Tuesday, May 31, 2011

a swanky collection of love jams

http://portland.thedelimagazine.com/node/2865

Album Review: Strength, "Mind-Reader"



It’s been four years since Strength made Portland all hot and bothered with its self-released, sex-saturated debut, Going Strong. The album was a swanky collection of love jams with titles of the like of, “Burning up for Two,” and, “Press Up,” crooned by Bailey Winters and accompanied by John Zeigler on keys and Patrick Morris on guitar, bass, and drums, resulting in a synth-disco album that even Europeans would get down to. Needless to say, the trio’s sophomore release was a highly anticipated one.
The boys did not disappoint. Although the track titles are not so bluntly sexual on Strength’s second self-released full-length, Mind-Reader, the content is. “Let me rub you down with brandy, let me lay you in my bed,” Winters ardently offers in the funky, hip-gyrating tune, “Brandy.” Yes, please.
His seduction gets a little darker in, “Blood,” a minor chord driven groove about a weak, thirsty vampire who has his female victim cornered as he instructs her, “Now stand back close against the wall, my hands on you feel comfortable...This is blood that will soon be mine.”
The only unsatisfying element of this record is its length. The eight-track-long LP clocks in at a measly 24 minutes that has its listener begging for more. On your next album, boys, work on your stamina.
-Katrina Nattress
http://portland.thedelimagazine.com/node/2865

Monday, May 30, 2011

J Minus “Congratulations, You Suck” video + FREE MP3

J Minus “Congratulations, You Suck” video + FREE MP3 Band Weblogs



By bandweblogs

Seattle's J Minus has released a free MP3 and a rad claymation video to go with it! J Minus. "Congratulations, You Suck" is off their latest album Devil Music. Watch "Congratulations, You Suck" video: ...

Band Weblogs - http://www.bandweblogs.com/blog/

Mi2N.com - J MINUS Free Mp3 "Congratulations, You Suck" Check Out ...

Got something from SEATTLE's J MINUS today a free mp3 and a rad claymation video to go with it! "Congratulations, You Suck" off DEVIL MUSIC WATCH video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vQXZDm56h0 And give away the free legal mp3 ...

Mi2N.com ... Rock Music News - http://www.mi2n.com/

“Congratulations, You Suck”!
SSG

By Nikki Benson

Check out this new video by J Minus. It's rare that Claymations make me want to cry, but this one did. “Congratulations, You Suck” is about a man who keeps going back to the woman that he loves. Unfortunately, the woman that he loves ...

SSG - http://www.seattleshowgal.com/

J Minus "Congratulations, You Suck" video + FREE MP3 > Band ...

Seattle's J Minus has released a free MP3 and a rad claymation video to go with it! "Congratulations, You Suck" is off their latest album Devil Music .

elbo.ws/.../j-minus-quotcongratulations-you-suckquot-video-fr...

J Minus Free MP3 'Congratulations, You Suck' Check Out Claymation ...

New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ XO Publicity) - Got something from SEATTLE's J MINUS today a free mp3 and a rad claymation video to go with it!

http://www.top40-charts.com/news/Pop.../J.../58891.html

“Congratulations, You Suck”!
SSG

Check out this new video by J Minus. It's rare that Claymations make me want to cry, but this one did. “Congratulations, You Suck” is about a man who keeps ...

http://www.seattleshowgal.com/congratulations-you-suck/

melodic.net: New Video & Free Single From J Minus

Seattle-based indie rockers, J Minus, have released the video for their latest single, "Congratulations, You Suck," which can be seen here & the song can be ...

http://www.melodic.net/newsOne.asp?newsId=16868

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Microtia = Oceansize + The Receiving End of Sirens

Microtia
Spacemaker



http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=2312&page=8


Microtia = Oceansize + The Receiving End of Sirens

You know what I like? I like me some progressive, crazy, intense, space-rock/post-punk action, and the new Microtia album gives it to me good. It’s nice to hear an unsigned band like this make music of this caliber and recording quality independently. I can’t pick a favorite track, because all nine tracks are sweet dope. The instrumentation throughout is captivating, but the best aspect of Microtia is their clarity and non-yelped vocals, which sound like a stiff concoction of Jam Jamte from Khoma and Paul Mullen from Yourcodenameis:milo. If frontman Eric Leskovar ever comes over to my house, I will most likely invite him in for a one-night stand—that’s how much I love his vocal prowess. The band has made some giant leaps in their song-writing abilities since their 2007 EP, Distance Is Oval. This is definitely an independent band that deserves some serious attention. I just hope I get my one-night stand first. –Jon Robertson

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Live review: The Memorials

Live review: The Memorials


May 26th, 2011 by Jeff Hahne in Live Reviews, Photos, setlist

The Memorials

The Saloon

May 25, 2011

The Deal: Former Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen returns to the scene with his new band, The Memorials.

The Good: First of all, I don’t know the entire story. I only know that Pridgen was the drummer for the Mars Volta when they played at the Fillmore, and that Pridgen left the show in a taxi, having played his last gig with the band. Regardless of any of that, Pridgen has launched a new rock quintet called The Memorials, featuring two friends from the Berklee College of Music — Nick Brewer and Viveca Hawkins, bringing him back to the N.C. Music Factory.



The band took the stage around 11 p.m. on its way to a nine-song, hour-long set that showcased not only Pridgen’s drum skills, but plenty of other talent as well.

Singer Hawkins has plenty of stage presence to go around, finding time to shake her head, dance to the beat or just engage the audience and draw them in. Her vocals found a balance between rock and soul.


Guitarist Brewer not only knew when to hold back or step out of the way to let Pridgen shine, but also knew when to unleash everything he had in a fury or neck-breaking finger-work.


