As mentioned numerous times since Friday, September is the fifth anniversary of It's a Trap! and I am running my first-ever reader's poll on account of this grand occasion. Go fill it out! And remember, it's 100% anonymous and None of the questions are required. Only fill out the stuff you want and then, when you're done, enter to win a copy of the entire IAT discography.
Search: None
Your search returned 138 results. Viewing results 76-90Happy birthday to me! September is the fifth anniversary of this here website, so on account of this grand occasion, I've decided to run my first-ever official reader's poll! Hopefully I can figure out, not only a little bit more about who my reader's are and what they're interested in, but also what areas need improvement. It's 100% anonymous, so please - be as harsh a critic as you would like. Oh, and only answer the questions you want - None of them are required. Lastly, I'm including a link at the end for a contest to win a copy of the entire IAT discography. Don't worry - your survey responses are kept totally separate so I have no idea who said what, even if you do enter the contest. So what are you waiting for? Get to it!
For further discussion, go here: [click here]
Happy birthday to me! September is the fifth anniversary of this here website, so on account of this grand occasion, I've decided to run my first-ever official reader's poll! Hopefully I can figure out, not only a little bit more about who my reader's are and what they're interested in, but also what areas need improvement. It's 100% anonymous, so please - be as harsh a critic as you would like. Oh, and only answer the questions you want - None of them are required. Lastly, I'm including a link at the end for a contest to win a copy of the entire IAT discography. Don't worry - your survey responses are kept totally separate so I have no idea who said what, even if you do enter the contest. So what are you waiting for? Get to it!
For further discussion, go here: [click here]
Another thing about September is that it marks the fifth anniversary of this here website. Five long years! That's positively ancient in Internet time. So on account of this grand occasion, I've decided to run my first-ever official reader's poll so I can hopefully figure out not only a little bit more about who my reader's are and what they're interested in, but also what areas need improvement. It's 100% anonymous, so please - be as harsh a critic as you would like. Oh, and only answer the questions you want - None of them are required. Lastly, I'm including a link at the end for a contest to win a copy of the entire IAT discography. Don't worry - your survey responses are still kept totally separate so I have no idea who said what, even if you do enter the contest. So what are you waiting for? Get to it!
For further discussion, go here: [click here]
MP3: The Bear Quartet - Birds are singing deep within the greenery
This is another one of those songs that makes me giggle like an idiot every time I hear it. Aside from the chorus refrain, there's very little about the lyrics that's distinguishable to my ears without the words laid out right there in front of me. Naturally, being The Bear Quartet and seeing as how the lyrics are from bassist Peter Nuottaniemi, there is poetry behind the gibber-gabber though I find the meaning to be inconsequential to the enjoyment of the song. And there's that ridiculous wanky-blues breakdown, too. Genius? Yes, absolutely. Unnecessary? Sure, but it throws you off just enough so that the final chorus can floor you. I was iffy on BQ's new, more electronic and obtuse direction with the unveiling of single "I have an itch" before the release of "Saturday night", but hearing this song sealed the deal. None can compare! All hail!
Extra-credit for the engineering geeks: check out the waveform for this track. It's ridiculous - nothing but boxes of sound, red-lining at 0db. When I was compiling all the tracks from "Reader's companion volume two" I was amazed at how unmusical it looked in comparison to everything else.
The Bear Quartet - Birds are singing deep within the greenery
MP3: Pistol Disco - Radiation
Man, those Pistol Disco dudes are such sellouts - they've totally gone from no-wave noise to no-wave noise with a beat! A beat you could dance to! Obviously, I'm kidding about the whole sellout accusation, but the duo's new album "Radiation" is far more pop than I would expect. It's pop that could still melt your face and peel the paint off your walls, but yes, pop Nonetheless. Behind the caustic wall of distortion lurks slow, deliberate melodies. The clashing sound waves create new, ever-shifting overtones as the chords change. There's a few quieter tracks on the record, but it's the all-out-assault of stuff like opener/title-track "Radiation" that are the best. Put this on at your next dance party and see what happens.
Pistol Disco - Radiation
Frost
Love! Revolution!
Frostworld
Reading through Frost's webpage, I get the impression that the duo think they are a much better band than they actually are. The purpose of their new album, "Love! Revolution!" is, supposedly, to "search for the lost pop of that golden era when joy and creativity had as big a place in pop music as pure commerciality and copyism has had in the last decades." Fine. I'll admit that they're a good step or so above Britney Spears. But, joyful? Creative? Don't make me laugh. Or hurl. Or both. I've heard this whole 'female vocals over minimalistic synth/electro - pop beats' before. Done exceptionally well by the likes of Ladytron, Frou Frou/Imogen Heap and even Circ, I might add. So I expect a new take on the genre, some quirkiness in the beats, some deftness in the lyrics to bring a smile to my lips. But there is None of that here. The lyrics aim to be poignant and touching, but wind up being cheesy and, at times, very, very painful to listen to. Even the cheap, 'lyrics be damned' side of me that will occasionally listen to the cheesiest techno on the airwaves couldn't be swayed by this mess; especially since there is only one catchy track on the whole album in "One hundred years". Ultimately, the only thing Frost have going for them is Aggie Peterson's frail, wistful vocal style, which will no doubt ensure that a good percentage of the tracks on "Love! Revolution!" will get the remix treatment and earn the duo some recognition on the club scene (and possibly some revenue). In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if that might have been their sole, sorry objective all along. "Joy and creativity", my ass. Frost are only kidding themselves.
