but really… you just need to hear this thing for yourself. Just be sure to check your preconceptions at the door
Judge Jackson - Drive (CD, Curtis-Joe, Rock)
Judge Jackson - Drive (CD, Curtis-Joe, Rock)
Nice juicy big ballsy rock music with attitude. The guys in Judge Jackson are heavily influenced by pop/metal bands from the 1970s and 1980s...but the amped up fuzzy guitars have much more in common with stoner rock bands from the 1990s. These guys are tight...and they play classy/classic rock that is surprisingly accessible and ultimately very very catchy. Underground snobs may hate the direction these folks are taking with their music...but here in the plush babysue office suites we can't help but dig these guys' loud raunchy pop. Cool catchy cuts include "Head Over Heels," "Drive," "Me Then You," and "Meant To Be." Neat rockin' stuff...
http://www.babysue.com/2010-June-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor29258
Do you listen to rock? Southern Rock?
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-38960-Ashland-Frugal-Living-Examiner~y2010m6d1-Frugal-shopper-Free-samples-of-Hugo-Judge-Jackson-Mp3-Burts-Bees-Ensure-Nike-Maxsight-lenses
You won't see many links for music in the Ashland frugal living articles, but every so often something hits my desk and I want the whole world to hear it. Do you listen to rock? Southern Rock? Our friends at xo publicity sent a new single by Judge Jackson called Drive. It's catchy and interesting and hooked us immediately. You can download the mp3 for free here. Judge Jackson is an Los Angeles based band and their newest album (also called Drive) will be released August 3. It was produced by John Hiler, Stephen Stills, Willie Dixon, (Smashing Pumpkins). Listen and tell us what you think of it.
SUPER AWESOME GUYS... this never happens you should be very proud of your work... here is what else she said me I will be sending her album and more to come from here:
"I'm one of the core volunteers at KSKQ and when I saw your email earlier I listened to "Drive" and was wowed enough to include it on one of my Frugal Living articles. They are fun to listen to! I'd love to preview more and will pass it around the station and push for air time."
North Carolina alternative rock band Paper Tongues
• Paper Tongues North Carolina alternative rock band Paper Tongues captures a variety of genres, from rock to soul to hip-hop, all the while infusing positive messages into its lyrics.
http://lansingnoise.com/article/20100519/THINGS010401/5190322/Ludacris-to-play-Lansing-Common-Ground-festival
http://lansingnoise.com/article/20100519/THINGS010401/5190322/Ludacris-to-play-Lansing-Common-Ground-festival
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The Burning Hotels Interview
The Burning Hotels Interview
http://borangutan.com/interviews/burning-hotels-interview/
Author: Skelly
The Burning Hotels of Fort Worth, Texas are in the midst of a Midwest / East
Coast tour, slated to play Sauce Spirits and Sound Bar in Minneapolis this
Wednesday evening, June 2. Lead singer Chance Morgan spared a few moments in
his busy schedule to field some questions for Borangutan readers and
listeners.
Skelly: The Burning Hotels have a new album out called Novels. Was there a
concept to this album? Are you fans of great literature, or is there
something else to the name?
Chance Morgan: We love playing music and the outlet that it affords us.
Novels isn't a stepping-stone to get out some hidden agenda, but more of a
diary to our lives; individual and collectively. We have all had pretty
turbulent lives from age 21-25, and I think Novels turned into an open
discussion about aging and mortality. Those universal questions like, "what
does it all mean?" tend to happen during those years and staying out way too
late only intensifies that. It's our first attempt into examining and
entreating the idea that there are answers to such broad questions. We feel
each song is like a chapter, creating a novel.
Download
"To Whom It May Concern" by: The Burning Hotels
Skelly: Some people out there in music land are growing tired of the name
"indie." If you were to create a new genre of music that The Burning Hotels
epitomized, what would it be called and why?
CM: Sex Punk. The majority of our songs are very fast and tend to deal
with relationships, whether it's emotional, sexual, etc.; so I think that
could reference us pretty well.
Skelly: In your opinion, what's the freshest sounding band or artist in the
music biz right now? What makes them different from anyone else?
CM: I am obsessed with Miike Snow. I think it's a cool dynamic that you
have the production duo of Bloodshy & Avant (who wrote "Toxic" for Britney
Spears) and other huge pop artists teaming up with Andrew Wyatt to create
Miike Snow. Their record is really smart with different elements of dance
music and insane production combined with a pop sensibility that isn't being
matched right now.