It was Pridgen’s drum work that took a good bit of the spotlight. He needs strong players like Brewer and Hawkins to balance things out, but he hammers away with ease and power, defining the rhythm of each song. While some might have more of a salsa beat behind the rock and others are built on pure drum riffs, it’s not just a drummer’s “jerk off” session. There’s definitely a method to his madness.



Pridgen performed the set with his drumkit facing backwards and didn’t look back at the crowd often, but there was usually a smile on his face when he did.

The band played a number of songs from its self-titled debut mixed with a few others, but the small crowd soaked up every minute.

The Bad: That I missed the opener, Lucky Five, but I was across town here.

The Verdict: A strong rock band that’s fueled by drums without being overpowering. A bigger crowd would have been nice, but I’m sure word will spread quickly if/when they return.

Setlist
Nat Dis
Why Me
Give Me Stuff
GTFOMF
Day Dreamer
War
Gone
West Coast
Fluorescence


http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/vibes/2011/05/26/live-review-the-memorials/

Friday, May 27, 2011

Les amateurs de David Bowie - BONEDOME

http://www.musicwaves.fr/frmchronique.aspx?pro_id=7002&Bonedome-Thinktankubator


Note : 7.0/10




Les amateurs de David Bowie, notamment ceux de la période des années 80, devraient se pencher attentivement sur ce projet à l’imprononçable dénomination. Certes, dans les registres des aigus, les vocalises d’Allan Hayslip sont sans doute moins acérées que celles du bien connu et tonitruant rocker britannique, mais Bonedome s’en adjuge indéniablement l’esprit rebelle et caverneux. En tout cas, toute comparaison mise à part, cette solide (et nombreuse) équipe d’outre-atlantique ne renie certainement pas la souche anglo-saxonne de son inspiration profonde.

Les riffs de guitare relèvent parfois de méthodes et de phrasés issus de la vieille école du rock, ce qui n’empêche nullement l’interprétation de les assumer pleinement, en les exprimant avec un franc touché constant, totalement dénué de retenue. L’enveloppe sonore est généreuse, la tonalité homogène, et si les mélodies sont parfois construites sur des mises en boucles répétitives, elles sont empreintes d’un caractère bien trempé. En bref, pas de réel défaut à la cuirasse de ce "Thinktankubator", si ce n’est que l’inspiration évoquée précédemment et qualifiable de clairvoyante pour les uns pourrait tout aussi bien émerger d'un semblant de plagiat pour les autres.

Petit tour d’horizon ? Si vos oreilles ont besoin d’un rock énergique, sans fard ni déguisement, elles trouveront le nécessaire avec des titres comme 'Sandman', 'Fade Away', 'Steven' ou 'Better' ; le feeling ad hoc en découle immédiatement. Pour ceux qui préfèrent la confortable insouciance de réflexions musicales à la fois épaisses et aériennes, tantôt planantes tantôt dansantes, installez-vous au fond de votre canapé, augmentez le volume de votre hi-fi, et savourez 'Girl One', 'Slow Jesus Xing' ou 'I Can Lose You' – vous y retrouverez sûrement un (petit) goût de "Tonight" (1984), ou plus récemment de l'excellent "Heathen" de 2002, deux des opus musicalement civilisés de notre éminent David (comment oublier le chatoyant et pénétrant 'God Only Knows', sur "Tonight" ?). Enfin, pour l’auditeur en quête du côté obscur, rampant ou torturé, qui pourrait également caractériser le style du dénommé rocker, il y a de quoi faire un petit bout de chemin avec 'Eraser', 'Easy', 'Red Flags R Trouble' ou 'The Other One' ; il s’agit en fait d’une face cachée : elle est plus prégnante que pourrait le laisser penser une écoute distraite. Le programme s’achève avec la ballade 'Custody Lullabye', assez classique et sans prétention d’excellence, mais qui clôture l’album avec justesse.

Pas d’égarement en vaines redondances. "Thinktankubator" est sobre mais lucide, concis (42 minutes environ) et efficace.

Alors, pour ou contre ce projet Bonewidomien ? Pour votre serviteur, la sentence est entendue : nos américains squattent la cantine du grand David, mais proposent bien autre chose qu’une pâle copie de son œuvre.

Chronique rédigée par Realmean parue le 23.05.2011

electro/rock/disco/funky-outfit Strength

http://www.melodic.net/reviewsOne.asp?revnr=9078

This is the second album from the electro/rock/disco/funky-outfit Strength. And it is a cool album with a lot of vibes from both this and that... The album that was recorded in Dandy Warhols studio sits on a very own sort of sound... Imagine yourself Devo in a 2000 century-costume and everything spiced with a vibe of LCD Soundsystem and Roy World. The funky "Wilderness" is one favorite tune and the groovy "Brandy" another. It's a pity that the album sits on just 8 tracks and is under 30 minutes. I like this.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

duo’s ’90s rock sensibilities and the way they were integrated into the broad palette of influences

http://www.decoymusic.com/blog_posts/997




The Crash of Cassini is a mess. Even though it’s only forty-five minutes, it feels overlong and often alternately too bare or too cluttered. So why is it rated favorably? There are several key aspects that break through the often clouded proceedings. Magnuson excels at writing hooks, and the vocal interplay is usually very strong, except when it slips into Evanescence territory. I also quite enjoyed the duo’s ’90s rock sensibilities and the way they were integrated into the broad palette of influences. The more overtly metallic moments can also be cited as strengths, the attempts at White Stripes comparisons less so. (artist website) Rating: 3/5 Stars

