The Ripple Effect

Hong Faux - The Crown That Wears The Head

2012-01-10T00:17:00.000-08:00

'You like Hong Faux don't you? Sure you do. Here's the stream of the whole album."

"Hong who? Never heard of 'em."

I figured I should give Hong Faux a chance, even though I didn't really want to. See, I played the video included in my email and I wasn't too impressed, but I learned long ago not to judge a band by the single that management, or whoever, decides to release. It's usually not the heaviest song on the album and it's almost always my least favorite.

Fast forward to today. After listening to the eight tracks from their debut, The Crown That Wears The Head, I can now say that yes, I do like Sweden's Hong Faux. I just think they should've released a different song to promote the 34-minute album.

Don't get me wrong, "Feign Death to Stay Alive" is a decent rock song, and the album title is included in the lyrics, but it's just not a heavy track and it pretty much disappointed me. It starts out with huge bass licks and I think I'm in for a treat, but a few seconds later I realize that I won't be bangin' my head or shakin' my ass at all. I think the vocals and chorus are the best parts of the song.

Enough about what I don't really care for. Let's get to the good stuff. Vocals are superb throughout the whole album and the production is top-notch. This is one tight, talented four-piece rock group that combines sweet melodies and soaring vocals with some heavy riffs. And they do it well. I think Hong Faux could easily be heard on radio stations across America if someone gave them a chance.

Upbeat and rockin', and without much prettiness, "Present Tense-Less", is a great start to the album and it's probably my favorite. It's a short, toe-tapping delight with a great guitar solo. And a cowbell. i've told you before that I'm a sucker for a cowbell.

A light melody on "Hit Hard Hit First" builds into a strong, powerful and memorable chorus, and ends with some grungy guitar riffs. "Bad City Blues" has some of the heaviest guitars and the best solo on the whole album and it's another choice track.

"Deathmatch" is another up-tempo, guitar-driven gem and "Pearlgarden" ebbs and flows with crushing riffs. Yeah, I'm glad I gave these guys a chance.

It's definitely not too heavy, and it's plainly not too light. Some rock music fans might say The Crown That Wears The Head is just right. It's not what I'd usually listen to, but I can't dismiss the talent.

You can buy the album at the group's Bandcamp page, where it's initially available exclusively on vinyl.

--Heddbuzz

http://hongfaux.com/
http://hongfaux.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hongfaux

UFO - Seven Deadly

2012-01-09T00:20:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has ever loved the sound of a crushing electric riff, a perfect melody, a rousing chorus, rough-hew, soulful vocals, or a guitar solo so freaking fast and dynamic that it makes your eyeballs water, needs no introduction to UFO. After more than 40 years in the business, these crazy Brits have earned their place in the honored halls of rock and roll, both for their music and their mad antics. So let's cut to the chase shall we.

UFO's last album, The Visitor was, without a doubt, the best UFO album since the band reformed with Vinnie Moore for You Are Here, which was the best UFO album since the short-lived Schenker reunion Walk On Water, which in turn was the best UFO album since the vastly under-rated Paul "Tonka" Chapman days. You want it shorter than that? The Visitor was one great rock and roll record, and it deserved to climb right up there near the top of UFO's vast cannon of great albums.

But you can't please everybody. I heard some people complaining that it didn't "sound" like a UFO record. Too bluesy. Not riffy and rocky enough. Whine, whine, whine.

Welcome to Seven Deadly.

As if in direct response to these "critics" (people who refuse to let a band grow in whichever direction they choose, but no, they MUST sound the way I want them to!), UFO come raging back with the latest installment in the Vinnie Moore-era UFO, and they sound positively pissed. Reinvigorated since the joining of Moore, UFO sound re-energized here, like they've somehow unlocked the code and opened the fricking rock-and-roll fountain of youth. Bustling with energy, punch, and verve. Ready to rock the shit outta you or kick your face in. You choose which.

There's still a now-familiar blues-y vibe to the album but there's also a string of pure, kick-to-the-balls rocking.

The jump in adrenaline is evident from the very first track. "Fright Night," kicks off with a straight-forward, simple-yet-mean, riff that cuts right through the mix, like the kinda riff UFO have explored so successfully in the past on songs like "Too Hot To Handle," or "Only You Can Rock Me." Think of this song following in the same vein, and from there I promise you, I will make no more references to UFO songs of the past. It's the easiest thing to do, refer back to some song on Lights Out or Obsession for reference, but the truth is, this album is so strong it should be the point of reference for future albums. Mogg's voice layers on top of the sounding more textured, more soulful, more plaintive than in recent memory. This is full-on charging UFO, crushing riffs held together tightly by an instantly catchy melody, all leading up to that chorus that will just lift you right outta your chair and in this case, thank God for salvation.

Moore's guitar work is dead on. Moore is a shredder in the best sense of the word, and most importantly, fully adept at melody. When he wants to bust out, he can wail into a jaw dropping solo, notes flying faster than spit flying from an auction barker's mouth. Then he can drop into a perfect acoustic passage, shoot off some harmonics or crush your cerebellum with the strength of his riffs. Moore's tone isn't so much reminiscent of Schenker as it is more indicative of the classic UFO sound, and yes, the band has been around long enough to declare that they have a sound all their own. God bless em.

UFO without Schenker was always a dicey affair (except for the previously mentioned Chapman years) because Mogg needs that guitar energy to set his songs ablaze. At the same time, Schenker showed us with his solo career that he needed Mogg's sense of craft and melody to create a memorable tune. It was that combative chemistry that always fueled the band's best work, and with Moore in place, Mogg seems once and for all to have found that perfect foil. Power and melody. Sizzling chops and structure. Perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect.

"Wonderland," spits out next with a fast-paced rocker in the "Lights Out" vein. Spirited and mean, this song absolutely chugs with passion, belying the boys advancing years. Moore comes up with a closed-fist attack of a riff, the band is tight as the glue holding Donald Trumps toupee in place, and Mogg proves once and for all that he's lost none of his fight or passion. Play this one live and it woulda fit comfortably on their classic Strangers in the Night. A future classic UFO song, one that our children will one day ask us if we remember it when it first came out. Then, lest you think the boys are blowing their wad too early, "Mojo Town," tears out on the back of a fierce and twisted blues riff. Mogg sounds great, reminding us once and for all that he's always been one of rock's most unheralded vocalists. Moore's tone is dead-on, and I'll tell you, the return of "no neck" Andy Parker on the drums seems to be the final ingredient necessary to drive these chaps over the top. The only ingredient missing was the presence of legendary bass player, Pete Way.

"Angel Station," follows next, in the absolutely classic UFO power-ballad vein, like "Out on the Streets." Delicately plucked strings start it off amongst a symphonic background, then the whole thing explodes into a melodic guitar ballad that could make a grown man cry. Paul Raymond's work, always the glue that held the band together, fills in here, leading the track into perfect hard rock territory. Melodic rock for the ages, by one of the bands to first create the genre. Power and beauty all wrapped up into one track.

"Year of the Gun," jumps right back into the Mississippi swamp, while "The Last Stone Rider," nails a down-and-dirty mutated, menacing blues number. Another standout track, Mogg sounds positively charged here. "Steal Yourself" is a ballsy blues-rock attack and a killer album cut, while "Burn Your House Down," rocks with a dark menace, smoldering under the intense melody. "The Fear" is another pure nitro distorted blues assault with some tasty harmonica licks and rollicking guitar.

And the album continues from there all the way to "Waving Good Bye," a gentle closer, the band mounting their horses and riding off into the sunset. Although I gotta say, I'm a bit disconcerted by Mogg's very final lyric line. His last line on the entire album. "I'm saying good bye, for the very last time." Let's hope that's not a not-so-hidden message for the future.

For all those naysayers out there who claim that UFO haven't unleashed a great album since Walk On Water, open your ears. Here's another brand new, fresh burst of classic UFO. Building upon their past, not revisiting it.

Misty green and blue forever.

--Racer

Abigail Williams - Becoming

2012-01-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

To preface: cool cover. I dug the Black Dahlia Murder's similar one for Ritual-- stained-glass Satanism.

If Down can be said to be "doom [metal] for dummies," then Abigail Williams are Black Metal for Dummies. Decibel magazine called them "grimness ready for mass consumption," (pretty much the same sentiment)-- the production is solid, not nearly as "cold," or off-puttingly trebly-equalized, as are traditional black metal acts, and there's actually some melody here.

You can hum this black metal.

Abigail Williams, like similar Satanic-ish brethren Nachtmystium and Death, have an almost completely different line-up with each release; from an ego-centric/artistic standpoint, this seems ideal-- you can musically turn on a dime, so to speak, anytime the mood strikes you. Not sure if someone's been watching Disney Channel or not (I love it, myself, very inspiring sometimes), but that might explain some... uh, memorable leanings here.

Track two, "Radiance" opens with a beautiful ambient/emo riff that's Darkthrone cut with a dusting of Selena Gomez (or whoever her writer is); "Elestial," at around around 3:00 slows down from its blast-beat assault and almost sounds like the dirge of some forgotten fallen angel lieutenant to Lucifer; "Infinite Fields of Mind" opens with wind and ocean sounds and acoustic guitar before becoming a fairly typical black metal blasty-beaty tune; "Beyond the Veil" (a nearly 18-minute behemoth) opens with a solo violin and proceeds to hit every ambient/black metal trope (though quite memorably); and closer "Three Days of Darkness" is an instrumental that sounds very like the intro to Stryper's "To Hell With the Devil" (irony!).

Overall, this seems like "transitional/ gateway" black metal-- like Fear Factory, it's got the imagery, and, for the most part, the adherence to the tropes of an extreme form of music, but only enough of them to "represent" the genre while simultaneously being as inviting as possible using melody and hooks. Who knows-- maybe this'll be what gets 2012's version of a 12-year-old Chronos into black metal?

What a strange concept: commercialized black metal. Granted, not tr00 or kvlt... but what if this market, arguably the absolute last market to be blood-sucked for commerical appeal-- was co-opted by Big Business?

After that, what's LEFT?

Remember the joke, "If Napalm Death got any heavier, they'd hit some sort of heaviness continuum and become Air Supply?"

I doubt [in my perhaps-"old-fogy"-ness] if you can get any "heavier" than black metal. No faster, not meaner in lyrical spirit, no more (sometimes) detuned....

So, then, musically-speaking, what musical artifacts are we leaving for future generations of angst-y teens to avoid/ abandon/ abjure?

I can't think of anything (sonically-speaking) that would even qualify as "music."

What, then? Will teenagers of the near future eschew music entirely, as something from the past-- like the Charleston was for your Grandparents?

That's a chilling thought.

I think Abigail Williams made an album much more horrifying than they intended--

however unintentionally.

But you're curious now... aren't you?

--Horn

We Have A Ghost - Debut Album

2012-01-08T00:57:00.000-08:00

Dear fellow music-lovers,

On some days, life offers us the chance to make a difference in the world. The chance to stand up for the forces of creative freedom. The chance to fight for the underdog, to support the truly gifted. The chance to throw away our ego, and become a part of something bigger than ourselves, kinda like Voltron. Well, waveriders, today is one of those days.

Before I began writing for this site, I contacted the staff to inform them that I thought they were a bunch of softies handing out favorable reviews to anyone with a guitar in his hand and a mic in his pocket. However, the good people of the Ripple Effect reminded me that they are here to support and discuss the good music, not to expose and ridicule the bad music, then they offered to let me write for them. Well, today I intend to take their philosophy one step further.

This is not a music review, this is a call to action. This is a request from me to you, that you find the spirit of giving within yourself and help a talented artist manifest his vision. To wit:

About 6 months ago, I happened upon a mysterious new musician who went by the name We Have A Ghost. There was very little information about him beyond his influences and a few artistic photographs which he had taken. But his music was spectacular. Live drums driving alongside gritty modular synth sequences and lush pads - delicately layered, patiently built-upon, happily mangled and distorted. His sound quickly became one of my favorite flavors of tea.

Well, We Have A Ghost's self-titled debut album (which you can preview below) was released in October, and now he's interested in offering a physical package. But this guy dreams big, and to help fund the project he has recently proposed a campaign on Kickstarter.com, a funding platform for artists, musicians, filmmakers, journalists, etc.

Perhaps We Have A Ghost can explain his idea best, so I've pulled these quotes from his Kickstarter page (http://kck.st/svr2f2):

"I am an anonymous multimedia artist. I choose anonymity because I want it to be about the music, the art, the experience. It forces me to create. I know there are many other emerging artists trying to survive doing what they love. I want to prove it is possible, DIY style, using readily available tools, wherever you are."

"Kickstarter is the next step for me. It provides you a risk-free opportunity to support the artists you believe in. Kickstarter is all or nothing. If enough people believe in this, it will exist. If I do not reach the minimum goal, you will not be charged, this will not exist, and it may haunt you."
"The goal is simple: create the most beautiful album packaging I can to compete with the most beautiful limited edition works in existence."

"My vision involves: Glow in the dark vinyl or a picture disk that glows in the dark. A limited edition hard bound book comprised of hand tinted black and white photos and hand-written lyrics. Housed in a custom box with embossed artwork that glows in the dark."
For more information, please see: http://kck.st/svr2f2

Confucius once said, "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." Well, if everyone reading this page were to contribute $2 to this campaign, We Have A Ghost would reach his mark with ease and start moving the mountain.

As a thank you to the fans, if the goal of $5,000 is reached by January 14th (when the campaign closes), We Have A Ghost has agreed to allow me to conduct a rare interview with him to discuss his concepts, inspirations, techniques, and plans for the future.

So, the choice is yours. You could have a hand in the creation of something beautiful and unique and good and fair and right in the world. With just a few small stones, you could help move a mountain. All you have to do is click the link featured up and down this post and donate whatever you can. Literally, every dollar helps. Let's go Voltron Force!

(For the purpose of ease and because of my inherent prejudice, I referred to We Have A Ghost as "he," but I do not know the gender of this person. He could very well be a she.)

We Have A Ghost Kickstarter Page: http://kck.st/svr2f2

Take a Listen to We Have A Ghost:

We Have A Ghost by We Have A Ghost

My First Album - Blink 182 - Enema of the State

2012-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

I remember my first time like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 1999 when it all went down. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut had just been released and I already celebrated my birthday a few weeks prior. This was about the same time I moved into a new city and started getting an allowance. After saving up three weeks allowance at $5 a week I had enough money to buy my very first CD, Enema of the State by Blink 182.

I was definitely the last of all my friends to buy the album, but I appreciated the album just as much. The infamous cover with the attractive blonde nurse pulling down her blue glove was an image every teenage male knew in 1999. Almost every guy I knew, including yours truly, had a crush on the model known simply as Janine. Years later I would learn her real name was Janine Marie Lindemulder, an ex-wife of Jesse James and an adult film actress, but I digress.

It was a warm, sunny June day when I walked to Target. Yes, I actually walked like a normal kid unlike some spoiled children today. The Target by my best friend’s house was known to have a relaxed purchase policy for CDs that contained a Parental Advisory sticker. Our walk took my friend Danny and I about 30 minutes.

Once we arrived I immediately went for the entertainment section and found the CD. It was $13.99 and I couldn’t have been happier. That day I learned a very important lesson, it’s all about confidence. As I brought my CD up to the twentysomething cashier in the garden section, she looked at me and said, “Late night, come home.” It took me a second before I replied, “Work sucks, I know” and she gave me a big smile. What were the chances the cashier would also be a Blink 182 fan and that she would quote “All the Small Things” to me?

Needless to say both Danny and I enjoyed rocking out to Blink 182 that afternoon. Green Day may have been the first band I fell in love with, but Enema of the State was the first album I personally bought with my own money. I managed to smuggle the album back home and played it several times before I lost it. Years later, I found my copy, now extremely scratched up, but I still cherished it just as much when I first bought the album. Enema of the State will always bring me great memories. When Blink 182 released their eponymous album in 2003, my interest in the band had passed long before their hiatus in 2005. However, at the time I always regretted not being able to see them live.

During my senior year of high school I was listening to a rock radio station when the DJ said, “Here’s an oldie, but a goodie…Blink 182’s ‘All The Small Things.’” I couldn’t believe it. Did a modern day rock DJ really say that about a song that’s only eight years old? Still, I sang along for 2:48 minutes and couldn’t have been happier. My joy for Blink 182 resurfaced and I became an even bigger fan in college thanks to my friend Billy, who is arguably the biggest Blink 182 fan I know (Sorry, Malcolm).