- Heinrich Souza
Montt Mardié
Clocks/Pretender
Hybris
One always hopes that the sophomore album is an improvement, a realisation, and when it is just that, the results can be glorious. Such is the case with the second proper full-length effort from Montt Mardié (and it's a double-disc Nonetheless). With the two CDs clocking in at a hour combined, there is no filler attached, yet one can choose just thirty minutes of listening enjoyment at once should they desire. The first disc, "Clocks", is where David Pagmar's vision of everything swinging is pulled off properly, with the instrumentation and vocals working so well. Take note of the pitch-perfect harmonies on "Birthday Boy (drama)", the sad spoken word of "Set sail tomorrow (strings)", and the stellar minimal instrumentation of "Travellers". Disc two, conversely, is comprised of collaborations, and harkens more to the 80s in its sound. Montt Mardié not only delivers ballads ("Surprised" with Andreas Mattsson and "Pretenders" with Hello Saferide), dance numbers ("Metropolis" with Fredrik Hellström of Le Sport and "My girlfriend is in the Grand Prix finals" with Mr. Suitcase) and even one in his native Swedish with the always-stellar Vapnet ("När ni gett dom våld ska vi ge er kärlek"). "Clocks/Pretender" is the sound of a matured Montt Mardié, and this album floored me with how much every single thing has been improved. Lastly, I'd recommend picking up a physical copy of this, as the packaging amazing.
- Matt Giordano
MP3: Mixtapes & Cellmates - I left
I've gotten a few amazing new releases in the mailorder these last few days (with more on the way), so I wanted to spend a couple days highlighting them. First we have the self-titled debut full-length from Mixtapes & Cellmates, one of Sweden's most promising new indiepop acts. No listless twee, no pathetic nostalgia; None of the issues that plague the scene are apparent. Like fellow Nomethod act (and recent One Little Indian signees) Aerial, the guitars are brilliantly interwoven and engaging. The music is nowhere near as aggressive, but the feeling I get is the same. The production is adventurous too - many of the tracks are backed by glitchy techno beats and little clicks + cuts. The smeary glissandos of digital distortion on today's track "I left" go so far as to replace any natural guitar sounds, a tact that works far better than I would imagine. Though the timbre of the sounds is unnatural, it's done in a way that still allows the emotional content of the music to resonate. Extremely well done.
Mixtapes & Cellmates - I left
MP3: The Psyke Project - Physical romance
The Psyke Project's 2005 album "Daikini" was one of the year's best releases. At ~70 minutes of unrelenting brutality, the only real complaint one could level at it was that it was too long for one sitting. Their new record "Apnea" just came out recently and... it's disappointing. They still possess a potent mix of contemporary metalcore and crushing doom, but the formula has been needlessly tampered with. Instead of purely raw, glass-gargling vocals, there's now bits of clean singing and that horribly clichéd sing-speak thing that so many other metalcore bands seem fond of. Sorry dudes, but that sucks. One of the main reasons that "Daikini" was so awesome is that it had None of that bullshit. You used to be unique, now you're yet another metalcore band in the pack.
On the other hand, there are definitely some powerful bits spread throughout the record. They haven't compromised all of their greatness, they've just buried them a bit. The ending of "Physical romance" with the "I was so scared / I was so terrified" screaming is a fantastic climatic moment. The way that frontman Martin lets his voice break at the end is a perfect capper, too. "Apnea" may not totally floor me as a whole, but it's okay as long as they continue to deliver the punishment every so often.
The Psyke Project - Physical romance
Swedish indie blues-rockers Deltahead will tour Italy in March:
03/09 - Vidia Club, Cesena (FC)
03/10 - Sky Lab, Terni
03/11 - Cantina Mediterrane, FrosiNone
03/12 - Clandestino, Faenza (FC)
03/14 - Circolo Magnolia, Segrate (MI)
03/15 - C.R.C., Abano Terme (PD)
03/16 - Bachelor, Pesaro
03/17 - Interzona, Verona
03/18 - Mono, Pescara
03/19 - Garage Records, Avellino
03/20 - Bohemien, Bari
03/21 - B-Side, Cosenza
03/22 - La Chiave, Catania
03/23 - Dude, Carpi (MO)
03/24 - Spazio 211, Torino
Remember You Is Stupid? I do - I still even listen to their demo from time to time. Apparently the band has been signed to a US label is working on their debut album. Details? I know None. Listen at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/youisstupid