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Thomas Pridgen at The Saloon 5/25/2011

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/vibes/tag/the-memorials/

Vibes blog
The music blog Thomas Pridgen at The Saloon 5/25/2011


Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Thomas Pridgen, the former drummer for The Mars Volta is coming to the Saloon at the N.C. Music Factory on Wednesday night (May 25) with his new band, The Memorials. Lucky Five is opening.
Check out some videos:



The Memorials - We Don't Need No Education

http://flagpole.com/Weekly/Features/TheMemorials-25May11

The Memorials




We Don't Need No Education

Since “Is college really worth it?” think-pieces are so de rigueur, let's take a stab at the human-interest angle here. Thomas Pridgen, drummer for the Berkley, CA-based rock trio The Memorials, can lay it all out for us: “It's a business to go to school,” he says, speaking to Flagpole while on tour in Detroit. “The education [system]—they're trying to make money.”

Years ago, Pridgen was across the nation from his hometown at Boston's Berklee College of Music, where he'd been that school's youngest-ever recipient of a scholarship at the age of 15. He decided against finishing his degree because opportunity was already knocking: after playing with various California gospel artists and on the strength of a single audition, he put in several years on the drum throne with The Mars Volta on several tours and records. Beyond that, he's done extensive session work with rock artists such as Juliette Lewis and Foxy Shazam, rap groups like Blackalicious, Slum Village and many others.

“That was part of why I dropped out; I also dropped out because it was starting to cost me money. I didn't want to start paying to go there because I was auditioning teachers. The drum teachers would go, 'Come in here,' and we'd basically be picking the next drum teachers. So, I don't know… I think Berklee was great because I met amazing people, but I don't think it was helping with what I'm doing now.”

Two such people he'd studied with at Berklee would later become close collaborators. In 2009, Pridgen left The Mars Volta to form The Memorials alongside vocalist Viveca Hawkins and guitarist Nick Brewer—both Berklee attendees. While session work could easily be a road to comfort for any of these extremely talented musicians, all three seem far more content on the touring circuit than at school or working on other people's music. Having released its first self-titled record earlier this year, the band is touring steadily this spring and already plotting the next album. “I feel like our sound is becoming more solid; with that first record, we were experimenting,” says Hawkins. “Now we're just kind of deciding what we like the best—becoming more mature with our sound.”

With such a diverse history in session work, it makes sense that Pridgen's band would be as eclectic as The Memorials are, combining elements of Tool's moody gloom, Faith No More's knotty, hard funk rock and even some of The Mars Volta's polyrhythmic intensity.

Hitting the road running doesn't lack for pitfalls, says Brewer: “Right now, clubs don't promote, so if you have one night that's amazing, and you have 400–500 people there, and then you can have a night where there'll be 20 people there. And that 20-person night sucks if you don't make any money. That's how we put gas in our tank; it's by selling merch.”

And then there are the obligatory zany club situations, such as the sound guy freakout they experienced in—where else?—Las Vegas. “He said we called him a honky,” laughs Hawkins. “Who says 'honky?' Like, who has ever heard anyone call anyone a honky in the last 20 years?” They shrug off the thought that, as an all-black band, racism is anything to seriously contend with. “I mean, I'm black, so I experience racism if I'm going to Wal-mart,” says Brewer. “I don't dwell on that type of shit; it's normal.”

Jeff Tobias

Monday, May 23, 2011

Here's a novel idea. Have a boy and girl duo start a rock band

http://thevinylanachronist.blogspot.com/



Magnuson's Crash of Cassini on CD
Here's a novel idea. Have a boy and girl duo start a rock band. It's only the two of them, just drums and guitar. They have the same last name, but it's unclear whether or not they're married, brother and sister or just a happy coincidence. On their website, they are holding hands. Hmmm.
Once you start listening to Magnuson's new CD, however, you stop comparing Greg and Kyrsten Magnuson to that other couple. The Magnuson sound is turgid and dense like a muddy thicket, less Zep and more Sabbath. The prog element, varnished with a Moog that growls deep within the mix, ensures that the paths never cross. This is not a stripped-down sound, laid bare, simple for the sake of being simple. This is two point sources being stretched out to fill a void with energy and a fair share of grime.
In addition, the couple sets out on a different path by taking turns on their instruments. That right...Greg plays guitar and Kyrsten plays drums on seven songs, and Kyrsten plays guitars and Greg plays drums on the other seven tracks. Much to my surprise I prefer the former arrangement; Greg tends to rely on rolling fills on his ground toms after nearly every measure while Kyrsten can both cross genres and lighten things up with her more varied rhythms. Both play their guitars almost as if they taught each other how to play. Perhaps they did.
Billing themselves as "the most musical mayhem ever created by a girl and a boy," Magnuson doesn't quite devolve into such chaos. Working within a garage-band aesthetic, they retain conventional song structures as they touch on the aforementioned Sabbath (the opener, "Dark Reality"), power pop ("Somewhere"), modern metal ("The Scout"), and classic '80s New Wave ("Fear and Deception"). You won't hear anything quite as groundbreaking as De Stijl, but you will get heaping, muddy doses of energy, harmony and, well, ground toms. There's nothing wrong with that.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

White Orange Sighting

.White Orange Review


http://sotsmusic.com/white-orange-review/
White Orange Songwriter, Rhythm Guitar, and Vocals - Dustin Hill

White Orange Sighting

by Madison J. Locke



When I first saw them, I was reminded of those stories about alien abductions. I felt like their so-called “instruments” and “voices” were in disguise; like they were actually getting into my thoughts, using the reverberation of sound waves, i.e. music, as a technique to capture and convey messages. Obviously it wasn’t scary or painful, but it was somewhat anxiety producing, although in the most comforting way. They’re futuristic, they’re enlightened, and they’re loud. They are White Orange.