When Blink 182 reunited and I saw them on tour for the first time in 2009, I told people it was for pure nostalgia. I lied. By that time I was beyond stoked and my passion for the band had been reignited. I have now seen the band several times and can’t wait to see them again. There are certain bands, no matter how old I get, I will always have a place for them in my life and Blink 182 is one of them. Their music still holds up.

Now every time I listen to Enema of the State, the album still sounds fresh to me. It’s one of those albums that defined my youth and taste in music. Right now the song “What’s My Age Again?” really resonates with me, maybe it’s because I’m 23, but I believe it’s just an awesome song about growing up. Even songs like “Adam’s Song,” “The Party Song,” “Anthem,” and of course, “All The Small Things” all hold up. Sure maybe not all of you are “feeling this” pick, but to me it’s “obvious” and will always be a band that keeps me “up all night.”

--Brownstone

My First Album - Mason Williams - The Mason Williams Phonograph Record

2012-01-07T00:28:00.000-08:00

I was incorrigible when I was eleven years old. It was 1968 and we had just moved to Los Angeles from Hazlet, New Jersey a year earlier. I knew no one in Los Angeles and I was angry and defiant that I had been up-rooted from school, friends and relatives to move 3,000 miles to a place where I was only slightly familiar with a second cousin I met on a two week car trip cross-country in the rear seat of a 1962 Oldsmobile 88.

In 1968 my parents bought their first California home. It was on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island in San Pedro, California. My brother and I were placed in two

bedrooms of the three downstairs bedrooms, while my parents’ room, the front door entrance, garage and living areas were all upstairs even with the street. The downstairs bathroom had a door to the rear patio and stairs led up the side of the house to the street out of the gaze and view of my parents..

Within a week of moving in I stole a County roadwork sawhorse, complete with blinking light, and put it in my room. Shortly thereafter I met a welder when I was at an outdoor art show with my parents on La Cienega Blvd He later became rather famous for his kinetic energy sculptures and ball-rollers. He had four stop signs he had stolen from some street corner or other and had cut into them individual letters “L-O-V-E” chained together by iron links. I asked him for it and he gave it to me - I swear. It adorned the wall opposite the caution yellow psychedelic strobe lit sawhorse.

Still, two walls, one with a sliding door closet and entry door, and a wall that connected at a right angle that ran the length of the room to the window, remained barren.. They needed decoration.

Back in 1968 one of the biggest top 40 L.A. AM radio stations was 93 KHJ. While I was resting in the reverse backseat of a teammate’s parents’1966 Dodge Coronet station wagon between games of a little league double header, "Classical Gas", by Mason Williams, played on the radio. I remember I thought it was kind of “boss.” I had just started guitar lessons and I remember thinking "Classical Gas" was a really nicely produced acoustic guitar piece.

D.J. Charlie Tuna came on after the song and mentioned that the song was off of Mason Williams’ release The Mason Williams Phonograph Record and that the album included a life-sized poster of a Greyhound Bus.

Soon my father had a need to go to the White Front store off Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, CA. I tagged along and brought my $5.98 in allowance earned over four months just in case White Front had The Mason Williams Phonograph Record. I searched the bins and there it was with Williams on the cover smack dab in the middle of the Greyhound poster that was promised to be included inside. I bought it.

My father approved, at first. He had heard "Classical Gas" and was taking guitar lessons with me. However, as we drove away, I opened the album to see the prized poster.

It was life-sized alright. As my father drove I unfolded fold after fold until my father screamed at me because he could no longer see out the passenger window, half the windshield, the right backseat window, and half the rear window. I quickly and carefully crumpled the poster together so he could see. When we got home I opened the passenger door and it and I poured out. I grabbed the album and the poster as best as I could and made my way inside and downstairs to my bedroom.

The endeavor took a massive amount of scotch tape. I was chastised, derided and finally grounded by my parents for the unauthorized use of Elmer’s Glue. Yet after a three day suspension the life-sized Greyhound bus remained and adorned two walls in my bedroom as a backdrop for a yellow psychedelic sawhorse and a four way stop love sign.

As for the album, "Classical Gas" it is, well, classic. Some of it is really funny novelty such as Prince’s Panties about a Prince who named his dogs Panties because that is what they do. Unfortunately they attack him and he is eaten by his Panties. By and large, though, I bought the album for the right reasons as most of the music is really rather average. The bus remained on my wall until 1971 when I bought my first album from money I earned working at an actual summer job - Machine Head by Deep Purple.

- Old School

My First Album - Def Leppard - Pyromania

2012-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

In the early 80’s, as well as most of the 70’s, I was a sheltered child.

I discovered rock n’ roll through a neighborhood buddy whipping out his older sister’s Kiss collection and being stunned by the images of spacemen and demons, and the sounds that subsequently rattled around my brain. They were so savage! So aggressive! So filled with testosterone that my five or six year old self could hardly contain himself.

As soon as my Mom caught wind that I was listening to the devil’s music, well . . . that was enough of that! I was already enrolled in a strict Christian school that abhorred music and dancing, and really, I believe the characters from Footloose were based on my upbringing.

Fast forward to 1983-ish, and I’m around 11 or 12 years old and I’ve made friends with an older school chum who reveled in the music of the Beatles, The Police, Devo and who turned me on to Mtv. That was really the last day of any semblance of innocence that I had. There was Michael Jackson dancing with zombies, Prince struttin’ his stuff and singing about a little red Corvette, Van Halen figuring that it was just better to jump. Wow! What was this new, colorful, exotic and sometimes erotic channel filled with music?!? And then my world collapsed into light . . . and I saw for the very first time . . . a hooded figure speaking some gibberish before the explosive concussion of drums rattled my little television set on its stand. Def Leppard. “Rock of Ages”.

I had to have that album! So . . . I scraped up enough money to send a friend on what I considered a suicide mission. A girl from up the street mentioned that she was going to the record store, so I gave here my hard salvaged cash, probably about $10 . . . enough for the cassette tape and some left over for risking life and limb to get me my contraband. I paced up and down the hallway, every third circuit I’d peek out the window to see if the friends’ family car was back in the driveway. Pure torture, but I knew . . . I knew that the glorious sounds of this wee British band were soon to be mine . . . ALL MINE!!!

And once said friend arrived with said cassette tape, I didn’t simply tear the shrink-wrap off of the case. I basked in the glow of the damn thing and gingerly peeled the cellophane from the cases exterior. I relished every second of that moment . . . my first album that I purchased with my own hard, er . . . well, I didn’t really earn the cash so much as I found coins littered here and there around my house. I pulled the cassette from the case, removed the J-card to review the liner notes, and insert the cassette into a portable tape player that my Mom used for recording lectures.

I can’t remember the details of the next eight hours, but suffice it to say, I listened to a lot of Def Leppard. Loved “Foolin’”, “Rock of Ages”, “Rock Rock (‘til You Drop)” and “Too Late For Love”, songs that would soon be staples of my pre-teen day to day . . . always hated “Photograph” (song just bugged me then as much as it does now). And, though now, I can’t listen to that Pyromania without wanting to retch, it was important on so many levels. It introduced me to Def Leppard, which if you started with the band during the Adrenalize or Hysteria era’s, I pity you. Pyromania led to High and Dry, and then that led to other like music such as Motley Crue, Ratt, Dokken, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot . . . you know, all the music that’s reviled today. But then that led to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Motorhead, Queensryche, and more . . . which then led to the Big 4 (kinda freaky to think it was only 2 years from Def Leppard to Big 4), then the underground, then back above ground, and ultimately to The Ripple Effect and Ripple Music.

Youthful rebellion led me to follow the rock n’ roll path and one that I constantly find fascinating today. This musical journey of discovery isn’t simply moving forward. It’s kinda’ like time traveling a little, stumbling on a cool piece of music history from my childhood or before, and no matter when I discover it or from what year it came, it’s always fresh and new!

The lone regret I have is that I don’t have the original copy of Pyromania that I fretted over so much on that one day so long, long ago . . . coz’ man, that would be cool to see again. Kinda’ like seeing an old friend again.

- --Pope JTE

My First Album - Weird Al Yankovic - In 3-D

2012-01-06T00:47:00.000-08:00

First record I ever owned, I'm pretty sure; ca. 1984. First concert I ever went to. First piece of media I wore out (can’t do that now. Goddamn digital media.).

Every track is still great; the originals the best: “Midnight Star” (tabloids), “Theme from Rocky XIII” (27 years later, we’re halfway there, Al!), and especially “Nature Trail to Hell.” Dig the first verse:

Coming this Christmas to a theatre near you
The most horrifying film to hit the screen
There’s a homicidal maniac who finds a cub-scout troop
and he hacks up two or three in every scene

That still cracks me up. What’s more: there’s actual Judas Priest/ Slayer/ black metal backwards masking involving Satan on the track! See below....

The Satan angle sorta makes sense: it’s been 30 years since Al’s first album, and he apparently has not aged at all. Or not in any way, shape or form.

Weird Al is Of The Devil. Could he be any cooler? I submit to you that he cannot.

--Horn

My First Album - The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You

2012-01-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

If I’m completely honest the actual accuracy of which album was the first I ever bought with my own money is pretty hazy…we’re talking 30 odd years here!!! It could well be something by the Police or maybe even Adam And The Ants. I can say with absolute conviction though that I definitely did buy Tattoo You by the Rolling Stones with my own dosh. I can even remember the sticker on the front that said £3.50. You try buying a brand new vinyl album for £3.50 nowadays…I tell you it can’t be done!!!

Let me just give you a little background as to why I chose this album to buy in my tender years (I would have been 11, maybe 12 when I got it). All credit must go to my dear old dad. You see, my dad has been a huge influence on my listening habits. As a child the house was full of music. In the early 70’s Sunday mornings would play host to my dad’s record collection and I remember a lot of old soul and funky stuff being played. In the car we would have some prime original ska like Prince Buster or the Skatalites that I would request on every journey. My dad, however, always had two abiding passions; the blues and The Rolling Stones and had done since he was a teenager. Even now in his 60’s if a new Stones album comes out he’s right there and he’s out most weeks to check out whichever obscure blues artist is passing through town. For a man known as the “white sheep of the family” by his wayward brothers due to his outward respectability he sure has a black man’s music taste!!!

So as a kid I was exposed to some of the best music ever created and when I entered the record department that day (it would have been Woolworths or W.H Smith) and saw a Rolling Stones album I suddenly had access myself to this treasure chest of awesomeness…plus I knew my dad would be proud as hell!!! I was immediately struck by the cover…Jagger on the front and Keef on the back both covered in tribal artwork. My young mind couldn’t grasp that they hadn’t actually had their faces tattooed for the cover, my knowledge of graphic design would come later. Either way this looked like a badass album!!! At this point I wasn’t aware that bands may have purple patches and wasn’t aware that the previous album was, by all accounts a sack of shit!!! Nor was I aware that “Tattoo You” was a bit of a stop gap album cobbled together from various unreleased bits and bobs dating back nearly 10 years at that point. All I was aware of was that it rocked and was righteous!!!

The album kicked off with “Start Me Up”. Come on people, you have to admit this is one the all time classic Stones riffs!!! As soon as it kicks in the spine starts to tingle and those erogenous zones go all a quiver!! Even as a young boy I knew that when Jagger sings “you’d make a dead man cum”…it had to be some pretty hot shit he was singing about…I didn’t even know what it meant but to make a dead guy do anything is pretty incredible right? “Hang Fire”, “Little T & A” and “Neighbours” all rocked hard and fast. “Slave” was a down and dirty funky fuck of a song and “Black Limousine” brought the blues. Flip this sucker over and the Stones give us their mellow side. Now we already knew from tracks like “Angie”, “Fool To Cry” and “Wild Horses” that they could tug at the heart strings like no-one else and they proved that here. “Waiting On A Friend” even proved to be a big hit with Jagger and Richards making out like they’re best buds in the video!!!

It doesn’t matter whether this album is rated as one of the Stones best albums or not…maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. In the cold light of day it sure as hell ain’t no “Exile On Mainstream” but it was my first and like your first fuck it stays memorable and special. In fact I may go and put it on now and get my groove on to that riff…you know…”Start Me Up”!!!

--Ollie

My First Album - Frank Zappa/Captain Beefheart - Bongo Fury

2012-01-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

Who the hell gives a 7 year old a Frank Zappa record for Christmas?

My oldest brother Joe did. On Christmas morning in 1974 a copy of Zappa's latest album Apostrophe (') was under the tree for me. Joe and I used to love to listen to Dr. Demento on the radio and he heard "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" once and figured I would love all the poo poo jokes. I did. But I also loved the music. So about a year or so later when I found out that Frank Zappa was coming out with a new album I took the few dollars I hadn't spent on candy and went to the record store in the New Rochelle mall (can't remember the name of the place, but it wasn't a chain store). Ever since I was old enough to crawl I loved looking at album covers and my mother would drop me off at the record store so she could shop in peace for an hour or so. This time it was different. I wasn't going to just look, I was going to walk out of the store with something. (A few years later I got in A LOT of trouble for walking out of a store with a bunch of records I didn't pay for, but that's another story). It turned out to be Bongo Fury, a pretty insane album by most people's standards but one that made perfect sense to my 8 year old brain. The hippie at the record store counter (reeking of weeed, no doubt) seemed amused by my choice and was very patient as I pulled out my crumpled singles and loose change to pay for it.

My mother was already very annoyed that I loved to play Apostrophe (') all the time so she wasn't too thrilled to see another album by that Zappa creep entering the house. She also REALLY hated the fact that the band was called The Mothers. She thought the name was dirty as well as disrespectful to the institution of motherhood. And who was this jerk Captain Beefheart that was getting equal billing? She was convinced there was something horrible about the front cover photo of Zappa and Beefheart sitting at a table with an ice cream cone and a soda. In her mind, they had to have been high on drugs. I really didn't know what to make of the cover. It was just 2 guys sitting there. Zappa's looking into the camera and seems pissed off and you can't really see Beefheart under his hat. I was just excited that on the back cover it said that some of it was recorded live at a concert in Austin, Texas at a place called the Armadillo World Headquarters. I'd never been to Texas and thought it was cool that they played at some place that sounded like it was a zoo.

When I finally got a chance to listen to the album I realized right away I probably shouldn't play it too loud. I didn't understand the lyrics to "Debra Kadabra" or "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy" at all but got a pretty good understanding that my mom would not find any of it amusing at all. The word "bitch" shows up about 30 seconds into the first song. I couldn't believe that someone could say that and not get in trouble. I loved it! The music really flipped my lid. "Debra Kadabra" opens up with a killer guitar riff from Zappa and big drum hits from Terry Bozzio but the whole thing gets weird pretty quick. Especially when Beefheart starts singing. It sounded to me like he was hurting himself as he barked out the lyrics. Being 8 years old with an extremely short attention span I loved how quickly the music changed and kept changing. Who wants to hear someone moan "like a rhinestone cowboy" over and over. I got the point! You're a rhinestone cowboy. Now what? Zappa, Beefheart and the Mothers were my new heroes. It wasn't until "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy" that I was able to comprehend any of the lyrics when Zappa sang the line "she put a Doobie Brothers tape on, I had a Roger Daltrey cape on." To this day, those words make me crack up. It took many years until I had any idea what this song was about. Even now, I'm not so sure.

I used to really enjoy listening to Beefheart's two featured songs "Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top" and "Man With The Woman Head." They were so weird! Kiss would never let some guy with a deep voice scream "I wish I had a pair of bongos" on their live album. But my favorite song on the album has always been "Advance Romance." Clocking in at 11 minutes I thought it was the coolest thing ever. The lyrics seemed to be full of inside jokes and the guys in the band seemed to be trying to make each other laugh. They sounded like they were having so much fun! But I also really loved the music. It was probably the first time I had ever heard slide guitar and it really excited me. Denny Walley's solo is really raunchy and helped point me in the direction of the blues music that I was soon to fall in love with. Zappa's guitar solo that follows is insanely inventive. To my friends it just sounded like a bunch of noise but it made perfect sense to me.

The rest of the album was a little easier to share with the other kids. Songs like "Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead," "Cucamonga," "200 Years Old" and, of course, "Muffin Man" were much easier for them to get a handle on. I'll never forget bringing the album to school once for show and tell. The teacher thought "Muffin Man" was the kids song but yanked it off the turntable almost immediately. As much as I wanted to share it with the rest of the class, her reaction was much better than I ever could have hoped for.

This album really helped point me in all the directions that I continue to refine to this very day - wild music, dirty lyrics, pissing people off, being weird and so on. Thanks Joe!