Skelly: Because I love a good story, I'm going to ask you to commit a sort
of songwriter faux pas. Is there a tune off Novels that has an interesting
story behind it? The faux pas comes in if you actually tell us what the
song is truly about!
CM: I guess my favorite story behind a song comes from one of the first
songs Matt and I wrote together. "French Heart Attack" was written and
never recorded - until Novels. Matt and I have been best friends since we
were in high school and so we have a lot of shared experiences. I won't be
too specific, but if you listen to the lyrics."French heart attack is
written on your ceiling," they don't make very much sense. Experimentation
had a lot to do with some of the lyrics written back in that time period.
"French Heart Attack" by: The Burning Hotels
Skelly: The Burning Hotels are playing Sauce Spirits and Sound Bar in
Minneapolis on June 2. Can you give us any teasers on what to expect? Any
on-stage antics?
CM: High energy, fast songs, and lots of movement.we pride ourselves on
entertaining a crowd!
BONEDOME THINKTANKUBATOR review
http://www.nocturnalcult.com/newcontents.htm
Bonedome
Thinktankubator
Summer Break Records 2010
Thinktankubator indie rock sound abounds with references to a ton of late 80s/early 90s alternative and new wave artists. Allan Hayslip's vocals are in the baritone range and remind me at times of David Bowie. Opener Sandman has a strong feeling of 80s British new wave, somewhat along the wavelength of Big Country, and expansive sort of freedom as the song drifts across summery fields of rock. Up next is Fade Away with a nod towards They Might be Giants and with a rockier attitude. Whereas Girl One lingers in a meandering path of sound explosions and brings to mind a bit of the Pixies. Total Bowie worship opens the track I Can Lose You. The song makes an unbreakable alloy of the Bowie influence and strong hints of Echo and The Bunymen. More Echo and the Bunnyman accents are woven into the fabric of the dark and dreamy, Easy. Steven takes on the slow building comedy of Weezer but twists it into a darker animal altogether. After the rowdy rock of Better, the album screeches to halt as it shifts gears with the finale track, Custody Lullaby. The song is dreamy and sorrowful, though a little awkward in the vocal department. On Thinktankubator, Bonedome sprinkles in influences into their own personal blender and grinds them into catchy, moody indie rock that feel familiar and elusive all at once. So if dark new-wave/pop/alternative/indie-rock sounds like it could nestle inside your brain then Bonedome is certainly an interesting journey.
Bonedome
Thinktankubator
Summer Break Records 2010
Thinktankubator indie rock sound abounds with references to a ton of late 80s/early 90s alternative and new wave artists. Allan Hayslip's vocals are in the baritone range and remind me at times of David Bowie. Opener Sandman has a strong feeling of 80s British new wave, somewhat along the wavelength of Big Country, and expansive sort of freedom as the song drifts across summery fields of rock. Up next is Fade Away with a nod towards They Might be Giants and with a rockier attitude. Whereas Girl One lingers in a meandering path of sound explosions and brings to mind a bit of the Pixies. Total Bowie worship opens the track I Can Lose You. The song makes an unbreakable alloy of the Bowie influence and strong hints of Echo and The Bunymen. More Echo and the Bunnyman accents are woven into the fabric of the dark and dreamy, Easy. Steven takes on the slow building comedy of Weezer but twists it into a darker animal altogether. After the rowdy rock of Better, the album screeches to halt as it shifts gears with the finale track, Custody Lullaby. The song is dreamy and sorrowful, though a little awkward in the vocal department. On Thinktankubator, Bonedome sprinkles in influences into their own personal blender and grinds them into catchy, moody indie rock that feel familiar and elusive all at once. So if dark new-wave/pop/alternative/indie-rock sounds like it could nestle inside your brain then Bonedome is certainly an interesting journey.
Magnet Magazine MP3 At 3PM: Stephanie Schneiderman
MP3 At 3PM: Stephanie Schneiderman
May 29, 2010
Dirty Martini’s Stephanie Schneiderman is going from strength to strength. At age 18, she played with funk/soul group Body And Soul and performed at Lilith Fair. After 2008’s Dangerous Fruit, Schneiderman has fans craving her soon-to-be released album. On “Wide Open,” she explores a heartfelt electro-pop direction. The new offering is dominated by gentle piano, programmed drumbeats and her delicate, processed vocals. The final product verges on Pure Moods territory, but it’s a beautiful song and represents a fascinating new direction for Schneiderman.
