Tag: Mp3s
The best rock'n'roll is almost always unadorned. It's hard to beat the sound of four dudes playing together in the same room, giving it their all and that's exactly what The Scrags sound like. Think: The Stooges, The Sonics or any other proto-punk band worth their salt. Aside from Australians Eddy Current Suppression Ring, I really can't think of any other current acts that can compete, which is why I'm especially excited they're playing the It's a Trap! Clubnight at Debaser Malmö this Saturday. It's pure coincidence actually as I personally don't hold much sway in the booking, I just trust Jonas to take care of things and he always delivers. So yeah, it's gonna be killer I'm sure. And really, how could it not? If the band sounds this hot on record, I can only imagine that they'll level the place in-person.
The Scrags - Psycho cyclone
To be completely honest, I wasn't that into Cut City's full length "Exit decades". A few solid tracks to be sure, but it didn't hold my attention. As for their new EP "Narcissus can wait", well, this time they hit it out of the park: five tracks, all killer, no filler. They're still mining the sounds of 80s goth/postpunk, 'cept now I think they've figured out their own path and are set on creating their own unique sound. For one, the hardcore influence is stronger. It may not be totally obvious, but I definitely hear it on "Departure in particular" in the heightened energy level, the noisy guitar stabs and the busy drum fills. The mood and the melody still possess some of the austere quality of bands like Joy Division and The Cure, but the approach is so much more vigorous, more determined. If I was playing music now, this is the kind of stuff I'd want to do.
Cut City - Departure in particular
I don't keep up with black metal much anymore since the scene has become so large and fragmented. Of course I still follow the old heavies (Enslaved, Darkthrone, Satyricon, etc.), but there's so much new crap to wade through, I rarely bother. Every once in a while though I'll come across something, whether in print or from a personal recommendation, that will pique my interest and I'll check it out. So I don't know if it's this more reserved approach or a much-improved bullshit detector, but I'm finding that the few new BM acts I'm checking out tend to be above-average. Hence my latest example, October Falls from Finland. Their sound is a tad on the retro side -- I hear echoes of "Nightside eclipse"-era Emperor, a bit of early Ulver -- but it's also progressive in a way that brings to mind US artists such as Weakling and Wolves in the Throne Room. The Wolves comparison is especially apt actually, especially in the way they embrace environmental themes. After all, the album this track is from is entitled "The womb of primordial nature". Now I can't say if they're involved with eco-terrorism as has been insinuated about Wolves, but does it really matter? So much of BM's appeal is in the mystery behind the artists. Anyhow, it all comes down to the music in the end and October Falls makes beauitful, epic soundscapes that takes on qualities of shoegaze and drone, but always remains undeniably metal. Perhaps not melodic enough to win over non-metal converts like, say, Alcest, but very recommended for anyone interested in hearing that old mid-90s sound made fresh.
October Falls - IV
Are you kidding me? This has got to be one of the most guileless, gutless singles in recent memory. Is the UK really so enamoured with pop pap that this kind of pathetic blue-eyed soul can become hype? "I love my baby (but if anyone touches her I'll kill them)" aims squarely for the middle. It's the kind of music I can see appealing to boring, middle-aged ladies; the kind of people who swear off spicy food, wear puff-paint sweatshirts, hoard cats and stay far away from any sort of edge. Lite-rock predestined for the dentist office lobby, in other words. Seriously, I thought we were past the ironic yacht-rock thing already. I find it really hard to believe any young people actually, honestly think this is good. At least with Ruffa Lane labelmate and fellow Swede Montt Mardié, he only uses kitsch as a starting point, not a means to an end. Avoid!
Napoleon - I love my baby (but if anyone touches her I'll kill them)
Moto Boy- I think you're great, but that online concert earlier today? Not so hot. I mean, you looked and sounded good as far as I could tell, but the stream barely worked at all. I'm not sure if it's just a matter of your provider needing a better CDN or what, but I could only get video and audio in fits and starts. I'm not sure what kind of bitrate you were aiming for, but with a visitor list just under 200 (or so it said when I gave up), that's not good load balancing. I'm not all that surprised though -- aside from a few big media sites, I really haven't seen that many quality live flash streams. On-demand? Easy. But even though I don't work directly with streaming media these days as much as I used to, I know that doing live flash is much more problematic. So live and learn I guess.
On the other hand, your new music box? Beautifully done! Big ups to whoever came up with that because it made my wife very, very happy. I love that the piece is notated on the side of the box, too. It might not ever get as much day-to-day use as my Logh ice-scraper, but it will definitely receive a much more prominent display in my house.
Moto Boy - A room without you
Eh, forget about a typical Friday mp3 post - there's too much new music worth talking about. I've posted about Gbg indierockers Samtidigt Som numerous times already, but they have a new single out and of course it's great. It's also not much of a departure from their last one, but I'm okay with that as long as they keeping doing what they do and keep doing it well. There's such a powerful youthful exuberance to their music that I find irresistible. So loud, brash and so full of life -- this is where indie and punk reunite. The impact might not be as monumental as when "Känn ingen sorg..." was first released, but the feeling behind it is the same. I can only imagine how much fun they must be live.