--Woody

The First Album I Ever Bought - Green Day; Dookie by Penfold

2012-01-04T00:08:00.000-08:00

Admittedly a good chunk of time has elapsed since I made my first music purchase. It was the spring of 1994. I was still years away from obtaining my driver’s license, and perhaps more importantly my music fandom was still in its infancy. Don’t get me wrong waveriders. I’ve always loved music, but during that time period I had other things on my plate that sucked up much more of my free time; namely school and computer games. However, the February release of Green Day’s Dookie apparently caused a shift in my priorities. I used the word apparently because to be totally honest, I’m not sure what motivated me to actually make this purchase. I don’t remember having any friends at the time who owned the album (no peer pressure), and I don’t believe I was listening to a lot of alternative music on the radio yet (still stuck on the parent-approved oldies). Maybe it was fate? We’ll never know.

Long story short, I managed to persuade my father to drive me down to the local Wallmart. I seem to recall that it was a nice, sunny day outside. When we arrived at the store, he accompanied me inside to the electronics department. I picked out the cassette (for those that don’t know a cassette is a tape based medium that once upon a time was the most technologically advanced form of music storage), took it to the cashier, and paid out a chunk of my hard-earned allowance monies. The album was officially mine. Yes!!! It was time to return home, and this is where the story gets good.

Skip ahead to when my father and I are back in the car. Hastily, I’ve torn away the plastic wrap encapsulating the cassette. Wanting a closer look at the captivating album art I’ve removed the liner notes (on reflection I’m not sure if ‘liner notes’ is the proper term since we’re talking about cassettes, but it’s all I’ve got right now). Yep. Intricately drawn cover art with tons of characters running around. Nice. On an inner page is a photo of Ernie from Sesame Street crowd surfing. Very Nice! But wait…what’s that on the other side? It appeared to be song lyrics. I began to read them, and that was when the trouble started. Golly gee I thought. There sure are a lot of cuss words in those lyrics. Not only that, but there were also drug references and depictions of violence. ‘This could be problematic’ said a tinny little voice inside my naïve mind. Also, I can’t be sure, but I wouldn’t doubt that most of the color had quickly drained from my face. What had I just bought? Moments later, the worst possible scenario unfolded…

“Hey son, why don’t we listen to that new music of yours?”

Oh no!?!? Must think quickly, must think quickly! If my dad heard any of this music he would have turned the car around, drove straight back to the store, and forced me to return my new tape. That wasn’t going to happen, but what could I say? I’ve always been honest to a fault, so there was no way I could spin a convincing yarn my father would buy. What if I just stretched the truth a little bit?

“That’s okay Dad. I’d rather wait until we get home to listen to my new tape.”

That’s right…home. Where a pair of headphones would ensure I was the only person hearing this new music. And guess what? My ploy worked! Quick thinking had saved the day. But that’s not all that happened. There was something else. Something important in my personal evolution. At that moment, a storyteller was born.

Now let’s get down to business. Story time is fine and dandy, but all of you waveriders out there are really here to find out about new and exciting music. With that in mind, I’ll get to the matter at hand. You probably haven’t heard about them, but there is an energetic trio of musicians operating out of Berkeley, California. They go by the name Green Day and I have a feeling based on their first major label album, Dookie, that these guys might have a future in this business. Just a feeling mind you. I could be wrong, but let me explain myself.

Waveriders, I like punk rock. Yes I do, and I’m not afraid to say it. I know that there hasn’t been a really popular punk band on the radio or MTV in the past few years, but I believe that the time is right for some quality act to revive interest in punk rock with the youth today. Grunge is good, but there has to be something else out there to add a little variety to the current musical landscape of the 1990s. Maybe not a pure punk rock band that sounds like a carbon copy of originators like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, etc., but a band that builds upon punk’s solid foundation and adds a wrinkle or two. Perhaps this band could hold onto a lot of the punk snarl but add more pop sensibilities to the mix. Well folks, that band has arrived. That band is Green Day.

Dookie is a fourteen song monster of an album! Seriously, it’s frightening! It may be the single most infectious collection of music that anyone will hear this entire calendar year. The first single off the album, “Longview”, is already a massive hit. And why shouldn’t it be? You’ve got Mike Dirnt’s extremely memorable bass line and Billie Joe Armstrong’s edgy lyrics coupled with massive choruses boasting ultra-crunchy guitar and explosive drums. Actually based on the ridiculous strength of all the songs available, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find this album still charting in 1995 or beyond.

It’s anybody’s guess what the next single will be, but my money is on “Welcome To Paradise”. This song is all about power. It’s in your face immediately with muscular guitar riffs, but what really floors me is the out of control locomotive drumming. One second everything seems normal and the next Tre Cool seems to have grown another couple of appendages for use on lightning quick drum fills. Awesome! Another strong contender for the next single has to be “Basket Case”. The hook on this song is so fantastic I guarantee you won’t be able to get it out of your head for weeks on end. Pop-punk indeed! Lastly, if the powers that be at Reprise Records really want to reel in every young person possible, they will release the song “When I Come Around”. Trust me Reprise Records. This is a modern day alternative anthem waiting to happen!

Waveriders, punk rock may have taken a break from the limelight in the dark days of the late eighties/early nineties, but rest assured that it’s back thanks to Green Day. No it’s not your parents’ punk rock. Green Day is a little poppier, a little more refined, but still bursting at the seams with aggression and attitude to spare. The musical landscape is about to change. Pick up a copy of Dookie and be a part of the revolution!

--Penfold

My First Album - Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil

2012-01-03T00:38:00.000-08:00

Ah, the first album I ever bought with my own money. To be completely honest, I haven't a clue.

You see, I had an older brother who was well into bands like Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and a whole harem of Metal Bands. He always seemed to have a new cassette of some new rock band, which I later learned was always supplied by his knack for getting "Five Fingered Discounts." But this was my introduction into Metal, and I was influenced good and proper by my older brother.

Although, I had free access to everything that rocked under the sun and can't remember the first album I ever bought with my own dough, I remember the first album that changed me forever from a rebellious kid with a knack for getting into trouble into a monstrous rebellious kid always getting into trouble.

That album was Motley Crue's Shout At the Devil. I remember seeing the cassette cover on my brother's night stand and was like, "Whoa! What the hell are these guys about?" To be honest, I couldn't tell if they were really ugly chicks or some crazed, psycho's.

The title of the album alone was too intriguing to pass up. I had to hear what these guys were about, so I lifted the cassette off my brother's night stand, popped it into my shitty tape recorder and played the sucker.

What came out was heavy, snarling, and quite delicious to my ears. I fucking loved it. Back then, Motley's sound was considered "Heavy Metal" and they were heavy. Now, they're considered "Hard Rock." Whatever.

It didn't matter. Motley was the band that converted me full on to the sounds of Hard Rock and Metal.

Now, I do remember the first album I owned. I'm not sure if I bought it or how I got it, but I do know it was the first album I considered my own. That album was unfortunately Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet.

What the fuck? Yes, I still slap my forehead on that one, but I didn't have that cassette for too long. I remember some chick in 5th grade talking about wanting Bon Jovi's album, and I told her I had it. She said she would trade it for Beastie Boy's Licensed to Ill, and you bet your ass it was the best trade I ever made in 5th grade.

--Boogs

My First Album - Judas Priest: Sin After Sin

2012-01-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

The heaviness pretty much all started for me when I was a young teen, with the earliest Judas Priest that came out in the mid to late 70's. Now that I think about it, they could be one of the reasons why I don't put a lot of focus on vocals in some of my music these days. Since I grew up listening to everything Rob Halford, nearly every other singer pales in comparison anyway.

I was...let's say, 'under the influence', when I heard a friend play "Victim of Changes", from their second album, Sad Wings of Destiny. I couldn't find that one at the store, so the first cassette I can remember buying was their third, Sin After Sin. Released in 1977, it was produced by Roger Glover of Deep Purple, and it's one of my favorite Judas Priest recordings. I can't tell you how many copies I went through before the digital age began.

Halford's incredible piercing screams abound in "Dissident Aggressor", which I think is the album's most pummeling track. I hadn't heard anything like it at the time and the Tipton-Downing dynamic guitar duo blew me away. I was hooked from then on.

After listening to Sin After Sin again for the first time in a while, and analyzing more deeply, I remember it was about the time when some music started affecting me on a deep emotional level, too. Tossed between divorced parents and feeling abandoned, I often turned to music for comfort and release. I recall that I could really relate to the lyrics in the "Here Come The Tears". All alone. No one cares. Won't somebody love me? I never knew music could be so powerfully touching. Wow...it's all coming back to me. I needa minute, here they come.

Okay, I'm back. So If you haven't heard this album in a while, it's time to revisit your old friend. If you've never heard it and you don't have it, then you should be ashamed of yourself. There's nothing like early Judas Priest and Sin After Sin. Nothing.

--Heddbuzz

My First Album - Kiss - Destroyer

2012-01-02T00:52:00.000-08:00

Something new for the new year. We decided to start the first week of the year by asking our Ripple scribes to tell the story of the first album they ever bought with their own money.

So without further ado:

We shouldn't of been there.

Each passing second I was sure we were gonna get caught.

Maybe that's why we did it so often.

The "city" of Walnut Creek was only about 7 miles away from the small ranch town where we lived, but when you're 12 years old, it may have been in another state. To get there, Brian and I had to take the County bus, which took a "forever" amount of time for an impatient kid. But it was worth the trip. At the end of the line was Gemco, one of the first Club stores. We didn't have membership
cards, but sneaking in for a 12 year old was a snap; just walk in closely behind a group of adults and no one ever bothered to ask us for our cards.

Why we went to Gemco so often, I'll never remember. But we did. Maybe it was the thrill of the sneak. Maybe they had good hot dogs. I don't know. All I know is albums were $3.98 there and that's where I bought my first one. I had a pocket full of money that I'd managed to save from my paper route and hadn't blown in a fever on comic books and candy. I hadn't gone there to buy a record, I probably was there to raid their comic stand, but . . . there it was. Four grotesquely fascinating figures. Super heroes, really, rising to the peak of a mountain, a world in flames around them. I'd heard of the band before, from my best friend's older brother who knew all the cool bands, but I'd never heard them. Never heard their music. But there it was. After one look at that cover, I had to have it.

The year was 1976 and Kiss Destroyer was mine.

I remember the bus ride home. The album freed from the bags, grasped in my sweaty hands. I didn't know who Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace were, but I was fascinated. They were like superheroes from my comics books coming to life. I'd heard one of them breathed fire. I'd heard one made his guitar explode. I'd heard one could levitate a drum set. I stared at the cover and imagined the endless possibilities of what awaited me. Arriving at Brian's house, we dashed to his room, ripped his Elton John lp off the quadraphonic stereo (all he ever listened to), dropped on Kiss and waited. Adrenaline shot through my body in anticipation. I felt devious, almost subversive. Surely, what I was about to hear would change my life, and corrupt me, and take me to the threshold of entry into adulthood. Like an initiation ceremony. A rite of passage. My manhood stood before me. I waited.

The long intro to "Detroit Rock City" came through the stereo and I had no idea what was going on. My record listening experience until then was Neil Diamond, Cat Stevens, and Simon and Garfunkel. What was this car starting? Radio changing? Then . . .the riff came, that glorious rumbling intro, and Peter was pounding and Gene was thumping and Paul was singing and Ace was soaring. "You gotta lose your mind in Detroit, Rock City!"

And I did. That little 12 year old lost his mind. Corrupted and somehow altered.

I've purchased literally thousands of albums since then and tens of thousands of CD's, but like your first car, you'll always remember your first album.

So how does that album sound today. How does it hold up after all these years?

It's Kiss. It's Destroyer.

You gotta lose your mind, in Detroit Rock City.

--Racer

Ripple Top Albums of 2011

2011-12-29T00:17:00.000-08:00

As the year draws to an end, as we're naturally prone to do, it's time to come up with our views on the albums that left the greatest impressions on our psyches. And just like last year, we're thrilled to be joining an ever-growing, impressive collection of like-minded music writers, who've all banded together to share their thoughts.

At the end of this post, please check out the links to these other great sites and see their thoughts. Argue with us, agree with us, it's all intended to stimulate conversation.

As for our list . . . well, it's a bit different this year. First of all, we cover more than metal at the Ripple Effect, so only creating a Top 10 List of our favorite Heavy Albums seemed a bit too limiting. Also, with our ever-expanding roster of writers, all with different tastes, well, let's just say we're a bit eclectic. It should also be noted that not every writer hears every album, so while I (Racer) may have loved Rival Sons or Dixie Witch, I simply haven't heard them. Finally, while several Ripple writers were thrilled with Ripple Music releases, both Pope and Racer felt that it wouldn't be right to place our own label's releases on our lists (even though they should be there!)

With all that said, below we hope you'll find an eclectic collection of what passed through the Ripple this year and what we just couldn't forget.

Racer:

SuperGiant - Pistol Star
Gideon Smith and the Dixie Damned - 30 Weight
Roadsaw - S/T
Ape Machine - War to Head
Kamchatka - Bury Your Roots
The Bloody Hollies - Yours until the Bitter End
Rick Barton and the Shadow Blasters - An American Rock Song
Gangstagrass (featuring Tone-Z) - Lightning on the Strings, Thunder on the Mic
The 1-10's - Fighting for a Golden Age

Pope:

Year of the Goat – Lucem Ferre
SuperGiant – Pistol Star
Opeth – Harvest
Dornenreich – Flammentriebe
Elemental Zazen – Nothing to Lose But Change
Voivod – Warriors of Ice
Forgotten Tomb – Under Saturn Retrograde
Onslaught – Sounds of Violence
Horned Almighty – Necro Spirituals
Forest of Stars – Restless In Flight

Ollie:

Grifter – s/t
Roadsaw – s/t
Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare
Rival Sons – Pressure And Time
The Jim Jones Revue – Burning Your House Down
Sigiriya – Return To Earth
Heavy Glow – Midnight Moan
Samsara Blues Experiment – Revelation and Mystery
Gideon Smith and the Dixie damned – 30 Weight
Dixie Witch – Let It Roll

Woody:

Gentleman's Pistols - At Her Majesty's Pleasure
Motorhead - The World Is Yours
Yob - Atma
Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Grifter - Grifter
Backwoods Payback – Momantha
Dixie Witch - Let It Roll
Pentagram – Last Rites
Loafass - Smoke & Mirrors
Groan – The Sleeping Wizard

Favorite reissues -

Miles Davis - Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1
Twisted Sister - Live At The Marquee 1983
Bossa Nova & The Rise of Brazilian Music in the 1960s
Alice Cooper - Old School box set
Deep Purple - Come Taste the Band
Iggy & the Stooges "Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans"

Heddbuzz:

1. YOB - Atma
2. Karma To Burn - V
3. Elder - Dead Roots Stirring
4. Borracho - Splitting Sky
5. Catapult the Smoke - Born In Fire
6. Witch Mountain - South Of Salem
7. Ogressa - Warts And All
8. The Heavy Eyes - The Heavy Eyes
9. Lo Pan - Salvador
10. Freedom Hawk - Holding On

Penfold:
Top Ten For 2011 In Alphabetical Order

2 Ton Bug - Wedding Of The Century
Beehoover - Concrete Catalyst
Conny Ochs - Raw Love Songs
Einvera - In Your Image
Jim Wilson - Jim Wilson
MC Frontalot - Solved
Mr J Medeiros - Saudade
Pharoahe Monch - W.A.R.
Rhode Island - Light The Windows In These Places Let Through
The Meads Of Asphodel - The Murder Of Jesus The Jew

Honorable Mentions
Random - Check out anything he put out in 2011, it's all good!
K-Murdock - Several high quality projects including 'The Ronin'

Reissue Crushing Most Of My New Albums
Mos Generator - Mos Generator Deluxe Edition

Horn:

1. Brutal Truth - End Time
2. Revocation - Chaos of Forms
3. Fuck the Facts, Die Miserable
4. Lock Up - Necropolis Transparent
5. Northless - Clandestine Abuse
6. Yob - Atma
7. Acephalix - Interminable Night
8. Anaal Nathrakh - Passion
9. Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1
10. Atlas Moth - An Ache for the Distance

Odin:

The Gates of Slumber – The Wretch
Atriarch – Forever The End
Bell Witch – 2011 Demo
The Big Wheel Stunt Show – Cheetah Milque
Curse Of The North – Revelations
Rich Robinson – Through A Crooked Sun
Hammers Of Misfortune – 17th Street
Electric Wizard – Black Masses
Ronnie Wood – I Feel Like Playing
Wolves In The Throne Room – Celestial Lineage

Cicatriz: (in reverse alphabetical order as to not play favorites.)