Dustin Hill, the vocalist, plays rhythm guitar. Ryan McIntire plays lead guitar and sings back-up. Dean Carroll drums. Adam Pike plays bass. It’s really not relevant though… because the sound of this Portland band is truly one.



I forgot to ask them, so I’ve been trying to figure out exactly why they named their band White Orange. As abstract as that sounds, it’s just what they sound like.





White Orange Bass - Adam Pike

Maybe it can be said that they are neo-grunge. Or are they post psychedelic-punk? I refrain from saying experimental or artsy, in hopes that ALL artists out there are experimenting as they should be. Perhaps I could say that they’re trance rock. Either way, I’m making it up – or maybe I should just admit the fact that I’m stumped. Various bands come to mind, but none are really close… those would be: At the Drive In, Nirvana, Deep Purple, Mudhoney, and Sonic Youth. Doesn’t make sense, right? Told ya! Whichever way you describe them, my confusion about who to compare them to should convey something about this band to you.



And so it happened, I was confused. Truth be told, I was starting to think my head was going to explode. Indeed, they are loud… but they would be just as loud with small practice amps, or soft-acoustic guitars. It wasn’t just the volume, but their unique tone and the physics of it all that got to me.



I really do think they’re aliens. Their performance was so unworldly that I felt transported away from my physical surroundings – abducted, if you will. But like I said before, I wasn’t scared. It was healing, it was cathartic, it was trance inducing, and it was arousing. (Yeah, I later discovered that White Orange’s exclusive press CD provides excellent ambience for one of my favorite past times – which, according to Paul – would be quite apropos for aliens!)





White Orange

Rule-breaking chord patterns and dirty n’ loud fuzz give them a grunge basis. They also have a very signature type of progression in their writing: it’s patiently repetitive, but there’s a gradual build and thus (and I love this), every measure is slightly different than the prior, consecutively speaking… hence, there’s a definite edge of trance. The trip itself is absolutely psychedelic. This band emphasizes surrealism.



The musicians in White Orange are tone freaks, and so… in consistency with their progressive nature… they maintain a large arsenal of “trippy” tones and effects at their disposal: wah, flange, phaser, fuzz box, od, I don’t even know… it’s confusing.



Dean’s contribution to percussion is very dynamic and solid…. with a constant “punch through”. Adam’s bass lines are twisty and bendy… creating somewhat of a helix in the waves of Dustin’s rhythm work. All the while, Ryan creates the finesse in their sound with piercing, warped, and cutting leads that leave the audience in a daze; even in their simplicity. Simple, yet profound.



Dustin’s voice is about as signature as everything else in White Orange – industrial, raunchy, and other-worldly.



To paraphrase Dustin, the songwriter and lead singer, he didn’t really feel like he himself was writing the songs, but that he was downloading them from the universe. Therefore he didn’t really take credit for the songs, but gives credit to whatever (or whomever) out there that the songs came from. Talk about reinforcing the analogy!



However the heck you try to describe them, this quartet of extra-terrestrials are evolving a new sound that gracefully (and loudly) expresses our awe of grandeur – like staring at the sun. They flow upstream, overhead, second star to the right, and straight on till morning; radiating a very certain color as they go.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The finest jewel, though, is her tender and frank whisperings.

http://www.damnationdanceparty.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, May 18, 2011



Stephanie Schneiderman
 (Zerone Music)

Stephanie wins out, sculpting into oneness notes, thoughts, beats, and passions. Her art soothes and stimulates; it pleases while provoking to upper planes. Her guitars gambol nimbly, and her keys pirouette across hypnotic passages. The finest jewel, though, is her tender and frank whisperings.

As strikingly beauteous as this creation is, it importantly never projects aura downward, instead reassuringly springing from our own level. Stephanie is both singular and one of us. And we, in turn, feel much better for the association.

Recommended "hush now (remix)," "rubber teardrop," "wide open"

http://www.stephanieschneiderman.com/

- DC Larson

Friday, May 20, 2011

Roch = Cee-Lo + Outkast + P.O.S.

Roch - Lightweight Bi-Polar Mania

H.Q. The Change Factory

Street: 07.02.2010

Roch = Cee-Lo + Outkast + P.O.S.



In hip hop today, to make a solo album that’s consistently awesome requires something special. You have to be an amazingly talented producer (RJD2), a soulful vocal virtuoso (Cee-Lo), or one damn fine lyricist (Jay-Z). Roch’s first solo effort has some pretty solid beats produced by some talented musicians, and the rest is up to him. Both the singing and rhyming on this record, while showing great versatility, may have stretched this artist too thin. The songs are generally dark with trip-hoppy, almost NIN-esque beats and heavy, deep synth and gritty, soulful crooning. I found myself wishing for more raps rather than more singing, though. When he really flows like on “Hard Times” and “On Everything Lude,” Roch nails it with nice rhythms and some great punchlines. Some, like “A Beautiful Curse,” even had me almost humming along. But overall, the singing and heavy bass cause this record to blend together. All the choruses seem to have similar melodies and I’d like to see him branch out. While the whole album did grow on me, nothing ended up addictively listenable. –Rio Connelly
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=2800&page=11

Thursday, May 19, 2011

FENSEPOST:: spectacular wordsmith and soul man known as Roch!

http://www.fensepost.com/main/2011/05/13/roch-lightweight-bipolar-mania-album-review/


Roch: Lightweight Bipolar Mania [Album Review]




13 May 2011 Written by Ron Trembath No Comment Tags: roch

Hip Hop music has less than subtly switched gears from it’s former peddling of brassed out beats over rhythms that are either clever, vulgar, captivating, or all of the above. No, now days hip hop has been branded with a real artistic revolution, as well as some fine examples of diversity by adding elements of R&B, electronica, and even a bit of indie rock in the mix. And a stellar combination of all these elements can be found perfectly on Light Weight Bipolar Mania from the spectacular wordsmith and soul man known as Roch!