“Wide Open” (download):
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2010/05/29/mp3-at-3pm-stephanie-schneiderman/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MagnetMagazine+(Magnet+Magazine)
May 29, 2010
Dirty Martini’s Stephanie Schneiderman is going from strength to strength. At age 18, she played with funk/soul group Body And Soul and performed at Lilith Fair. After 2008’s Dangerous Fruit, Schneiderman has fans craving her soon-to-be released album. On “Wide Open,” she explores a heartfelt electro-pop direction. The new offering is dominated by gentle piano, programmed drumbeats and her delicate, processed vocals. The final product verges on Pure Moods territory, but it’s a beautiful song and represents a fascinating new direction for Schneiderman.
“Wide Open” (download):
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2010/05/29/mp3-at-3pm-stephanie-schneiderman/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MagnetMagazine+(Magnet+Magazine)
Music: Strength: Mind-Reader CD REVIEW on COSMOGAMING
Music: Strength: Mind-Reader
Our Take
Portland’s Strength made a name for themselves a few years back with their mix of disco and electro with some indie rock influences. The group’s newest full length Mind-Reader looks to continue this trend as it has some catchy songs that will stick with listeners for days after they have listened to it. Despite the fact that you’ve heard plenty of bands like this before these guys have some great hooks, but the short length might be a tad bit disappointing.
The material on Mind-Reader is a combination of beat heavy songs that take influence from electro and disco and rock tracks that have a good deal of guitar distortion and some slight punk vibes. Now, anyone that’s been knowledgeable about popular forms of indie music in recent years will realize that I basically just described a sound that every group is using right now. Strength will undoubtedly remind you of a number of other acts out there (the fact sheet name drops Chromeo and Datarock and I’d also throw in a little LCD Soundsystem and Ghostland Observatory) but this isn’t an issue at all. Why is that? The answer is that these guys have killer hooks. Despite some initial reservations I found that these songs all stood on their own and days later I still had some of them in my head, and that says a lot. However, this disc only offers eight songs and lasts for about half an hour and that short length is going to leave some listeners disappointed that there isn’t just a little more substance.
Vocalist Bailey Winters has a pitch that is just drenched with sex appeal (and I’m saying this as a straight male) and this will surely help Strength to have a fairly broad appeal. While Mind-Reader doesn’t seem to have as many songs that are as in your face with sexuality, there are a few such as “Brandy” that go over the top with it and use their sexual imagery as a means to make these songs get stuck in your head. Strength’s songs are interesting in the sense that they have simplistic choruses that make for good club/rave tracks, but if you go deeper and investigate their themes you will find a group that are more complex than they let on.
Mind-Reader is a killer album and while it does feel far too short to me I guess I can’t complain too much since each of the eight songs are extremely strong and stand out. I realize there are hundreds of these disco/electro inspired bands out there right now but Strength is one that is worth checking out. However, I for one am hoping that they’ll be putting out more songs in the near future as this disc did leave me wanting more.
read here
Sunday, September 5, 2010
MP3 At 3PM: Bonedome (MAGNET MAGAZINE)
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2010/06/05/mp3-at-3pm-bonedome/
MP3 At 3PM: Bonedome
June 5, 2010
Hailing from Dallas, the nine-piece Bonedome brings a prog-rock sound to its debut album, Thinktankubator (Summer Break). Prior to Bonedome, singer/songwriter Allan Hayslip worked within the Dallas music scene and was an orchestral violinist and chorister as a schoolboy. All of that hard work and classical training is reflected in Bonedome’s musical stylings. “Steven,” the first single off Thinktankubator, is surprising, to say the least. Hayslip’s vocals are like those of a young Bowie, but the music has an appeal similar to the Hives. The overall effect is somewhat orchestral in scope with a lot of drive and a truly sublime guitar tone.
“Steven” (download):
MP3 At 3PM: Bonedome
June 5, 2010
Hailing from Dallas, the nine-piece Bonedome brings a prog-rock sound to its debut album, Thinktankubator (Summer Break). Prior to Bonedome, singer/songwriter Allan Hayslip worked within the Dallas music scene and was an orchestral violinist and chorister as a schoolboy. All of that hard work and classical training is reflected in Bonedome’s musical stylings. “Steven,” the first single off Thinktankubator, is surprising, to say the least. Hayslip’s vocals are like those of a young Bowie, but the music has an appeal similar to the Hives. The overall effect is somewhat orchestral in scope with a lot of drive and a truly sublime guitar tone.
“Steven” (download):
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