Wolves Like Us - Late Love
Weekend Nachos - Worthless
Toxic Holocaust - Conjure and Command
Thrice - Major/Minor
Nick 13 - Nick 13
City and Colour - Little Hell
Childish Gambino - Camp
Cerebral Ballzy - Cerebral Ballzy
Bret Detar - Bird In The Triangle
The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual

Brownstone:

1) Lykke Li -Wounded Rhymes
2) Adele - 21
3 )Foster the People - Torches
4) Cults- Cults
5) The Black Keys - El Camino
6) Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
7) Zola Jesus - Conatus
8) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
9) Young the Giant- Young the Giant
10) Bon Iver- Bon Iver

Old School’s Response To A Top 10 List For 2011

“You want me to do what?!”, I thought when Racer said, “time to get your year end Top 10 list together. We usually publish it the last week of December. Should be new albums for this year . . .”

Come on Racer, give me a break. Don’t you remember what I wrote when you asked for this last year (see Top Ten Lists Of Top Ten List Lists - by Old School?) What makes you think I’d do this now?

Sure, I received and reviewed some awesome music this year. There were Tom Principato’s “A Part Of Me,” Joe Purdy’s “This American,” Modern Day Moonshine’s “Refuge,” Ari Hest’s “Sunset Over Hope Street,” Honeychild’s “Nearer The Earth,” Red Wanting Blue’s “These Magnificent Miles,” The Mattson 2’s “Feeling Hands,” Julius Pittman & The Revival’s “Live Tonite,” Aaron Williams & The Hoodoo’s “10:49” and Only Living Boy’s “Hide Nothing,” just to name a few. Can I say one is better than another? No.

Look, I’m not going to judge whether Metal is better than Alternative Rock or Classic Rock is better than Punk Rock or Americana is better than Electronica or Blues are better than Jazz, or vice versa. I have no desire or need to try to discern which release was better than another in Maslow’s Music Pyramid. It’s basically a “Beatles or Stones” argument and I don’t buy it. It’s all good and, each year, there is so much I haven’t heard it could never be complete. How could one ever produce an empirically valid Top Ten List of artistic musical efforts? You can’t. You’ve just got to make your own.

All Metal Resource — http://allmetalresource.com/
Bring Back Glam — http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/
Hair Metal Mansion — http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/
Hard Rock Hideout — http://hardrockhideout.com/
Hard Rock Nights — http://hardrocknights.com
Heavy Metal Addiction — http://heavymetaladdiction.com/
Heavy Metal Time Machine — http://metalmark.blogspot.com/
Imagine Echoes — http://www.imagineechoes.com/
Layla’s Classic Rock — http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/
Metal Excess — http://metalexcess.com/
The Metal Minute — http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/
Metal Odyssey — http://metalodyssey.wordpress.com/

MAAX – Unholy Rock N Roll

2011-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

The press release that came along with this album says, “Maax can only be described as pure, old school, alcoholic heavy metal hellfire scathing the night with buzzsaw riffage of fist-banging, slutfucking black thrash n' roll to haunting passages of Luciferian menace.” So I guess if that’s the only way it can be described, my work here is done. Adios!

Just kidding.   Although there is a lot of truth in that press release, I can elaborate a little. This is definitely an album with an old school feel. The production values feel a lot more like a black metal release, especially the vocals. And there is also that Motorhead-like, take no prisoners, vibe. The first track smacks you right in the mouth and the hits just keep coming. For an American band they sure have nailed the European metal style, and I certainly mean that in a good way. From reading their bio it appears that they have an issue with revolving door band members and if they could stabilize their lineup I think this band could make some serious noise in the metal world.

I guess if you are going to use the phrase “slut fucking” in the description of your music, it goes without saying that you refer to women as sluts in your lyrics, and have lots of songs about fucking and drinking. And fighting. And Satan. And lyrics like “Rot and roll, we are the new breed, Fuck you, this is our new creed”. Good thing these guys came along now instead of the days of the PMRC.

There is actually an impressive variety of music on this album. The first 6 tracks are along the lines of what you could call black n’ roll, mostly with an emphasis on just some solid rocking. “Do What Thou Wilt” has that kind of punky, Motley Crue feel, like something from their first 2 albums, before they went all hair metal.   “Purge of Depravity” and “Overthrone” veer off into black metal territory. “Black Thrash Em All” has a nice, thrashy feel, hence the name. I tell ya, you don’t have to be a genius to write these things.

MAAX has 2 previous releases and based on what I heard here I will seek them out and see what they sounded like.   This is definitely a band that you want to file away in your memory and keep an eye on.   They are not a carbon copy of anything else that I am familiar with and take several elements of metal and combine them in their own way. Metal is a genre that needs some originality and these guys have it. Next time I go out on a Saturday night for some drinking, fighting and slut fucking, this is my soundtrack.

-- ODIN

Mos Generator - Deluxe 10th Anniversary S/T Reissue

2011-12-28T00:58:00.000-08:00

It was a dark and stormy night. Inside an ominous castle situated atop the highest suitable perch in the Black Mountains of California a mad scientist was hard at work. Frantic hammering along with high speed saws could be plainly heard above the angry growls of thunder. Occasionally blinding light would burst forth from every window of the castle. A careful observer would have been able to listen in to snippets of the scientist’s crazy ramblings.

“…take away my diplomas and honors, eh? I’ll show them!”
“…call me crazy. Me!?!? After all that I’ve done…”
“…finish building this, my masterwork. They’ll all have to believe…”
“…going to revolutionize everyone’s thoughts on the subject…”
“Mwahaha!”

Fast forward three months. Fall was in full effect. The 2011 California World Fair was scheduled to begin that very night with an elaborate ceremony that would be televised all over the world. What no one knew was that the mad scientist Penfold planned to hijack the proceedings with the help of a select few hired hands. After the sun had gone down and a capacity crowd had gathered in the Fair’s primary outdoor plaza the plan was set in motion. When the Governor of California paused to take a breath following the first sentence of his welcoming speech, pyrotechnics exploded and the enormous black curtain concealing a large stage at the end of the plaza fell to the ground. Standing in the center of said stage was a man wearing a startlingly white lab coat. He raised both his arms, his palms pointed skyward, and began speaking into the microphone in front of him.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Thank you for coming to my grand unveiling! My name is Penfold. I apologize if I startled any of you with those loud blasts. I’m a showman at heart I’m afraid.”

“Now wait just a minute,” screamed the Governor from across the plaza. “I don’t know who you are or what you think you’re doing here, but you have no idea what kind of trouble you’re…” The Governor’s voice abruptly ceased after Penfold made a quick ‘cut his mike’ gesture to one of his team members.

“Thank you Governor, but your teleprompter reading services are no longer necessary. Folks, I don’t wish to waste your time so allow me to cut to the chase. I’m here today to show you my latest invention.” He held up a small black box and proceeded to press the circular white button in its middle, raising a small podium beside him on stage to the level of his waist. On top of the podium was an object covered by an opaque sheet. “People, I ask you. What is the number one concern of humanity going forward? I’ll tell you. It’s energy! Clean, sustainable energy! No one has been able to solve this perplexing riddle…until now. With my new invention, I can harness the power of rock and roll to generate immense amounts of electricity. Citizens of California, and everyone watching this around the world, I give you…the Mos Generator!”

Penfold quickly withdrew the sheet covering the object on the podium unveiling what appeared to be an old Victor Victrola machine. The only noticeable difference was a thick cord running out of its back that disappeared through the floor of the stage.

“Judging by the amused looks on some of your faces, I can see that a demonstration is in order. I completely concur.” He reached inside of his lab coat and brought out a vinyl record. “This is the debut album of the band whose name I borrowed for my invention.” Penfold pulled the record from the sleeve, placed it on the turntable, and lowered the needle. The music started. Moments later countless machines whirred to life behind the stage and a wonderland of lights nearly succeeded in turning the night sky into day. The crowd collectively gasped and gawked. The mad scientist smiled so widely it nearly tore his face in half.

“Hahaha! I guess none of you knew that there was a fully functional amusement park behind this stage. Take a good look folks. Everything you see is made possible by my Mos Generator. I invite you to enjoy yourselves with the amusements on offer. I assure you, I’ll be available to anyone who has a question for me, scientific or otherwise.”

And with that, Penfold walked confidently off the stage.

Waveriders please excuse me for a moment, because I’m going to break one of my cardinal rules. If you have read any of my previous reviews you might have noticed that when it comes to language I like to keep my writing G rated. Well…I’m afraid that I can’t contain myself this time. Holy ****! The debut album by Mos Generator is so ******* awesome I can hardly ******* stand it! This thing is so ******* fantastic, it makes every other hard rock album I’m listening to (and I assure you that includes some very good albums right now) it’s *****! ***** *****! ******* ****, why did I not know about this album ten years ago when it first came out? Palm meet forehead rdpeatedly.

Right, now that I've purged myself of the need to use coarse language let’s get down to business. Mos Generator is a power trio out of Port Orchard, Washington. The three titans of rock who make up the band are Tony Reed on guitar/vocals/keyboards, Shawn Johnson on drums, and Scooter Haslip on bass. Yes that’s right, I said titans of rock and I meant it. Mos Generator play rock and roll music. They play hard rock music, the kind of hard rock that is clearly rooted in the 1970s. That means their songs are built around tremor inducing guitar riffs coupled with a lock step rhythm section that is both backbone and harmonious support structure. Yes the obvious go-to reference point is Black Sabbath. That’s unavoidable but honestly, being a huge Sabbath fan myself, I never find myself listening to Mos Generator thinking boy, that sure sounds like that (fill in the blank) Sabbath song. On reflection, that is one of the biggest compliments I can give this band. Despite wearing their influences on their collective sleeve they are clearly their own band sonically.

My first actual exposure to Mos Generator came through a Facebook post made by one of my two bosses, Pope JTE, which allowed me to listen to one song from the debut album. Waveriders, I played that song at moderate volume and I had to question whether or not I had just lived through an earthquake. Shortly thereafter I heard the song “Sleeping Your Way To The Middle” and I knew I couldn’t live without a copy of this album any longer. While I realize that all three band members had been making music with other acts before forming Mos Generator the quality level of this, their first album, is stunning! Top to bottom it is smack you in the face, forehand and backhand good! The original album is made up of seven songs that clock in at just over thirty minutes. I know that may not seem like a lot of time but trust me, you won’t be left wanting. This album is the very definition of ‘all killer, no filler’. I guarantee that you’ll be hitting the play button again and again in record time. Oh, and I suppose I should mention the bonus materials. Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.

With this deluxe reissue not only do you get the bulletproof original album, you also get about two hours of extra music including unreleased studio demos, a half hour rehearsal jam, and all kinds of live tracks. And waveriders let me tell you something. Those live tracks, including one full show that saw limited release under the name Live At The Manette, are awe inspiring. Yes there is plenty of energy in the studio recorded songs, but live Mos Generator sounds like a runaway train that’s about to derail itself! I can’t imagine anyone attending one of their shows and remaining seated. Well…unless they lack a pulse or they happen to be deaf. Truly, when the band gets going it feels like they are performing a high wire routine with no safety net underneath, and it is intoxicating. I would happily pay for these ‘bonus tracks’ separately no questions asked. The amount of musical goodness contained within this reissue is positively absurd!

Let’s put a bow on this shall we? You may have never heard of Mos Generator, or you may be a fan wanting to complete his or her collection. The bottom line here is this waveriders. If you are looking for an ultra-high quality 1970s inspired, ridiculously talented, musically inventive band your search has ended. You know what, scratch that. If you call yourself a hard rock fan you absolutely must own this album! Believe it!

--Penfold

Buy Here- http://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/product/mos-generator-10th-anniversary-deluxe-edition

The Bailey Hounds - Along the Gallows

2011-12-27T00:28:00.000-08:00

I have a soft side, too. Catch me at the right time and I might even have a tear building up in one eye. I'm not just about those huge fuzzy riffs or deafening bass and drums. Sometimes I just wanna relax and forget about all my troubles - to drift away quietly and comfortably while acoustic guitars and a soothing voice tell me everything's gonna be okay. Don't you?

Lately when I want that part of my brain tickled, I've been reaching for Along the Gallows, the debut full-length album by The Bailey Hounds. Uh-huh. I like this one a lot. Ironically, I discovered this band via Pantera's Phil Anselmo, who shared a video of them playing an extremely unique cover of "The Great Southern Trendkill". Now I have another reason to thank Anselmo and I'm including the video here, along with an acoustic version of the title track from the album.

Philly's The Bailey Hounds have been called indie-folk or even alt-country, but I prefer 'cemetery blues', like the band members say. I think that describes them, and Along the Gallows, much better.

From their press kit: "The Bailey Hounds are an open grave in autumn or a dilapidated cabin in the dead of winter. Old sounds of Americana peak through their often melancholy & sometimes raucous collection of tunes stirring up images of withered cemeteries, lost love, and the devil Himself. The Bailey Hounds fall somewhere in the musical realm of Gothic Americana, playing folk & blues-inspired songs with lyrics of a melancholy and often macabre nature."

Ryan Pedrillo (vocals, guitar) is an accomplished songwriter/lyricist and has one of the most calming and reassuring voices I've ever heard. I say that even though I don't usually put a huge focus on vocals. Every once in a great while, though, a voice will touch me like no other and I'll be sure to let you know, just like I'm doing now. Ladies, you might even start to cream your jeans when you first hear this guy, so prepare yourselves.

"Along the Gallows is an album we've been waiting to make and release for a while," Pedrillo told me. "We worked on these songs and reworked them and explored opportunities in the studio and ended up with what we feel is a cohesive work, representative of the styles of music we enjoy writing and listening to. Americana is woven throughout, and there's some dirt and grit rubbed in there, too. Circus freaks and gravediggers. Ghosts of the Civil War and Satan. A few headstones pokin' through the grass here and there. Yeah, we're pleased it's finally out, and we've started working on our next batch of songs."

I'm happy it's out, too, and I can't wait for more. Honestly, I could tell I was gonna love their music when I first heard The Bailey Hounds play that Pantera cover. Along the Gallows might the only Americana-infused album on my portable music player, but that's okay with me. It's fulfilling enough.

Harmonica and a delicate drum beat greet me instantly on "Those Devils Don't Scare Me", a wonderful opening track, but like a lot of albums, one of my favorites ends up being the last song. "Devil Tree" is touching and sweet-sounding musically and gets kinda psychedelic near the end, but I think the lyrics are definitely some of the darkest on the album. I wanna climb that tree.

"Devil Tree was originally going to be a straightforward acoustic track, contrasting the Satanic imagery of the lyrics with a soft, melodious tone," Pedrillo said. "I think I had Lars von Trier's Antichrist in my head while writing this...along with 15 years of listening to Pantera, White Zombie, and Danzig, I suppose. Anyway, we started playing it as a band in the basement and it just progressed and developed into its own beast. Lyrically, there's a lot of personal stuff going on, but on the surface, you know, there's some Alighieri in there...with some Anton LaVey too, of course."

There isn't one song out of the 11 on Along the Gallows that I even think about skipping over, but a couple other standouts to me are "Malleus Maleficarum" and "Gold & Bones". I don't know exactly why, but these two touch me so deeply on an emotional level that I do end up wiping away a few tears, and I'm not bashful about admitting it. I 'm too lazy to look it up for myself, so I have to ask what the first one means.

"Malleus Maleficarum literally translates into "The Witches' Hammer", The Bailey Hounds frontman said. "The 'Malleus Maleficarum' was essentially a witch hunter's manual created by two inquisitors in the 15th century and was used for prosecution, persecution, and determining whether or not someone was, in fact, meddling in the dark arts. This is one of the earlier songs written for the album, but I recall giving it that title almost immediately after writing the first verse. I wrote this a few days before leaving for Scotland for a year. Anyway, witches & wolves...aye."

Aye, indeed. Now, I'll admit that I don't listen to a lot of music that's labeled 'Americana', and maybe you don't either. Maybe you've never listened to it. Well here's your chance, people, but once you let The Bailey Hounds sink their teeth into your emotions, you might not want them to ever let go. Don't say I didn't warn you.