Uriel J Winfree III, a.k.a. Roch, has pulled a Cee Lo and moved out behind the shadows that being in a rap group can sometimes cast. And just as Mr. Green did, he has proven himself a stellar gentlemanly addition to the the world of multi-talented musicians. Whether he is mixing ballads and flow on the girl gettin’ “Something To Tell Ya”, or turning indie rock worthy sounds into harrowing tales of solace and fear on “Dracula’s Widow” or “Another Heart Break”, the man has a groove that is without a doubt impressive and absolutely admirable.

What Roch has done on Light Weight Bipolar Mania is absolutely stunning. His rhythms are tight. He’s choruses are sweet. Even the acoustic guitar beats he manages to sneak into what might be just a regular R&B song is superior to so many of those who have figuratively come before him. The distinct abilities of Roch reflect great credit about those who have defended hip hop as a real means of conveying emotion through such a stylistic form of expressions. Feast your eyes people. This is what you have been waiting for!

Listen: “Dracula’s Widow” by Roch
Listen: “Another Heart Break” by Roch



[CD, 2011]



1. Lightweight Bipolar Mania

2. Beautiful Curse

3. Something To Tell Ya

4. Hard Times

5. No More Stars

6. On Everything Lude

7. Another Heartbreak

8. Dracula’s Widow

9. Lace You

10. Visionary

11. Nothing

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

vocabulary, and fashion sense Roch "Lightweight Bipolar Mania"

Roch "Lightweight Bipolar Mania"




(http://www.rochout.com/) Much like the insect with which they almost share a name,

this rock-inflected, emo rap act will survive a nuclear holocause based on tenacity,

vocabulary, and fashion sense


http://roctoberreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/roch-lightweight-bipolar-mania.html

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

WINEBIRDS, “Séance

$7.

WINEBIRDS, “Séance

Hill” (self-released)

✰✰✰ — Falling somewhere

among Belle and

Sebastian, Rilo Kiley

and Fleetwood Mac

come the Winebirds, a

Portland, Ore., quintet

whose breezy, sometimes hippie-like rock

makes their first album “Séance Hill” a nice

building block for the future.

The 12 cuts mix breezy pop, earnest folkleaning

ballads, and even some girl-group

posturing (check out “Vanity” for more

on that).

Their guy/girl vocal approach isn’t anything

new but fits them just fine. Guitarist

Reggie (they eschew surnames in all their

press materials) has a quivering, hoarse

approach to his vocals, giving them humanity,

and he shines brightest on “Out in the

Van” and “The New Oregon Trail,” where

he sounds like Elvis Costello.

They score early with tongue-in-cheek “I

Obscenity In Thy Mother’s Milk” (where

Rose and Lauren add their lush harmonies)

and closing ballad “The Hill” has a quiet

winter’s feel to it. (BK)

Roch: LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania (2011) review on DENMARK's UNDERTONER

http://www.undertoner.dk/2011/03/roch-lightweight-bi-polar-mania/

Roch: LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania


Af Nicholai Friis Pedersen
05.03.11
Ingen kommentarer

Roch: LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania (2011)

XO Publicity

Musikalske slægtninge: KiD CuDi, Kanye West

Tags: hiphop, rap, Roch, rock, weltschmerz

KiD CuDi har i sin relativt korte karriere allerede haft en imponerende indflydelse på moderne, urban populærmusik. I 2009 var han supervisor og vist også medsangskriver på Kanye Wests autotunede syngeplade 808s & Heartbreak. Og rapperen og sangeren Roch fra New York har uden tvivl også ladet sig inspirere af CuDis blanding af sang, rap, hiphop og rock på sange, der gennem et dybt personligt perspektiv handler om problematisk kærlighed og andre af privatsfærens problematikker.

Årsagen til at CuDi her fremhæves som en dominerende undertekst til newyorker-rapperen Rochs selvfinansierede debutplade LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania er, at skivens blanding af ovenfornævnte ingredienser slet ikke ville give mening, hvis man ikke var klar over, at CuDi tidligere har haft succes med opskriften. Til trods for at Roch er en habil rapper, der uden at skille sig ud fra mængden da også godt kan synge (bortset fra på ”No More Starz” hvor han givetvis efter intention synger skingrende falsk), så fungerer albummet nemlig slet ikke.

Først og fremmest skæmmes helhedsoplevelsen af en mudret produktion, som leder tankerne hen på demooptagelser og medfører, at ingen detaljer i lydbilledet rigtig står frem og kommer til deres ret. Og dér skal det som det allermindste være i orden, hvis man søger at komme op i den liga, hvor folk som KiD CuDi befinder sig. Havde musikken været mere ‘ude i pappet’, ville det givetvis have pyntet lidt på helhedsindtrykket.

Og så er der beatsiden, som med en overflod af plastikagtige, midi-lydende synths, men også organiske soulbreaks og funky basgange, mimer de beatsammensætninger, man har hørt på rigtig mange hiphop-plader de seneste tre år. Derudover indeholder pladen også lige et par ekskurser ud i collagerock, hvilket også var at finde på CuDis seneste plade Man on the Moon II, samt en vaskeægte powerballade (”Another Heart Break”), der ville have egnet sig fint til strandfest, men aldrig skulle have befundet sig på et album.