Samtidigt Som - Vid min sida
Of all the various artists I've worked with through my netlabel, Pacta (nee Sunt Servanda) has been the sleeper. His "A trap it is" EP is a fantastic example of elegant ambient/experimental music and his more recent work continues solidly along the same path, whether or not you decide to pay attention. What I like best about it is that it's never noise for noise's sake -- there's always a faint melody or at least some sort of melodic component that gives the music weight and balance. And the ingredients are often simple, too, the layers don't go too deep as to overwhelm. "Sketch" from his latest 3" CD "Fragments" inherits the qualities of both titles: small bursts of sound are set upon the landscape and made to dance, flutter and spin. They overlap and swirl around, but never collide. Eventually a singsong tune emerges, but it's easy to miss if you don't follow as it gets passed from tone to tone, or from player to player in an orchestral sense. I can almost imagine it being performed on more traditional instruments actually - now that would be something to hear.
Pacta - Sketch
What did you expect? Puppy dogs and rainbows? The new Wolfbrigade picks up exactly where the old one left off: 100% pissed-off and still raging, some 15 years down the road. No need to reinvent yourself when you invented the damn style in the first place.
Wolfbrigade - Barren dreams
Many Regina tracks start out similarly methodical. They plod along without creating much of a wake until the last quarter of the piece when, all of a sudden, some new element will be introduced, the sky opens up and the angels will sing. Okay, it's not quite that triumphant, but it really is amazing that so many of their songs mire themselves in tedium before revealing themselves as gorgeous flowers in their final moments. On "Totuus minusta" it's that last minute that's most crucial -- once the backing vocals come in, I finally realize what they've been building up to. Up to that point I just don't get it and don't care. Your patience will be rewarded.
Regina - Totuus minusta
Orchestra Senza Testa is a huge change of pace for Jonas Rosén considering his early work with noise terrorists Asterisk* and The Female Anchor of Sade. The darkness remains, but the violence? All but gone. "L'elefante rosso" is the second track from his new album "Fabula", but you might as well start anywhere since each fragment is an equal piece of the whole. Strings and other organic elements come and go, though the crackle and buzz remain constant. Melodies exist, but they are transient. Like labelmates Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, the focus is on atmosphere and feeling and the music's ability to suck you in, to capture your full attention. While it would appear that this could work effectively as ambient background music, it can be deceiving in its allure and ability to startle. As with all of my favorite drone, this is uneasy listening.
Orchestra Senza Testa - L'elefante rosso
Question: Is the "Popular Searches" list at the bottom of the page self-perpetuating or does it realistically reflect current artist popularity? Do people click out of curiosity or are the results more organic? I'm really not sure. I know Moto Boy rose through the ranks the day his music box was announced. And Anna Ternheim's recent Grammy wins are good reason to be popular. But what about some of the others? WE? Haven't heard much from them in quite some time. But I am stoked to see Cortex in the list, though a bit confused. Are people as into the band as me? Or are they curious about Freddie Wadling's forthcoming solo joint? What's the deal? But while we're on the subject, I might as well brag that I finally scored a copy of their 1986 LP "You can't kill the boogeyman". It's some weird Euro pressing and the sleeve is not in perfect shape, but the vinyl is good and that's really all that matters. Oh, and it wasn't that expensive either - another bonus. Now I just need some charitable soul to sell me an affordable copy of "Spinal injuries" and I'll be set. Help me out people! In the meantime, here's a track from "You can't kill...". Perhaps not their strongest work, but still quite good.
Cortex - Shark boys die hard
10 years ago or so I would've been all about The Animation, nowadays not so much. I'm still down for post-"Bends" alt-rock with arena pretensions, but it's no longer the zeitgeist, so to hear new bands with such lofty pretenstions is sort of loaded. Back in the day I sought out all sorts of like-minded aspiring bands- it's how I got into Cave In (via "Jupiter", 'natch), Ben Christophers, Arid and many others. But now? Not so much.
Still, it's hard to fault The Animation for trying. I actually appreciate the fact that there's nothing "indie" about them, besides the fact that they have taken a DIY approach to putting out their own album, but I get the sense that's more out of necessity, not by choice. Songs like "Overboard" are defiantly huge; relics of another era. The vocals drift off into falsetto and bolstered by layers of harmony and a driving beat. Strings enter on the breakdown and carry us through to the climatic final chorus and outro. All very predictable. Yet, it's not without its charms. Catch me on a day when I'm not feeling old and cranky and I might actually cop to enjoying it.
The Animation - Overboard
This is one of those bands/albums I've been meaning to talk up for awhile, but it kept getting pushed back again and again for whatever reason, but no more I say! Now, as regular readers should be aware by now, I'm not usually a big fan of indiepop, but that's only because there aren't enough bands like Celestial to do it justice. Seriously, I don't care how twee you are, I just want a little oomph in my pop! Enlisting We Are Soldiers We Have Guns vocalist Malin Dahlberg doesn't hurt either. It's really not that difficult. Enough of the listlessness, give me something to care about.
Celestial - Crystal heights