You can stream and buy Along the Gallows at The Bailey Hounds site . They're also offering their Bob Dylan cover, "Don't Think Twice, It's All right", for free download. I highly recommend you get both the album and the single, and if they would've recorded that Pantera cover, I'd say get it, too.

Excuse me, but I have the sniffles now and I need to go blow my nose.

--Heddbuzz

http://thebaileyhounds.com/

http://facebook.com/thebaileyhounds

http://thebaileyhounds.com/album/dont-think-twice-its-all-right-single

Cults - S/T

2011-12-26T00:16:00.000-08:00

I love music duos. Whether it’s rock, electronic or whatever I love when two awesome musicians come together and create wonderful music. Ever since The White Stripes were fading away in the mid millennium, it seems like I was going to have a void with music duos. Luckily, awesome artists like Justice, She & Him, The Ting Tings, The Kills, MGMT, The XX, The Black Keys, Matt and Kim, and the Cults emerged.

Depending on if you wanted a louder hard rock sound (The Black Keys), electronic (Justice), indie electronic (MGMT), indie pop (She & Him, Ting Tings, The XX and Cults) and/or indie/garage rock (The Kills), there was a music duo to cover your needs. Until now I never consciously realized there has been a resurgence of quality indie music duos. Cults is one of these mysterious bands worth discovering.

Cults is shrouded in mystery, both musically and physically. For the longest time I had no idea who Cults were…literally. It wasn’t until I searched deep in the liner notes and cross referenced with the internet that I discovered there are only two permanent band members in this fantastic, fresh and fun band.

New York duo Cults is the latest music duo that has captured my heart and ears with their infectious indie pop music. The band is comprised of former New York University film students turned musicians Madeline Follin (vocals) and Brian Oblivion (vocals, guitar and percussion). Their throwback 1960s sound instantly blew my mind away with this sensational debut album. I hope more people will soon discover this mesmerizing, mysterious band.

Much like the band Fitz & The Tantrums, Cults rely on a melodic vintage sound that possesses a twist, which makes their music sound both classic, yet fresh. If you enjoy bands like Dum Dum Girls, Drums, EMA, Girls, Yuck, Tennis, Phantogram, and Smith Westerns then Cults is a band up your alley.

Cults electric and invigorating eponymous debut album kicks off with “Abducted,” which describes falling in love as being kidnapped. The heartbreak of someone “stealing your heart and running away” is just one of the many relatable emotions conveyed on this album. Follin’s addicting, sensual voice is so sweet and innocent that I missed what “Abducted” was all about upon my first few listens. After several more times I heard the message loud and clear, “I knew right then that I'd been abducted/ I knew right then that he would be taking my heart… He tore me apart because I really loved him/ He took my heart away and left me to bleed out, bleed out/ He broke my heart because I really loved him/ He took it all away and left me to bleed out, bleed out.” I love discovering something new with a song I thoroughly enjoyed. You may even say I have been “abducted” by Madeline Follin’s voice.

Their 1960s pop/ girl group sound embraces the wonderful quality of that musical era and at times feels reminiscent of a Phil Spector “Wall of Sound” production. There is something irresistible of combining the innocence of catchy choruses, yet at the same time remain mysterious while describing dark emotions. The dreamy “Go Outside” is the second song featured on the album and is their best known song. The song encourages listeners to do something instead of just laying around all day inside and actually “go outside” to enjoy life. It’s the perfect song to motivate yourself and remains one of my favorite tracks to listen to while working out.

The moment “You Know What I Mean” came on I honestly thought my iTunes was messing with me because the 1960s girl group aspect sounded too realistic. After double checking my iTunes library a few times I was relieved to find out it wasn’t on shuffle and I didn’t randomly download The Shirelles, The Crystals, The Ronettes, The Supremes, or The Shangri-Las. Follin’s youthful voice perfectly captures that 1960s element efficiently, energetically and most importantly, effectively. “You Know What I Mean” is a song you can lose yourself in.

The deep, dark “Most Wanted” utilizes Follin’s unique and childlike voice. When it’s accompanied by a treacherous instrumentation, her voice showcases the drifting feeling we occasionally experience when contemplating doing something we know is wrong. “Back in my home late at night/ All alone, I'm flying/ Flying above all my troubles/ My mind's a gull/ When I am happy my heart starts to slow/ What I most want is bad for me I know” are just some of the stellar lyrics used.

“Never Heal Myself” is the next track worth mentioning. Follin’s conviction, whether sweet and sincere or a frustrated outburst, is always able to convey mystery with whatever she is singing about. This song is one of my favorites and I really love the ending lyrics, “Yeah I try to heal myself/And turn around cuz someone else/ But I can never be myself so fuck you.”

Powerful beats propel this album to create an exhilarating mixture of emotions. The combination of wonderful melodies with Follin’s flawless voice produces the best damn debut album of 2011. For the past four years, one of my favorite albums of the year also happens to be a debut album. This year is no different. Those artists and albums for the previous four years were Vampire Weekend with Vampire Weekend (2008), The XX with XX (2009), Neon Trees with Habits (2010) and now Cults.

Without a doubt, Cults is an awesome album that entertains you for over 30 minutes and is a must buy. I absolutely adore everything about this 11 track gem. Go discover their wonderful wall of sound and you won’t be disappointed when you join this cult. After all, there is no punch drinking involved.

--Brownstone

cuttooth - Elements

2011-12-25T00:12:00.000-08:00

My friend and fellow music writer, Racer, forwarded an email from Nick Cooke who records under the name cuttooth. Nick had submitted his new album, Elements, for review by The Ripple Effect and Racer knows me well enough to sense that I’d click with this release and as usual he was right. I tend to like trippy, spacey music and ambient hip hop and Elements hits on all of these styles.

Elements opens with "Intro", a spacey little appetizer reminiscent of Boards of Canada featuring a single spoken line slowed down to eerie effect. The second track, "In A Dream", opens with a bright and echoing guitar chord ringing out as a downtempo beat slowly fades up underneath. Not that it was necessary, as the track is dreamy enough, but a voice chanting “in a dream” repeats in the background. This creates a nice bit of tension in the piece.

cuttooth makes excellent use of ambient sounds, spoken word samples and layers of disconnebted sounds to weave a dreamscape. Rather than bore you, dear reader, with a track-by-track analysis I will attempt to describe the album as a singular piece of work:

Are you a fan of lucid dreams? Are you apt to daydream? Do you go off into a reverie when your senses are hit with a certain sound, smell or visual that suggests something beyond our limited physical surroundings?

If you fit the above profile, I’d highly recommend giving this a listen. This is an album for the dreamers among us. This is headphone music. For me, that’s the highest compliment I could pay Mr. Cooke.

--Jones

Cuttooth - Elements [Psychonavigation Records] PSY045 Samples by psychonavigation

Young The Giant- ST

2011-12-24T00:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get spoiled by living in Los Angeles. Whether it’s walking down the street and bumping into a celebrity or knowing about a “hot” band before they make it seems completely normal. Sure the latter part of that statement will probably ostracize me from some of my readers, but it’s true.

Although it seems pretentious and snobbish, it feels weird constantly saying, “I have been listening to this band for X amount of years before anyone knew who they were.” After a while you become accustomed to this feeling and jaded since a lot of breakthrough bands emerge from the LA area. Even when I travel in “touristy areas” of Hollywood and LA I feel so cynical because it’s no big deal. Every once in a while I get that way with music, but it’s not entirely on purpose. I just assume everyone knows who I’m talking about when I mention popular LA artists like Baths, Local Natives, Active Child, Warpaint and Young the Giant. It’s the last band I want to discuss.

Since they first emerged several years ago, Young the Giant has been a band to watch. Originally named The Jakes and after a few personnel changes, they became Young the Giant in 2008. After playing South by Southwest and receiving some airplay from KROQ with their hit song “Cough Syrup,” Young the Giant was signed to Roadrunner Records. In Fall 2010, their eponymous debut album, Young the Giant, was digitally released and a few months later it was physically released on January 25, 2011.

While hanging out with some friends recently we read about possible bands playing KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas in December and came across Young the Giant. Everyone then looked at me and asked, “Who are they?” I knew then I absolutely had to write about them. This is my daily plight: knowing way too many good bands that most people haven’t “discovered” unless you follow the alternative/indie music scene and are a music aficionado.

Over the past few years, KROQ has done an awesome job of noticing local bands that have created some of the best mainstream rock songs in recent years. Certain bands that I first noticed because of KROQ airplay early in their careers included Redlight King with “Old Man,” Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” and Awolnation’s “Sail.” I believe Young the Giant’s “My Body” and “Cough Syrup” are two of the best songs physically released this year.

The album Young The Giant was mixed at the world renowned Electric Lady Studios in New York and was produced by multiple Grammy award-winner Joe Chicarelli, who has worked with Tori Amos, Beck, Minus the Bear, My Morning Jacket, Oingo Boingo, The Raconteurs, The Shins, The Strokes, U2 and The White Stripes.

Young the Giant is composed of Sameer Gadhia (vocals and percussion), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar/vocals), Payam Doostzadeh (bass) and Francois Comtois (drums and vocals). Ehson Hashemian and Sean Fischer, former band members of The Jakes, contributed additional help to the album Young the Giant. Hashemian contributed additional keys and vocals on “Garands” and additional vocals on “Cough Syrup” while Fischer played cello on “Strings,” “12 Fingers” and “Cough Syrup.”

The album kicks off with their first Australian single “Apartment” and we’re introduced to the sweet voice of Sameer Gadhia. The dreamy, sweeping sound of Gadhia serenading listeners is a great way to introduce yourself to this amazing alternative band. The hooky and infectious “My Body” grabs a hold of all your senses. With catchy guitar riffs and a song so danceable you can’t help but rock out to multiple times, it’s no surprise why it remains popular. After all, “My body tells me no/But I won't quit/Cause I want more/ Cause I want more.” This irresistible rock anthem with an awesome chorus is a song you just want to leave on repeat. I could listen to this song all day and still be content. “My Body” is one of my favorite and best songs of 2011.

The melodic “I Got” follows up, but seems more of a buffer between two great songs “My Body” and “Cough Syrup.” At times it feels a Coldplay and Fleet Foxes hybrid song, but is still quite enjoyable. Gadhia’s voice at times does sound reminiscent of Chris Martin, but it doesn’t bother me. Like I just mentioned, “I Got” is overshadowed by Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup,” arguably their best known and most famous song featured on their debut album. The song was previously released when they were still known as The Jakes on their 2008 EP Shake My Hand. “Cough Syrup” is by far the best song on this album and is one of the main reasons to check out this delightful debut album.

“Cough Syrup” highlights the immense talent possessed by Young the Giant. The song starts off, “Life’s too short to even care at all oh/I’m losing my mind losing my mind losing control/These fishes in the sea they’re staring at me oh oh.” I guarantee you will be humming this song all day. Even as I finish this album review I have played it ten times thus far since starting. I absolutely love this song and it’s definitely in my Top 5 Songs of 2011.

The fantastic “Your Side,” the absolutely amazing “12 Fingers and the breezy “Strings” makes you feel like you’re in paradise. You can close your eyes and immediately feel transported to a beautiful beach lying in the sand and sitting back enjoying a delicious beverage. The summer vibes presented by this tropical trio gives you a warm feeling inside.

Two other songs worth checking out are “Garands” and “St. Walker.” Overall, Young the Giant is a magnificent, memorable debut and one of the year’s Ten Best Albums. It’s not surprising that Young the Giant has opened for bands like The Futureheads, Neon Trees and Minus the Bear. Starting in February, Young the Giant will embark on their 2012 North America Headline tour with Grouplove and Walk the Moon.

If you like alternative and indie bands like Voxhaul Broadcast, Bear Hands, and/or any of the bands previously mentioned in this article then you should absolutely enjoy the greatness that is Young the Giant.

--Brownstone

Impetuous Ritual - Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence

2011-12-23T00:03:00.000-08:00

Y'ever watch True Blood or read the Sookie Stackhouse novels?

You say you're a heterosexual male... so no?

Let me re-phrase.

Have a girlfriend/wife?

Y'ever passively listen while True Blood plays in the same room as the couch you're sitting on, while waiting for Anna Paquin to get naked again?

That's what I thought, you coy motherfucker.

In said world, "V" (vampire blood) is used as the ultimate psychedelic/ opiate/ steroid/ stimulant drug.

Impetuous Ritual and their full length, Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence, is like V--

but only if it came from Cthulu!

That's right-- Impetuous Ritual creates the suggestion of mainlining the very life fluid of the most ancient of the Old Ones.

More evidence of said controversial thesis:

One, it's like they're seriously trying (facetiously?) to out-complex-name Carcass and the 1000 death metal bands and their obsession with medical textbook terminology that followed in their wake (e.g., just dig that album title);

Two, if Portal weren't fucking weird enough for you;

Three, if you love Sunn O))) and their obsession with sound and its effects on the human body for their own sake (rather than as music);

Four, if you love that photo above (no shoes or shirt, big-ass 7-string string guitar, grizzly fuck-off beard, bloody face, wrist spikes);

Then THIS is the death/black metal/noise band for you.

Impetuous Ritual, Australian, formed from two members of Portal, released Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence (on Profound Lore) in late 2009; since then apparently it has been worming its way to me, presumably via the Pacific then Atlantic Oceans.

That's a creepy thought-- thought it somehow also makes me feel loved. Or at least attended to.

It's low-fi, noisy, blast-beat-ridden, shriek-filled, violent, menacing, incoherent fury that very nearly, if not altogether, transcends the normal functions of music as we know it.

Tracks:

"Convoluting Into Despondent Anachronism" blasts out of the gate and later drops into a sweet noise/doom riff at about 3:00; "Coalescence of Entropy" features some stupid-hard drums, both blast-beats and wildly high-metre 4/4 (I'm guessing around 350 bpm-- and the music-training programs I usually use to practice only go to 340); "Ceremonial Disembowelment," at about 0:50, lurches down into a great tremolo-picked doom riff before it takes off again periodically into blast beats; "Destitution" (instrumental, and my fave so far) is nearly all doom, with a a stupidly-detuned riff in what sounds like fourths (not the fifth of the power chord we all know and usually love); "Ritual of the Crypt" has a fucking cool vibrato'ed doom riff at about 0:50 (new favorite!), and the album closes out with the slow, dirgy "Dirge."

If you're in a mood that's open this type of sound (only scarcely a type of music-- though this isn't an insult)-- this is some cool shit.

Though in all honesty, if you consistently have this on, and love it-- you might seriously consider antipsychotics and/or antidepressants. No functioning human being should be in this mood all the time.

--Horn

Frank Zappa - Roxy & Elsewhere

2011-12-22T00:51:00.000-08:00

Writing about the first album I ever bought with my own money (Zappa/Beefheart's Bongo Fury) set off a huge Frank Zappa LP listening frenzy that is still on-going. And the one that's been getting daily spins is Roxy & Elsewhere, a (surprise, surprise) double live album from 1974. In Zappa's huge and diverse discography, this is often mentioned as a real highlight and I'm inclined to agree that it is one of his best. The band he had at this time and their repertoire successfully combines rock, jazz and classical extremely well and is a great introduction to someone looking to get acquainted with his music.

Speaking of the band, this is truly one of the best units Zappa ever had. The players are all extremely skilled and can execute tricky written arrangements as well as improvise off of anything and transition between styles effortlessly. Joining Zappa on lead guitar and vocals is rhythm guitarist Jeff Simmons, bassist Tom Fowler, his brother Bruce Fowler on trombone, Napoleon Murphy Brock on saxophone and vocals, the incredible George Duke on keyboards and vocals, percussionist Ruth Underwood and the amazing double drum team of Chester Thompson and Ralph Humphrey. That is a serious group of players and Zappa wrote some incredible tunes that showcased all of them at the best of their ability.

Each side of the album starts off with a spoken introduction by Zappa engaging a rowdy crowd before launching into the music. Once the music starts all the songs flow together one after the other like a suite. There are definitely some edits here and there but Zappa was well known for having the tightest band around and could splice parts from one show to another and the tempos would be consistent. The majority of the album was recorded over a 3 night stand at the Roxy in Hollywood as well as shows in Illinois and Pennsylvania plus a bit of studio recordings. The Roxy shows were also filmed and some of the footage has shown up, hopefully a complete show will someday be released. Being able to watch this band in action is something I've always wanted to see. I know a guy who saw this band with the Mahavishnu Orchestra as the opening act play Brooklyn College in 1973 or 74 and he said it was absolutely the best show he ever saw.