Tekstmæssigt er vi som implicit udtalt ovre i samme omgang weltschmertz, ulykkelig kærlighed og skildring af kunstnerens forbandelse, som vi har set i overflod på de seneste kommercielle hiphopudgivelser. Hvor folk som Kanye West, KiD CuDi og Cee-Lo Green har personlighed og ikke mindst swagger til at bære det hjem og gøre det interessant, virker det navlepillende og ganske uvedkommende hos Roch – men det er der måske heller ikke noget at sige til, idet de fortvivlelser, der følger med at have et stort ego, nok efterhånden er blevet afdækket.

Der titter dog også nogle ganske udmærkede momenter frem hist og her: Sammensætningen af aggressive rapvers og rockomkvæd i titelnummeret, de fængende omkvæd i ”Something to Tell Ya” og ”A Beautiful Curse” (der låner en melodistump fra Smashing Pumpkins’ ”Disarm”) og den cocky levering af rappen over downsouth-pumpende og -dumpende 808-trommer i ”Hard Times” viser trods alt, at Rochs flair for håndværket ikke fejler noget. Hvor kliché det end lyder, skal han bare finde sin egne niche og lade KiD CuDi om at være KiD CuDi.



ENGLISH:
KiD CuDi has in his relatively short career already had an impressive impact on the modern, urban popular music. In 2009, he was supervisor and see also medsangskriver on Kanye West auto tunede sing plate 808s & heartbreak. And rapper and singer Roch from New York has no doubt inspired by CuDis mixture of song, rap, hip hop and rock on the songs through a deeply personal perspective is about problematic love and other private sfærens issues.

The reason the CuDi here highlighted as a dominant under the text to the old New York rapper Rochs self-financed debut record LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania is that the turntable mixing the ingredients would not make sense, if it was not aware that CuDi have had previous success with the recipe. In spite of the fact that Roch is a clever piece of rapper who, without that stand out from the crowd as well can sing (except on "No More Starz" where he certainly after intention sings skin grende false) so that the works album: not at all.

First and foremost, the overall experience is marred by a muddy production, as leader of the mind onto the demo recordings and leads to no detail in Sonic accuracy really stands forth and come to their right And that's where you'll place the. at the very least be in order, if you are looking to get up in the Leaguewhere people like KiD CuDi is situated. Had the music been more ' out of ' overlap, it would certainly be trimmed a little on the overall impression.

And then there is the beat page, as with an abundance of plastikagtige, midi-sounding synths, but also organic soulbreaks and funky late mimer they beat compositions, we have heard in very many hip hop-plates the last three years. In addition, the plate also contains a few ekskurser out in collage rock, which also was to find the latest on CuDis plate Man on the Moon II, as well as a washing genuine power ballad ("Another Heartbreak"), which would have fit quite well to the beach fest, but should never have been held in an album.

We, as implicit, textual is pronounced the way to the same instance weltschmertz, unhappy love and depiction of the artist's curse, as we have seen in abundance on the most recent commercial hip hop releases. Where people like Kanye West, KiD CuDi and Cee-Lo Green has personality and not least swagger to wear it home and make it interesting, it seems very extraneous and navel pillende of Roch – but there is perhaps nothing to say toSince the fortvivlelser that comes with having a big ego, probably after the hand has been uncovered.

There is, however, also some titter quite excellent moments rather than here and there: the composition of the aggressive rapvers and rock chorus in the title track, the catchy chorus in "Something to Tell Ya" and "A Beautiful Curse" (which borrows a tune butt from the Smashing Pumpkins ' "Disarm") and the cocky delivery of quack over downsouth-pumping and dump end 808-drums in "Hard Times" show, in spite of everythingthat Rochs flair of craftsmanship not fail anything. How cliché it sounds, he simply must find its own niche and let the KiD CuDi to be KiD CuDi.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

as radio-friendly as Fleetwood Mac or Rilo Kiley and

Quick Spins: The Winebirds, Faded Paper Figures and New Age Beatles covers


http://origin-www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/178869/
By: Matthew R. Perrine, Budgeteer News

“Séance Hill”
The Winebirds’ “Séance Hill” (Self-Released, 2010)
WHAT IT IS: Three guys and two girls — all Portland natives — crafting tunes that are A) as indie-tastic as Belle & Sebastian, B) as radio-friendly as Fleetwood Mac or Rilo Kiley and …

WHAT ONE JERK THINKS ABOUT IT: … C) inherently timeless. I’ve only been spinning this record for about a week, but it feels like it’s been with me forever, as if I grew up with it. And this is, by no means, a derogatory statement: I can see myself listening to this one for decades to come as well. Is it the co-ed, layered vocals that do the trick? Or the time-capsule manner in which the band moves from mature musical element to another? Perhaps it’s all of these things. “The Solution” is riveting entertainment; leadoff track “I Obscenity in Thy Mother’s Milk” is just bursting with nervous autumn energy; and “Out in the Van,” with its cries of “You’re gonna leave me by the river,” is as chilling as its hazy narrative allows it to be. … I don’t know much about the group members’ collective hometown of Portland, Ore., but I sure as hell know it’s not as vast and diverse as the Winebirds’ sound is. I’d love to hear a mix tape comprised of key tracks from their influences, just to see how they got to this high level of musicianship as if out of nowhere.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ABOUT IT: Buy it. This is one of those records that will change your life. No joke. Looking ahead, I can definitely see the Matthew R. Perrine of 2025 rereading this review and chastising himself (myself) for not doing more to broadcast how utterly amazing this group is.

… BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT: Find the band at www.thewinebirds.com or listen to “Séance Hill” over at http://thewinebirds.bandcamp.com/

Monday, May 9, 2011

Portland’s Strength creates disco

Solid gold




Featuring Bailey Winters on vocals, John Zeigler on keyboard and programming and Patrick Morris on guitar, drum machine and bass, Portland’s Strength creates disco music that sounds like your middle school vice principal with the slightly longish hair taking off his glasses, unbuttoning at least three buttons on his shirt and letting loose just as you thought he would because you’ve always suspected he has a funky side. They’re ready to drop their new CD “Mind-Reader,” party music for serious party people — do not go unless you are prepared to unleash your inner strobe and ditch your outer uptightness.

http://portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=128337121243251900

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Punch up J-Minus and get soothed-out

J-MINUS



Devil Music


1 Shot Studio
Experiencing a stressful day at work? Punch up J-Minus and get soothed-out in under sixty seconds. As if enjoying a cool glass of green tea while lying in an overflowing bubble bath, bliss will envelope your frazzled brain pan. Be forewarned, the warm fuzzies do sometimes tumble into adult contemporary territory. So long as this doesn’t send you screaming from the room, pull up a chair (it doesn’t have to be a rocker) and kick off your shoes. Unfortunately, even eternal joy has its limits and songwriter Dylan Fant appears a bit conflicted. His new album pictures a happy couple frolicking among the flowers, yet is titled Devil Music. “Congratulations, You Suck” opens a snarky diatribe to an ex with the kiss-off, “The only thing you proved is I can do better than you.” Next he crafts a heartfelt lullaby to his daughter “When The Lights Go Out,” replete with moonbeams and stuffed animals. Light/dark, happy/sad, love/hate…all two sides of the same coin. Ah, the duality of life. It sometimes clouds the beauty of a sunny day. Take the time to turn your clouds onto rainbows and enjoy the sunshine. J-Minus is here to help.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Stephanie Schneiderman - Love songs and anti-love songs from the lady and the laptop.

Stephanie Schneiderman Friday, May 6




Love songs and anti-love songs from the lady and the laptop.

IMAGE: http://www.stephanieschneiderman.com/
Tags: [ELECTRONIC POP] Back in those heady days of the late ’90s, the electronic-music landscape was rife with groups that put a dulcet-voiced female at center stage while behind her, a gent or two turned knobs and cued up mid-tempo, bass-heavy rhythms on their laptops. It was music that fit nicely into motion-picture seduction scenes or soundtracked a cocktail bar.

It’s been a surprisingly resilient sound and setup, considering the number of acts and producers that are still taking this tack today (Zero 7, Morcheeba, etc.), including one of the more recent adoptees of this creative approach, Portland singer/songwriter Stephanie Schneiderman.

Schneiderman, also a member of the folk/pop trio Dirty Martini, was approached in 2007 by Keith Schreiner, a DJ/producer who helped initiate Portland into the world of electro-pop with his former band Dahlia.

“It was the right time,” says Schneiderman, between sips of green tea at Townshend’s Tea Company on Northeast Alberta Street, “because I had a whole batch of songs I knew I wanted to do, but I wanted to try something completely different. We had a one-day session in the studio and it was one of those magical days where everything he touched turned to gold.”

That collaboration yielded an impressive 2008 LP called Dangerous Fruit, which amped up the heat in Schneiderman’s sultry vocals with supple beats and skeins of gorgeous ambient electronics.

Inspired and emboldened by their work together, Schneiderman turned to Schreiner a second time, and the results are even stronger than before.

RATE On Rubber Teardrop, you can hear the two settled into their mutual roles as artist and muse, both aware of and working with each other’s strengths to create an intimate and sexy LP that demands repeat listens just to catch up with every noise and lyric that drifts through it.
“I was pushed to take more risks,” says Schneiderman. “It took me a while to embrace it, but when I did I was able to write with the studio and Keith in mind. The further I went, I was more open to that world and the broadband of sounds and textures Keith would have.”
For such a personal-sounding work, it was supported in the most public of means. The sessions, mixing and mastering were all funded via a Kickstarter campaign. “We asked for $7,200, which is really a lot less than we needed,” Schneiderman remembers. “But we hit our goal and then some in 48 hours.” The intimacy of the music will be emphasized in the rewards for nine lucky backers who plunked down $1,000 or more for a private performance by the singer-songwriter in their homes.
But like many a musician, it is that push-pull with putting personal matters (many songs on Rubber Teardrop feel directed at a spurned lover) out into the world for public consumption that makes Schneiderman’s work—both on her own and with Dirty Martini—so exciting.
“Part of me feels resistant to that,” she says of putting her private life into her work. “But it should be a challenge. You have to give it a shot.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEE IT: Stephanie Schneiderman plays the Alberta Rose Theatre on Friday, May 6. 8:30 pm. $15. All ages (minors must be accompanied by parent or guardian.)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Stephanie Schneiderman: Watch her talk about her new album ‘Rubber Teardrop’