Side one is possibly the most accessible. "Penguin In Bondage" is a racy tune with a great groove that doesn't go through too many time changes and flows right into the short "Pygmy Twylyte" and the hilarious "Dummy Up." If you can imagine a collaboration between Duke Ellington and Cheech & Chong, that will give you a good indication of what "Dummy Up" sounds like. Sides two and three are mainly instrumental but contain a catchy vocal tune like "Village Of The Sun" before the band really cuts loose. "Echidna's Arf (Of You)" is a dazzling jam that bears some Charles Mingus influence and seamlessly jumps through many styles. It's followed by the percussion highlight "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing." Most drum solos are kinda boring but this one is not. The two drummers trade solos before setting up a stomping groove for Zappa to play a burning solo over. "Cheepnis" is a funny song paying tribute to low budget 1950's monster movies before segueing into radically different versions of the old Mothers Of Invention songs "Son Of Orange County" and "More Trouble Every Day." The songs are slower than the original versions and have a funkier jazz and blues inflections. The drummers do some incredible work on "More Trouble Every Day" and a few years later when Chester Thompson went to go work for Genesis, some of the same drum fills showed up on their live album. Side four is dedicated to a single song called "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" that has some inspired improvisation and audience interaction. Unlike a lot of prog rock or jazz fusion, Zappa always got the audience involved and would often tailor the concert to who was in the crowd on that night.

Back when I was in high school a lot of the guys I hung around with were really into Yes and the Grateful Dead. Some of their parents were more lenient so we could hang out and smoke pot in their rooms without too much hassle. The only drawback was having to listen to Yes and the Grateful Dead for hours on end. It was pretty lame but better than doing nothing or standing around outside in the wintertime drinking Jack Daniels by myself. Eventually when they were really baked they'd let me play an album side and I'd usually pick one from this album. I figured they'd like the music when they were high but it was usually too overwhelming for them and after a few minutes it was back to Tormato or Europe 72 for the millionth time. A couple of those guys wound up with serious drug problems and suffered pretty hard lives. Some of them are no longer with us. Maybe all the crazy time and stylistic changes on this album kept me a little more awake. Either way, I've always loved this album and am very happy have it back in regular rotation.

--Woody

Ripple Music Celebrates a Rockin' 2011 with End of the Year Sale!

2011-12-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

What a year it's been!

Following the debut Ripple releases of 2010, which found Ripple Music topping several Year-End "Best of Lists," Ripple returned in 2011 determined to build upon the love music fans have shown for authentic, guitar-driven rock 'n roll. And to say 2011 was an exciting year would be an understatement!

Following the release of the Stone Axe debut album with bonus live material, and a companion DVD, Ripple released more Stone Axe via the Heavy Ripples compilation double 7”, with Mighty High, Grifter, and Sun Gods In Exile. And speaking of Grifter, their Ripple debut album is already finding it's way onto several year-end "Best of" lists. Ripple then followed that with the deluxe 10 year anniversary re-issue edition of the long-out-of print first Mos Generator album with a killer vinyl, CD, and digital download package that has been flying off the shelves!

But perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, was the overwhelming response to the Ripple release of Scotland’s Iron Claw, and their first recorded material in 40 years, A Different Game. Metal Odyssey has hailed this release as the "Comeback Album of the Year!" and the band as one of the greatest rock n roll comeback stories of all time!

To celebrate all this music nirvana, Ripple Music will help get the music into the listener's hands with a special, Year-end sale at the Ripple Store. All Ripple releases will be 20% starting December 16th and running into the new year, ending on January 2nd. That's 20% off all releases! All vinyl, 7", CD's and even the special "packages" like the ultimate Stone Axe package (debut vinyl, Collector's edition CD/DVD, and Stone Axe/Mighty High split).

It's just Ripple's way of saying thank you to its loyal customers, the waveriders, and a way to spread the music around as Ripple prepares for an even bigger 2012!

RIPPLE MUSIC STORE

Childish Gambino Camp

2011-12-21T00:29:00.000-08:00

A week before the public schools let their students out for the summer my news station received a disturbing tip from an anonymous source. This tipster informed us that all was not right behind the cheery outer façade of Camp Glover, one of the premier summer camp destinations in Los Angeles, California. My station manager attempted to get more details from our tipster, but the only concrete statement he could get was that the children ‘were being brainwashed’. The tipster begged my manager to investigate, and he agreed. Due mainly to my seniority I drew the assignment. I checked out the necessary surveillance equipment from the station’s inventory and enrolled myself in the camp using their online registration form. Once I shaved my facial hair completely off, greased my hair, and put on some designer tees and a backwards baseball cap I resembled a seventeen year old boy. Huzzah!

I won’t bore you with every detail that emerged from the audio/video surveillance over the next couple of weeks, but I will highlight the event that I found most shocking and strange. On the very first night, the boys and girls were separated. The boys all gathered at the ‘Meeting Hall’ after the evening meal. My video cameras caught everything. Two young men addressed the assembled crowd from a stage at the end of the hall. One of the men sat in a throne-like chair and was identified as the founder of the camp, the Childish Gambino. He never spoke a word. Instead he allowed the second man (his Consigliere), to dole out all of the important information.

“Greetings campers. Welcome to Camp Glover. My name is Derrick. We are going to have a great summer, but first I need to let you know about a few important guidelines you’ll need to follow. First of all, the girls attending this camp along with their leader Belanie are not to be trusted. Treat them with respect, but never forget that they all live solely to break your heart.”

“Second, it is against the rules to refer to any of your fellow campers as a ‘bro’. There are NO ‘bros’ here, end of story. On a related note, you will not find any Nintendo gamecubes around this camp that ‘bros’ might ask you to play with them.”

“Third, every other Friday starting next week will officially be opposite day. We strongly urge you all to not go along with the scheduled activities on those days. Not attending these events will result in your ongoing residence at Camp Glover.”

“Lastly, I wanted to let you campers know about the exciting educational trip we have planned for the end of the summer. If any of you were unaware, there is a long running historical bond between Wallmart and Six Flags. History books willingly gloss over this subject, but trust me when I tell you that the connection is deep and profound.”

Attention waveriders, this is your captain speaking. If you would point your eyes towards the nearest available TV screen you will notice we are only running video clips highlighting a man named Donald Glover. You see, Donald Glover is a man of many talents. You might not know this folks, but besides being a terrific comedic actor (see Community) with hilarious stand-up material (recently featured on Comedy Central) he is also a very talented hip hop artist. The music is released under the name Childish Gambino, and for the next little while we are going to be discussing his debut album Camp.

Let me make this abundantly clear up front. Donald Glover is a very funny man but his music is not, I repeat not, a joke. Is it amusing? Absolutely! Could someone dismiss any of the songs on Camp as simply novelty music? Absolutely not! Each of these tracks provide exactly what I’m looking for when I listen to hip hop, honest expression based upon that artist’s unique perspective/experience. Seriously that is the main thing I’m asking for. The very first verse from album opener “Outside” is a great example.

I used to dream every night, now I don't dream at all / Hopin' that it's cause I'm livin' everything I want / Used to wake up in a bed between my mom and aunt / Playing with this land before time toy from pizza hut / My dad works nights / Putting on a stone face / He's saving up so we can get our own place / In the projects, man that sounds fancy to me / They called me fat nose, my mom say you handsome to me / Mrs. Glover ma'am, your son is so advanced / But he's acting up in class and keeps peeing in his pants / And I just wanna fit in, but nobody was helping me out / They talking hood shit and I ain't know what that was about / Cause hood shit and black shit is super different / So I'm talking hood shit and cool it now like New Edition / Mom and dad wouldn't listen / They left the Bronx so I wouldn't be that / All their friends in NY deal crack / It's weird, you think that they'd be proud of him / But when you leave the hood they think that you look down on 'em / Truth is we still struggle on a different plane / 7 dollars an hour, with vouchers, it's all the same / Facebook messaging hopin' that could patch up shit / But all they get now is, "can your son read this script?"

Need another example of the kind of lyrical content I’m refering to? Try this second verse from “Hold You Down”.

The reason that they say I'm nothin' what they seen or heard's / The same reason Will Smith always opposite Latino girls / They only see you how they wanna see you / 'Til you make them see you in some other way / I'm trippin' off the other day / Cause God knows what these white kids sayin' / Dude you're not not racist cause The Wire's in your Netflix cue / Subtle racism / It's hard to pin it cause you'd only understand / If you were me for just a minute / This one kid said somethin' that was really bad / He said I wasn't really black because I had a dad / I think that's kinda sad / Mostly cause a lot of black kids think they should agree with that / If you're a father, you should stick around if you could / Cause even if you're bad at it, you get Tiger Woods / MJ / We warriors, we all need senseis / Change everything that we've done so far / I don't mean makin' B.E.T. T.E.R / I mean just the way that we see each other / I won't stop until they say, "James Franco is the white Donald Glover" / Yeah, these niggas wanted Cookie but instead I gave 'em Loch Ness / Sick Boi for life, my swag is in a hospice / Aimin' for the throne, Jay and Ye said to watch that / They ask me what I'm doin', I say I'm stealin' rock back

I’m not suggesting that every lyric in every song is going to set your listening world on fire. That’s preposterous since everyone identifies with and enjoys lyrical content differently. I’m merely suggesting that it would be well worth your time investigating Childish Gambino.

Now a few words about the production on this album. Camp maintains a solid, radio-friendly sound for its entire running length. Mr. Glover and production partner Ludwig Goransson clearly studied under the tutelage of Kanye West (no, not literally). Several tracks strongly remind me of Kanye’s work. I mean that as a compliment because I can easily imagine hearing every song on Camp being played on the radio. If the world is just, that may happen.

Waveriders, Childish Gambino is really good. No, scratch that. This Childish Gambino album is fantastic! If I had listened to my best friend and coworker (Horn) when they tried to expose me to this artist months ago, best believe you all would have heard about him much sooner. Ah well. Better late than never. Waveriders I urge you to pick up this album immediately. If you like quality hip hop, you’ll love Camp!

--Penfold

Freedom Hawk - Holding On

2011-12-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

Wh-what's this I'm hearing? No...it can't be. Has the new recording from Black Sabbath already been leaked?

Oh, wait...this is Freedom Hawk's new album from Small Stone Records. Now I remember - and I love everything about it. I think these guys are dope and they have to be one of the best early-Sabbath-sounding rock bands out there right now, other than the newly-reunited legends, of course. I mean, just play these songs I've included from Freedom Hawk's, Holding On, and I'm pretty sure you'll agree.

First, there's vocalist/guitarist T.R. Morton , whose voice can sound exactly like a young and lively, hand-clapping Ozzy, only more powerful. There hasn't been one other rock singer I can remember who sounds so much like Ozzy to me. He's so spot-on and I think I'm listening the Prince of Darkness himself. Really. And that's not a bad thing at all, at least for me. It doesn't hurt that the riffs flow effortlessly from his fingers, either.

Matt Cave completes Freedom Hawk's twin-guitar assault and, along with his brother, Mark Cave (bass), and Lenny Hines (drums), the members produce such thick, rich, 70's-inspired rock music that you just have to hear it. And own it.

The songs, "Edge of Destiny" (link below) and "Nomad", are two of my favorites and they're prime examples of the strong, solid Sabbath aura that Freedom Hawk invokes throughout Holding On. "Zelda" is a short instrumental near the middle of the 13-track album which reminds me of "Planet Caravan". Bongo drums are the only things missing, if you ask me. "Flat Tire" is another gem, but hell, I think they all are. Believe me, I could go on and on.

From their bio: "Hailing from a beach town in Virginia, this quartet blends heavy riffs, a rolling groove, and soulful guitar melodies to produce the sound that is Freedom Hawk. Their brand of rock coupled with a high energy live show, leaves many wondering if they’ve stepped through a time warp, which has taken them to rock’s heyday in the 70’s."

I didn't listen to 70's hard rock until the 80's, when I was a young teenager. Like many others, I started with bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, the earliest Judas Priest and....Sabbath. If you're like me and you can't wait until the Black Sabbath reunion album, then Freedom Hawk are just the band to tide you over. Once you listen to Holding On, though, they'll probably become one of your current favorite bands like they did for me.

--Heddbuzz

http://www.freedomhawkband.com/

http://www.reverbnation.com/freedomhawk

Nunfuckritual - In Bondage to the Serpent

2011-12-19T00:24:00.000-08:00

Another band the Ripple crew found exciting enough to review twice. Here's Odin's take.

A few months ago my brother and I were at a show and Dying Fetus was one of the bands on the bill. We were listening to all the people talking how they kick ass, rule, and various sorts of comments about how great Dying Fetus are. At one point we just looked at each other and laughed, because only at a metal show would you find people extolling the virtues of a dying fetus.

And then here we have NUNFUCKRITUAL, and wouldn’t you know, I’m going to spend some time telling you how great they are. Metal is so awesome!!

If you are looking for something to lift your spirits and soothe your soul, look elsewhere. Like now. This is some seriously bleak, filthy, raw, evil black metal. Listen to this a couple of times and you’re going to feel like you got dunked in a 55 gallon drum of putrefied remains, then dumped out and rolled through a room full of broken glass, and finally hosed down with battery acid.

This music is truly unrelenting in its corruption. It is absolutely some of best black metal I’ve heard in a while. Sometimes you hear bands that play black metal and you wonder if they are really into it. There is no doubt, when you listen to “In Bondage To The Serpent”, that these are guys are into it. They live it, they breathe it, and the end result is that you, the listener, feel it.

Each track clocks in at 6 minutes or more. They go together, they fit together, yet each track is unique and none of them sound like the others. That’s a huge point in this genre. The tracks stamp their individual marks of evil upon you and the cumulative effect makes you glad to be alive, if you’re into this shit.

NUNFUCKRITUAL have crafted an amazing album that does everything a black metal release should. The evil seeps from every note, every riff, and if you are not in league with Satan, then these 6 tracks tell you what you have to look forward to. And none of it sounds even remotely enjoyable. And that’s the point.

-- ODIN

Fit For A King - Descendants

2011-12-18T00:16:00.000-08:00

Metalcore!? What the fuck does that mean? Is it metal? Is it hardcore? Is it some kind of awesome hybrid much like a zonkey or a manbearpig? Or is it a shitty excuse for a talent-less band to claim to be both metal and hardcore in order to gain notoriety playing to a bunch of tweens who are just discovering “heavy” music. All of these things are and can be true. With this said, anytime I am sent a new band to take a listen to and they label themselves a metalcore band I both cringe and die a little bit inside. This however was not the case in regards to Fit For A King’s latest album, Descendants.

The boys in Fit For A King start things off with the instrumental track, “Il Diluvio” which leads into the heavy breakdown laden, “Ancient Waters”. Now I am not a religious man but that has never shied me away from listening to my fair share of “Christ core” bands. This song is about the return of Jesus and the denouncing of Satan. Pretty good song full of angry and clean vocals, with plenty of breakdowns.

“I have come to destroy his work, to cleanse the Earth of his name. Let my words pour down and consume this flame. You will know judgment. You will know suffering. The currents of this world have pulled you under, will you overcome these tides? You have been weighed down by the very thing that made you feel alive. Do you have the strength to stay above the waves or stay on dry land? Or are you weak standing in the dark and just coming up for air? (Do you have the strength?). Tonight we'll see this through. And now my heads above the water as I'm reaching out to you. Tonight we'll see this through. The waves are crashing over me as I try to get to you. Every eye will see him and the Earth will shake. Everyone will fear him until there's nothing left. (Everyone will see him, and everyone will fear him). Will you survive? Tonight we'll see this through. And now my hands above the water as I'm reaching out to you. Tonight we'll see this through. The waves are crashing over me as I try to get to you. This is the voice of God pouring from my lungs. Will you survive?”

Another stand out track on this album is “Buried”. Much of the same. Heavy breakdowns and a good mix of clean and screamed vocals. This song is about most of the same, struggle between good and evil.

“I sit here humble and meek. I stand still looking to fill this void. Step into the light. What are we searching for? With our hands held high. There is nothing to lose. Will you take the leap? I'm only scared of tomorrow. We need to die today. Pull the reigns. Can't you control yourself? Buried in thought we waste our lives questioning and what do we have to show? Stained red, You paid the price. Stand your ground, stand face to face. We are getting darker, but I can see what's fast ahead right in front of me. The world is falling deeper, but you're the light I see. The light we see. Alpha of love. Omega of death. I am buried, I am born again. Consumed by love, your love has changed me. Consumed by love, your love has saved me.”

Overall if, if you’re looking for a good nostalgic Metalcore album look no further. Honestly I think I liked this album more than I should of…but that’s a good thing.

Fit For A King goes good with: Gwen Stacy, Underoath, Horizons, Close Your Eyes, Sleeping Giant, Hands

-Cicatriz

She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas Album

2011-12-17T00:11:00.000-08:00

As the song suggests, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and I couldn’t be happier. Christmas is easily my favorite holiday of the year. Until recently I had been feeling pretty blue, but luckily the holidays have changed my attitude completely. Although it’s my favorite time of year, it can be my most frustrating and annoying time when it comes to music.

It seems like anyone and everyone has released or plans on releasing a Christmas (or as the politically correct would like me to state “holiday”) album. Whether it’s the cast of Glee or Kenny G, everyone seems to be cashing in on the holiday spirit. In the past five years, there have only been two Christmas albums that have made a lasting impact on this Christmas music Scrooge. Back in 2006, Twisted Sister released their Christmas themed album A Twisted Christmas, putting their twisted spin on holiday classics. A Twisted Christmas is a must listen and must buy for all hard rock/metal fans. Now I have a new Christmas CD I adore, which was recently released by the folk duo She & Him called A Very She & Him Christmas.

She & Him is comprised of award-winning actress Zooey Deschanel (best known for her roles in films like (500) Days of Summer, Yes Man, Almost Famous and Our Idiot Brother) and Matt Ward a.k.a. M. Ward (Monsters of Folk). She & Him also happens to be one of my favorite musical duos. Ever since I first heard Zooey Deschanels’s astonishing voice in the film Elf (2003) I knew she would be an awesome lead singer. Fortunately for all of us, she has done just that with She & Him. When I first heard the news about A Very She & Him Christmas I was extremely excited and wanted to buy the album immediately. During my Christmas shopping (in November) I gave myself an early present and bought the album. I could hardly contain myself as I was extremely ecstatic with my purchase.

Zooey Deschanel is a very underrated actress and singer. Deschanel’s hit TV show New Girl highlights her talent not only as the star of the show, but as the composer and singer of the delightful theme song as well. Deschanel is simply irresistible and the whole package. Much like contemporaries Jack Black (Tenacious D), Jared Leto (30 Seconds to Mars), Adrian Grenier (The Honey Brothers), Billy Bob Thornton (The Boxmasters), Jason Schwartzman (Coconut Records), Juliette Lewis (Juliette and the Licks and The New Romantiques),and Shane West (The Germs), Zooey Deschanel has sustained a fruitful film career while also maintaining a successful music career.

After releasing their critically successful debut album Volume One in 2008 and their sophomore album Volume Two in 2010, She & Him continue creating quality music. Besides being the primary lead singer, Deschanel also plays piano, banjo, percussion, xylophone and ukulele while Ward contributes guitars, mandolin, vibes, synthesizer and organ. She & Him released their sweet and satisfying A Very She & Him Christmas before Thanksgiving. The album consists of 12 impressive tracks, which are hip and awesome renditions perfect for the whole family. Zooey Deschanel is absolutely adorable throughout and proves why she is an indie darling.

The album kicks off with “A Christmas Waltz” and “Christmas Day,” but its track three when the album truly begins with a soulful, subtle rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Originally performed and introduced by Judy Garland in the musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is best known for Frank Sinatra’s version and has become one of the most iconic Christmas songs of all time. This slow, sexy performance is an interesting interpretation.

Bing Crosby’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is iconic, but She & Him do it justice with an equally moving version in their own right. I love this impressive indie take on a classic song I adore. The interactions between Deschanel and Ward on “Christmas Wish,” “Silver Bells” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” are remarkable and warrant rejoicing. Their happiness creates undeniable warmth on this solid Christmas album.

Deschanel’s bouncy voice on “Sleigh Ride” is one of the album’s highlights. When Deschanel and Ward are singing together, the sweet sound of their voices is the perfect gift for this Christmas. Another delightful track worth mentioning is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Brenda Lee’s version is phenomenal, but She & Him’s version gives me goose bumps. Like a light switch, this version turns me onto the holiday spirit. The first few times I listened to it I was dancing around my house because I was super excited. I love that feeling!

No one can beat Bing Crosby’s version of “Silver Bells.” However, how many awesome versions are played with the ukulele and sung by an angel? Only on this album does that happen. This version is a subtle, sincere rendition for folk fans to enjoy this holiday season. She & Him have mastered making merry Christmas covers in their own unique way. The affectionate endearing "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" showcases both Ward and Deschanel’s singing capabilities. This delightful duo demonstrates what beautiful music they can create and I love every moment of it.

Every single time I hear “Blue Christmas,” I immediately think of the Christmas special The Year Without A Santa Claus. Elvis Presley popularized the tune and it has since become a Christmas staple in country music. Even this rendition feels very folksy and country-like with its super slow pace, but extremely effective and emotional. Maybe it’s just because I’m recently single, but this song really resonates with me. Nonetheless, it’s a touchy song I thoroughly enjoy.

Not many people can create a catchy cover, but somehow She & Him accomplish that with “Little Saint Nick.” Much like “Silver Bells,” the ukulele is utilized and perfectly captures the energy and originality of The Beach Boys’ classic. Brian Wilson and Mike Love’s cool Christmas classic remains fresh, catchy and feels like you can play it all year round.

A Very She & Him Christmas concludes with arguably the most famous Christmas song of all time, “The Christmas Song" better known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." Nat King Cole made this song famous in the late 1940s. Much like the original, this charming rendition is worthwhile. A Very She & Him Christmas is not your traditional Christmas album, but it’s perfect for creating holiday cheer. Even the liner notes/CD booklet act as a Christmas card from She & Him writing, “Best Wishes for your Happiness this Holiday Season.” If you’re looking for a quirky, cute Christmas album worth discovering than A Very She & Him Christmas is that album.

--Brownstone

Nunfuckritual - In Bondage to the Serpent

2011-12-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

God, that band name sucks. Seriously?

It sucks particularly because it makes genuinely interesting, lushly textured music hard to take seriously.

Anyhoo, Nunfuckritual (aka Danny Lilker in Culted) are, genre-wise, what I'm now calling doom/black. It's got the cool hyphen, like death/grind, and also sounds sorta meme-y, like you're cool for knowing the contraction that for that particular genre of music. As you might guess, they're (atmospheric, sometimes nearly ambient) doom metal with distinct black metal imagery, production and vocal trends (i.e., the fucking of nuns, one can only presume; a very "chilly," i.e., treble-heavy mix; and a strangled shrieker of a singer). Think Sunn O))) with Mortuus singing, and occasional drum usage.

Specificity:

"Theokotos"-- atmospheric/ celestial (irony?) blackened doom/ drone; quite beautiful, like a guitar-heavy Henryk Górecki, until about 2:25 when the vocals enter, and sound like something GG Allin would scream (still over the Górecki-isms, though, you see, herein lies the uniqueness).

"Komodo Dragon, Mother Queen," hits like Rammstein's "Mein Herz Brennt" if it were played without machines....

"Christotokos," the ambient soundscaped sounds (and not necessarily music) of the damned.... "Cursed Virgin, Pregnant Whore," confirms the Sunn O))) comparisons, and goes for long without any drums, simply a droning guitar line. Of course, when the drums return, they're blast beats. And it pretty much works.

"Parthenogen," continues the Sunn O))) worship (though again, chillier, with less bass in the mix), then becomes a lurching behemoth (though not Nergal and co.) of a doom metal tune; this is maybe the best track on here: it comes off as confident through its many stylistic changes over the nearly 8-minute running time.

Why does this music appeal to me so much? Goddamn-- I need a new therapist.

Overall, an "unrated/ NC-17" vibe here, like anything can happen at any time; menacing, and musically-speaking, surprising; drearily beautiful, like funeral mists that catch a sparkling moonlight.

--Horn

Thin Lizzy - At the BBC

2011-12-15T00:59:00.000-08:00

This holiday season there are some very cool presents for the heavy rock fan in your life (i.e. yourself, your dad, older brother, the dude you buy weeed from behind the gas station). Deep Purple has a killer looking 2LP/2CD collection of all their BBC sessions and there's a box set of all the good Whitesnake albums (meaning the ones up to 1982). But number one on everyone's wish list should be this monster 6CD/1DVD Thin Lizzy box set of all their BBC recordings. Jeezus, these guys were busy! Thin Lizzy was pumping out albums on a regular basis and touring constantly but still managed to do all of these killer radio sessions and concert broadcasts.

Thin Lizzy did a total of eighteen sessions for the BBC between 1971 and 1977 and all of them except four are represented here. Given the BBC's tendency to erase tapes from the library it's a miracle we have 3 very full CD's of primo performances in excellent fidelity. Disc one is with the early trio version of the band with Eric Bell on guitar. This is an era I'm the least familiar with so it's great to finally get acquainted with songs other than "The Rocker" and "Whiskey In The Jar." This line up was clearly Hendrix inspired but also trying to find their way. The playing is top notch and the songs are good but it's easy to see the band still had a ways to go before becoming the powerhouse unit we all know and love. Disc two is killer because about half of it is still the trio but with Gary Moore as the guitarist. I'd always wanted to hear more from this line up and now I finally have it. Too bad they never did a full album together in 1974 but the 12 songs here are the closest we'll ever get until we join Gary and mainman Phil Lynott upstairs. Gary smokes on a raunchy sounding "Little Darling" and the VD inspired "Sitamoia." There are very funky versions of "Showdown" and "It's Only Money" that hint at what Thin Lizzy would later do on "Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed."

The second half of disc two and all of disc three is the classic line up with Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson on twin lead guitars. Phil was tired of guitarists quitting the band leaving him as a duo with drummer Brian Downey. It's fun to compare their version of "It's Only Money" from just a few months after Gary's version and hear how it changed. It took awhile for this group to find their niche but when they did, they were totally unstoppable. I don't care how many times you've heard "Rosalie," "Emerald," "Warriors," "Killer Without A Cause" and all the other classics before, having different KICK ASS performances of them is totally mandatory. The arrangements are the same as the records but the takes are more raw and a bit faster.

Speaking of fast and raw, the other three CD's are all live recordings. It's well known that I love live albums and this is definitely my favorite half of this great box set. There's a show with Eric Bell from 1973 that opens with an excellent version of "The Rocker" and a Jimidelic "Gonna Creep Up On You." Brian Downey really pounds his drums hard and young Phil's voice is spectacular. A 1974 concert with Gorham/Robertson finds the band playing with even more confidence and laying down a heartfelt "Still In Love With You." The solos on "Showdown" are very funky. By 1981 Brian Robertson had been replaced by Snowy White and disc five contains a full hour from Hammersmith Odeon in London. The albums this line up made are kind of a mixed bag but they were still a potent live band. Heavy versions of current songs like "Angel Of Death," "The Pressure Will Blow" and "Killer On The Loose" mix well with the older classics. Disc six from 1983 captures the line up with John Sykes replacing Snowy White. Sykes definitely gave the band a heavier sound and he plays great. Sometimes he plays a bit too much and his use of pinch harmonics can be a bit annoying but that's a minor complaint. The addition of keyboards to the band was never really a plus in my book, either, but there's really no reason to complain about any live Thin Lizzy, is there?

The DVD contains the same "Live And Dangerous" show you've owned for years as well as the 1983 show that came as a bonus on the original DVD. There are appearances on Top Of The Pops from 1973 through 1981 that's the band lip synching to their current hits. It's cool but nothing you're going to watch too often. The footage of Gary Moore & Friends from 1979, however, you'll watch all the time. You've probably been drooling over it on youtube for a few years now but now you can enjoy it in better quality. Gary Moore, Cozy Powell, Scott Gorham and Phil Lynott make an incredible team. Too bad they didn't do more together.

Anyway, 2011 has been a pretty crappy year but you've been good. Do yourself a favor and end the year with a bang and treat yourself to this. You won't regret it. Special thanks to Joerg in Germany for hooking me up with a cheaper copy due to the shitty US economy and favorable exchange rate for Europeans. Cheers!

--Woody

Rah Rah- Breaking Hearts

2011-12-14T01:08:00.000-08:00

Sophomore albums are a tricky thing. For the most part I have found them very interesting to discover, especially when they are from a familiar band I have lost track of for a few years. During my senior year of high school, my best friend Danny was raving about this Canadian alternative/ indie rock band that he absolutely loved. When he played me the band I was intrigued and wanted to hear more, which he gladly obliged. That band was Rah Rah.

Fast forward to 2008 when they released their debut album Going Steady, which received great praise, especially from my friend Danny. Shortly thereafter they were named “Best New Canadian Band” and “Best New Alternative Band” by iTunes in 2009. Now their sophomore album, Breaking Hearts, is being re-released in the United States by Hidden Pony Records after being released last year in Canada.

Two weeks ago I received a package from the Ripple Effect staff filled with CDs and EPs. Every time I open one of these beauties there is something remarkable in them. This time was no exception and I actually freaked out for the very first time when I saw Rah Rah. Was this a dream? Immediately I opened the CD and started playing it non-stop. Even when I left to attend a business meeting that day I brought the CD with me and listened to it twice more on the drive there and back. After listening to it two more times I realized I can’t be selfish, but need to write about this remarkable band and help spread the word.

Rah Rah is composed of Marshall Burns (vocals, guitar, bass), Erin Passmore (drums, vocals, keys, bass and guitar), Joel Passmore (bass, vocals, drums and guitar), Leif Thorseth (vocals, guitar), Vanessa Benson (vocals, keys, bass) and Kristina Hedlund (violin, accordion, keys, confetti canons, piñatas). On Breaking Hearts, Samra Sahlu played keys and did back up / harmony vocals before leaving for college and has since been replaced.

For the past decade, Canada has emerged as a powerhouse with introducing imaginative indie rock bands like Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, Tokyo Police Club, Wolf Parade, The New Pornographers and now Rah Rah to mainstream audiences. Rah Rah’s latest effort is an album worth discovering and one of the year’s best albums.

Breaking Hearts opens up with the delightful “Arrows.” The lyrics are exactly what I want in a song: sweet and simple. “Somewhere amidst these ashes/I got a hold of your hand/We pushed through the tall boulders/To Cohen’s ‘I’m Your Man’/Now with the bright skies above us/The wind singing your name/I feel just like an arrow/Shooting high and away.”

This songs shoots right to your heart and moves you with the fun and infectious chorus “I feel just like an arrow/I feel just like an arrow/Shooting high, shooting high and away.” The sincerity sung throughout this song and on the remainder of this album is remarkable. “Arrow” is the perfect first track to start this amazing and astonishing album.

The sweet “Ghosts” and “Henry” follows. The song “Henry” is the kind of song I love hearing and seems totally reminiscent of The New Pornographers. There is a diverse variety of styles showcased on Breaking Hearts like “Beaches,” which seems eerily similar to something like a Warpaint song, probably because of the drumming techniques, whereas other songs seem like The New Pornographers and others Wolf Parade.

“Arrows” is arguably my favorite song on Breaking Hearts, but a song that I enjoy almost as much is “Communist Man.” Immediately once the song starts with the ukulele, the irresistible, infectious musical accompaniment hooks you. Then the lyrics keep you begging for more as it’s the shortest song featured on the album. I find it fascinating and can’t put my finger on it so I have included the entire songs’ lyrics below:

“Don’t tell Nietzsche
Found God alive
In a noble lie
Found God alive
Don’t tell the church, Don’t tell my mother
They killed him…or her

And I’m in love with a communist man

I won’t marry you
I’ll only marry a pansychist
The sky it is blue and the oceans like you
And I don’t care
And you my friend are the mistress of
A pagan cult, killed myself with all the capitalists.”

“Salty Cities” is a song that breaks your heart, but with the melodic male/female vocals featured you absolutely fall in love with Rah Rah. Another one of my favorite songs, “Joey” is a slow, sleek song that mentions Joey Ramone. How cool is that? Not only has Nietzsche, Vincent van Gogh, Piet Mondrian, Picasso, God and Giorgio de Chirico been previously mentioned in other songs, it honestly doesn’t get cooler than to mention one of the most influential and awesome artists of all time, Joey Ramone.

The last song I want to mention is the titular track “Breaking Hearts.” Maybe it’s just me, but it’s been awhile since I have even heard a titular track. Fortunately, “Breaking Hearts” appears like a hidden gem buried deep into this modest, yet memorable album. The song starts of slow, but blows my mind once it hits the chorus, “Amidst these breaking hearts/You know the truth comes through/Amidst these breaking hearts.”