Stephanie Schneiderman: Watch her talk about her new album ‘Rubber Teardrop’

http://oregonmusicnews.com/blog/2011/05/04/stephanie-schneiderman-watch-her-talk-about-her-new-album-rubber-teardrop/




by Tom D'Antoni on May 4, 2011

The creative story of Stephanie Schneiderman and Keith Schreiner opens a new chapter this week with the release of her new album, Rubber Teardrop.
The release show is Friday, May 6 at the Alberta Rose Theatre, doors 7:30, $15 (5% of the door & 50% merch going to mercy corps Japan relief) with Dirty Martini opening (which Schneiderman is also in).
Well-known as a singer/songwriter, playing in various styles before they met, the collaboration with Schreiner (aka Auditory Sculpture) drastically changed her style, putting her strong lyrics in a totally different setting.
He was the electronics guy, she the guitar poet/goddess. When word got around that they were working together, heads tilted. No worries, her Dangerous Fruit did very well. They toured together, immediately planning for the follow-up.
At the time of the release of the first album, he said, “I liked the voice and I liked the songs. Her old style of music isn’t something that interests me that much but a song is a song. I thought it could use an update, the presentation of it. She can perform any one of these songs singer-songwriter style. I just listen for voices.”
On Tuesday of this week, she talked about the new album, and the differences between this one and the last one.
She also plays keys on the album. Jade Vanocore is on bassoon and vocals, Tony Furtado, Schneiderman’s husband-to-be is on ukulele and slide guitar. She wrote all the songs (with help from Ari Hest on one and Amelia White on two more) except for “Between the Bars” which is an Elliott Smith.
Listen to “Hush” from Rubber Teardrop

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Some Brass For Yo Ass

Some Brass For Yo Ass

Stephanie Schneiderman talks about her new album, "Rubber Teardrop"

“Suds! All over me! Suds! I want to be clean!”

W.H. Walker
Suds!

Boogie Creek



ESM Rating: 7/10
http://www.easternsurf.com/vitalreverb/022511/

 “Suds! All over me! Suds! I want to be clean!” Not exactly the opening line you’d expect from a buoyant garage-rock EP released by Portland’s W.H. Walker. But getting scrubbed clean by this jingling, jangling, doo-wop crooning, slightly grimey seven-song album isn’t so bad after all, since you’ll come away from it feeling more like you’re living on a street full of off-kilter ‘60s pop aficionados cohabitating with dangerous late ’70s punk types. After “Suds!,” “As The Night Goes” combines elements of War’s harmonious choruses with The Who’s explosive classic rock, doling out the best two-song album opener I’ve heard in some time.

But beyond that, Suds! stumbles a bit. “Saving Every Secret” is choppy, chiming, charming, and aggressive all at once, as lead singer Devin Clark’s pebble-strewn pipes try to keep up with W.H. Walker’s jumbled yet endearing guitar attack. That song is also the longest on the album, and it seems to halt the short record’s otherwise infectious energy. “The Untold Death Of Grady Jones” is similarly all over the place, but its cowbell fills, epic doo-wop choruses, handclaps, and ringing percussion do somehow coalesce into a beautiful little ditty by song’s end. And “Watch Your Step” is a shambolic lo-fi mess that sounds phoned in from a distant eight-track player. But I’m willing to bet that in a live setting it would probably incite a minor dance-floor riot.

“Don’t Let Me Go” is much more immediate, with a guitar crunch that seems to jump out of the speaker and impassioned lyrics sounding like they could soundtrack Dazed & Confused 2. And then Suds! closes out with the excellent “Second Hand Store,” a rousing little number that alights in emo rock, punkabilly, ‘70s pop, and even The Strokes territory over three and a half short minutes. W.H. Walker aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but they are proving that they can have a hell of a good time performing their sometimes sloppy, sometimes irresistible garage rock for anybody that will listen. By Nick McGregor

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

"High energy electronic trance flirts with dub.....GUNSLINGER

http://www.performermag.com/pdf/Performer_Magazine_March_2011.pdf


22/30 page



Gunslinger

Early Volumes 1

Los Angeles, CA

"High energy electronic trance flirts with

dub without force feeding bass."

With a name like Gunslinger one might

think more along the lines of Clint Eastwoodstyle,

rough around the edges music.

Gunslinger is anything but boots and chaps.

They blend an electronic mix mash that marries

sounds like the baroque cacophony of

Gold Panda over the classic thumping house

beats, reminiscent of recent tour mate Tiesto.

On Early Volumes, Gunslinger (Chris

Anthem and Blare Vidal) starts off with "Run

For Your Life," a classic electro trance song

with a thick '80s vocal loop resulting in nostalgic,

pulsating, beat-driven night music.

Continuing the heavy beats, Gunslinger

pounds in sounds of piano over fuzzed vocals

for "Who Have You Been," and then turn up

the heat with the classically synthed "Words."

The duo is like Pendulum meets 3Oh!3, and by

"Unbreakable" (the breakout track) they toss

in the bait and switch bass that has been perfected

by Deadmau5. The song runs the gamut

of electronic sounds past to present, finally

flirting with a shout out to Millennial's dub

step without beating the listener over the

head with bass. Early Volumes finishes strong

with "Nothing's Good Enough," following suit

with the bass lines that border on dub, heavy

but somehow managing to be both classic and

modern at the same time. (Self-released)

Tara C Lacey http://www.thelastgunslinger.com/

Benjamin Bear, hailing from the indie music scene in Seattle

 Benjamin Bear (United States)


www.NewBandDaily.com
Benjamin Bear, hailing from the indie music scene in Seattle, Washington is not your normal musical duo. With Mychal Cohen on vocals and the keyboard, and David Stern on percussion, it's already clear that even the simple combination of instruments and those that are not present in the duo will create an atypical sound.
Add Cohen's jarring lyrics about love, loss, and the world with his consistent skills on the keys to Stern's perfectly melded drumming and you get beautiful and ponderous compositions.
Unexpected may be the best word to describe a song like "Station Rest Release", and don't we love when indie music manages to be unexpected? Additionally, who can resist a band with a name with not only consonants, but the n! ame bear in it?
Songs we recommend you listen to: "Russ" and "Station Rest Release".