Rah Rah’s Breaking Hearts is a youthful, stylized album that is a must hear. If you like bands like Minus the Bear, Holy Fuck, Mother Mother, Boxer the Horse, We Are The City or any of the other bands listed earlier in the article, Rah Rah is well worth checking out.

--Brownstone

Head Cat - Walk the Walk...Talk the Talk

2011-11-26T00:07:00.000-08:00

There are a handful of music icons simply known by one name. Some of these mononymous people include renowned legends Bono, Elvis, Madonna, Prince, Flea, Slash, Ozzy and of course, Lemmy. Every time you utter Lemmy it’s hard not to imagine the legendary badass lead singer and bassist of Motorhead rocking out on stage. His larger than life persona has only been catapulted by Pop Culture like in the movie Airheads with the now famous question “Who would win in a wrestling match: Lemmy or God?”

Despite never changing his act or regiment, Lemmy appears to have never aged a day and can still be found hanging out at The Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip when he isn’t touring with Motorhead. As even the documentary film, Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker 51% Son of a Bitch, illustrates, Lemmy is just a down-to-earth rockstar who continues to live life the way he wants.

Recently I was turned onto the rockabilly supergroup Head Cat, which consists of Lemmy (Motorhead), Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) and Danny B. Harvey (Lonesome Spurs, 13 Cats and The Rockats). The name Head Cat comes from the combination of Motorhead, The Stray Cats and 13 Cats. The band formed while recording the Elvis Presley tribute album Swing Cats: A Special Tribute to Elvis. The trio stuck around after the recording session and goofed around by playing classic rock songs they knew. In 2006, Head Cat released their first album Fool's Paradise and their second album, Walk the Walk…Talk the Talk was released earlier this year and contains original Head Cat material.

Lemmy (vocals, guitar, bass, and harmonica), Slim Jim Phantom (drums, percussion and additional vocals), and Danny B. Harvey (double bass, guitar, keyboard) deliver a delicious and delightful album filled primarily with cover tunes along with two new awesome rockabilly songs, “American Beat” and “The Eagle Flies on Friday.”

Head Cat celebrates rock’s roots with new interpretations of classic songs from the 1950s and 1960s. This celebration of songs from yesteryear feels and sounds like a perfect fit for Lemmy as his distinctive voice oozes appreciation for these classics such as Larry Williams’ “Bad Boy”, Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock” and Eddie Cochran’s “Something Else.”

Walk the Walk…Talk the Talk also includes the delightful “Say Mama,” “I Ain't Never,” “Shakin' All Over,” “Trying To Get To You,” the John Lennon/Paul McCartney “You Can't Do That,” “It'll Be Me,” and “Crossroads.” For half an hour, these 12 songs will entertain you from beginning to end. It’s truly remarkable how well Lemmy’s voice accompanies Head Cat’s sound and is the perfect fit as the lead singer for this rockabilly band.

--Brownstone

Sunn O))) - ØØ Void

2011-11-25T00:07:00.000-08:00

Is that enough "insert symbol"-type symbols for ya? I know I'm all set.

Sunn O)))'s second album, ØØ Void, originally released in 2000, has been reissued...!

Quick, Robin-- to the review!

Track one, "Richard" is intestinal rumbling as a mantra, from the bowels of the Earth, using (cause it don't need no drums; in terms of drums, Sunn O))) ain't care!) what may or may not be a synthesizer as what effectively works as a "count," the way a drummer would use a ride symbol or hi-hat to most obviously count time... at around 8:00 a sitar or bagpipes enters, and not incongruously.

Track two, "NN O)))" (I said I was all set with the symbols!) is the most obvious use, as is the whole album really, of Sunn O)))'s modus operandi (which they expanded upon stylistically with later albums, adding textures, tones, timbres, all the Ts really-- whereas this is pretty much as stripped down and simple as heavy music gets):

The glory of SOUND (i.e., not specific notes) for its own sake: sound for its purely physical effects (and not intellectual ones, that might be concerned with, say, lyrical content or melody)--

--and with lots of space to think.

Music that breathes so slowly you might forget it's breathing-- like a blue whale that only needs 5-10 heartbeats a minute to maintain its bulk, that of the largest animal thought to have ever existed on the planet.... Yeah. That simile totally works.

Track three, "Rabbits' Revenge" (if their punctuation is deliberate, there are several members of the Lepus family taking vengeance, a scary thought) opens as a bass pulse under some guitar feedback's skin-- a massive, breathing (there's that adjective-sometime-gerund again) sonic organism... this track is like the constant bending of a cane reed into the correct pitch-- then made massively monolithic.

Alliteration free of charge. Horn's here to help. That second alliteration? Gratis as well!

Final track (and in my opeez the best), "Ra at Dusk," synesthesia-stically speaking, has a "monochrome" texture; one chugging guitar acts as the count here while another plays a simple recurring dirge-like ostinado... and again all the percussion instruments are effectively some type of guitar.

ØØ Void might be a great introdution to Sunn O))) if you're not familar with them-- there's no curveballs here. It makes Dopesmoker sound like Paganini. If you already like/ love them, then this one'll be easy to digest and will go down smooth.

Quick Robin-- to the Batgirl!

--Horn

HUMBLE PIE - EAT IT

2011-11-24T00:39:00.000-08:00

Too much free time on my hands is a dangerous thing because that means I can check ALL of the bins at used record stores. The kids today are buying lots of vinyl, and that's a good thing, but an even better thing is that they're ignoring all the great classic rock albums they've never been exposed to. This is where I come in. Used Johnny Winter and Joe Walsh albums for 3 or 4 bucks in decent shape - how can I not give them a good home next to their long lost friends Robin Trower and Mountain? So when I found this very nice copy of Humble Pie's Eat It for about 10 bucks there was no hesitation. It needed to be reunited with of Smokin, Thunderbox and, of course, Performance: Rockin' The Fillmore on my shelf. Eat It was released in 1973, a year that I've gone on record here many times saying it might be the best year for rock (Tres Hombres, Raw Power, Billion Dollar Babies!). Eat It is not as monumental as any of those records but it's still a great album and one that deserves a place in every heavy rock fan's library. Each side of this double album is a different thing. Side one is all hard rock songs, side two is covers of soul tunes, side three is acoustic and side four is live and loud in concert. No matter what kind of party you're having, Humble Pie have got you covered.

Side one rocks hard with kick ass songs like "Get Down To It" and "Good Booze and Bad Women." These are very much in the vein of the songs on 1972's great Smokin' album. "Is It For Love" is a moody R&B influenced song and "Drugstore Cowboy" is faster and funkier. Steve Marriott's vocals are excellent as always and the band really grooves. Very few English bands could play authentic R&B and a lot of that has to do with the Pie's killer rhythm section of Greg Ridley (bass) and Jerry Shirley (drums). These guys can really swing. Clem Clempson and Steve make a great guitar team.

Most rock bands trying to play soul music is pretty much a joke, but Steve's vocals have the range and expression needed for the material. Ike & Tina's "Black Coffee" is given a real workout. What a groove! Edwin Starr's "Shut Up & Don't Interrupt Me" is a lot of fun. There are also dramatic versions of the Ray Charles classic "I Believe To My Soul" (also covered by the MC5 in their live show) and Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is." Good side for when you're trying to convince a lady to move to the backseat of your car. If that doesn't work, side three might do the trick. Four acoustic, bluesy songs all written by Steve Marriott. "Say No More," "Oh Bella" and "Summer Song" are more back porch than the kind of mystical acoustic stuff that Led Zeppelin would do. The last song "Beckton Dumps" is more uptempo and has some electric guitar on it.

Once you drop the young lady off at the end of the night, it's time to CRANK UP side four and rock the fuck out. Recorded live in Glasgow, this is Humble Pie at their finest. "Up Our Sleeve" is not only one of Humble Pie's greatest songs, but it's also one of the most kick ass jams you will ever hear. Flat out, balls to the wall, driving rock n roll. This version is slightly less ferocious than the one that was later issued on Humble Pie's awesome King Biscuit CD recorded on this tour. The rest of side four is taken up with a good version of the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman" and an extended jam on Junior Walker's "Road Runner."

Humble Pie rocked like no other. They were such a potent band, it's a shame that they don't get more recognition. The domestic CD of Eat It is out of print but the import is still available. But the best way to experience this is on vinyl. The double album comes with a very cool booklet glued inside the gatefold sleeve with illustrations and action live shots. Musically, it also makes much more sense when you change the sides. Either way, it's a great record. And if you don't like it - EAT IT!

--Woody

Confused Little Girl - Southern Gentlemen

2011-11-23T00:10:00.000-08:00

(this album had such an impact on the kiddies in the pool, that two writers decided to review it. you can check out the other review here)

I run into people all the time who absolutely hate working these academic fairs. They loathe what they believe is the false process of fishing for prospective students. I suppose they believe that their school’s/employer’s name should lend enough weight by itself to separate new students from their hard earned money. Huh…Northerners. As for me, I have no idea what is not to like! I love being behind the Ripple University table. I love conversing with people, letting them know that they could find a home at Ripple U. Perhaps being a Southerner imbues me with a more easygoing nature? Or maybe the fact that I’m always polite to the prospects garners a lot of positive energy in return. Take what happened earlier today for example when I conversed with a young woman who moments before had stormed away from a table several feet away from my own.

“Excuse me miss. I couldn’t help but overhear the end of your conversation.”
“My conversation?”
“Yes, ma’am. The one you just finished with that recruitment agent over there. You know, the one which ended with you yelling some rather strong statements her way? I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but you seem upset.”
“Upset, huh?”
“Yep. I’d say so. Would you mind if I asked what that recruiter said that pushed you over the edge of civility?”
“If you must know, she accused me of being a confused little girl.”
“A confused little girl?”
“That’s right.”
“I see. What did she think you were confused about?”
“Life in general apparently. She said my interests were unladylike.”
“Any interest in particular?”
“Yes. I told her that I wanted to study music in college. She began listing off the numerous awards and honors her university’s music school has earned, but when I explained that I didn’t wish to study classical music and instead focus on rock n’ roll all the color drained from her face.”
“Hah! That’s hilarious! The only thing better would be if she had actually passed out. Say…that’s a nice backpack you’ve got there. Any chance those patches sewn into it are indications of what music you like to listen to?”
“Oh yes sir! Those patches represent my favorite bands. I’m really into classic southern rock like Lynard Skynyrd, ZZ Top and The Allman Brothers Band as well as heavy metal like Corrosion of Conformity and Down. Honestly I listen to other types of music, but…hey, what’s so amusing?”
“The hands of fate at work my dear. I believe it was predestined that I would run into you today. You will be a perfect fit at Ripple U! We don’t put limits on what kind of music you can study. And while our music department isn’t littered with golden chalices, I can tell you that every one of our graduates has had success in their chosen field. Now I want to ask you one very important question.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“As far as Corrosion of Conformity goes, do you prefer Deliverance or Wiseblood?”
“It’s close, but I’ll have to go with Deliverance.”
“Miss, I’m afraid that advisor was right. You are indeed a confused little girl.”

Waveriders, today we’re going to discuss a little album called Southern Gentleman by the band Confused Little Girl. Now I know what you’re thinking but relax. Have no fear. There is absolutely no confusion regarding the merits of this band, this album, or the manner in which the band goes about their business. None, zero, nada. What we have here is a confident group of musicians determined to crush mountains into rubble with their powerful sound.

Confused Little Girl is made up of four people; Billy Van Muddlestein, David Washburn, Red Reilly, and Josh Henry. While their bio lists Orlando, Florida as their hometown, I’m pretty sure that this group lives well outside of the downtown metropolitan area. In fact, my guess is that their actual home is located deep inside the Everglades. Why? That’s easy. Not only do they come right out and say repeatedly in the album’s first song that they ‘come from the swamp’, but their music contains all the hallmarks I would expect from swamp dwellers. It is marvelously sludgy like a swamp’s muddy landscape. Also, there is tremendous muscle behind the aggressive instrumentation. This muscular sound will envelop the listener like an alligator’s jaws, and it won’t let go. Lastly this band is very deliberate with their music. They never seem to be in too much of a hurry. Putting a foot wrong in a swamp can be very hazardous to your health. The composition of these songs seems to incorporate this valuable lesson. So what about those songs?

Southern Gentleman tears your speakers asunder with one of the most thunderous opening tracks I’ve listened to in some time. Seriously, I may not have come across an opening salvo as righteous as this one all year. Confused Little Girl means business, and “I’d Rather Booby Screw A Walrus” is there to sledgehammer that point home. That’s right. Awesome song title, amps to eleven, bowel-shaking main riff and choruses; it all adds up to transform the listener into a grotesque bobblehead attempting to forcefully detach its head from its neck! Thankfully my head is still attached because I need to further compliment this band.

The low end stomp Confused Little Girl possesses is a thing of beauty! Thick as molasses guitar and bass tones deliver devastating body blows to your eardrums on songs such as “Hookers On Horseback”, “Books and Guns”, and “(Hey Dad) Stop Looking At Porn On My Computer”. The band is not content being a one-trick pony either. They switch things up by throwing in the mostly ballad-like “Ink To Paper”. Another added wrinkle is how they take different vocal approaches such as the ethereal singing during the choruses to “Jordan Catalano Needs To Break Up His Shitty Band” or the cleaner, twang-heavy vocals during “Vegetarian Homeless People”. One last note. If you hadn’t noticed, this band comes up with some outlandish song titles. If the ones I’ve already mentioned haven’t convinced you of that, how about “Honestly, Who Gives Their Genitals Pet Names”? Simply stunning!

The bottom line here is that Southern Gentleman is an album you need to hear. If you love southern metal like Corrosion of Conformity or Down, or just stupendous riff-machines like Clutch you can’t go wrong with Confused Little Girl. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to finish filling out this rental agreement for an airboat. The swamp is calling. Rock on and rock out!

--Penfold

Confused Little Girl - Southern Gentlemen

2011-11-22T00:37:00.000-08:00

Skeeters are snackin'. They're as big as half-dollars and they'll bleed you dry if you let 'em. The gators are patiently waiting. Some are stalkin' their prey. Shine a light and you can see the battalion of reptile eyes, like fallen stars strewn across the water's surface. Yes, we're in the icky Florida swamp, where it's scary-dark and it's nasty. I lived there once, and it's also where Confused Little Girl and Southern Gentlemen rose from the filthy muck.

I told Racer that I've been listening to the independent release of this album for almost a year but I clearly wasn't the only one. Rotten Records took notice and signed the Orlando-based group, turning out Southern Gentlemen internationally on Oct. 11. They brought an exceptional and original rock band on board, in my opinion. Here's some information from their bio for those who haven't heard about Confused Little Girl yet.

"Confused Little Girl are a four-piece, deep-fried, southern swamp-rock band from Orlando, Florida. Their songs are filled with themes of drinking whiskey, murdering people and burying them in the bellies of alligators, pigs and the bottom of the water in the Everglades, and of course, selling your soul to Satan. The music that accompanies this subject matter is filled with loud guitars; heavy, groove-based big drums and enough fat-bottom for even Freddie Mercury to be disgusted. Since 2005, these beloved bastards of rock have been working tirelessly to shove their brand of heavy rock and roll down the throats of as many people as humanly possible."

Influences include: AC/DC, ZZ Top, Black Sabbath, Down, C.O.C., Clutch, and Queens of the Stone Age. What more do you need to know? Want details? Too bad. I don't know much else about Confused Little Girl, aside from the fact that Billy Van Muddlestein, David Washburn, Red Reilly and Josh Henry like booze, bitches and barbecue. Hell, who doesn't?

"We come from the Swamp," Confused Little Girl says. "We play rock-and-roll music. Loud, angry, drunken rock-and-roll. Being from Florida, where tons of southern rock bands came from, we have southern music in our hearts. The details about how we met and who we've played with and all of that bullshit isn't important. It's music, you listen to it. So listen to it. "

I have listened to Southern Gentlemen - many times. Too many to count. I'm listening again right now and I'll tell you something: it never gets old. Like I said before, I've been playing this release since the beginning of the year and I'm not stopping now. I won't bother with trying to describe every song because it's all good. The guitars are southern-scuzzy; the vocals are hefty and raunchy, but they're definitely still clear enough for me. The bass and drums are just monstrous. It's everything I love about swamp rock. No wonder I can't get enough.

Oh. And the song titles. Don't get me started on that. "I'd Rather Booby Screw A Walrus" is a favorite, along with "Honestly, Who Gives Their Genitals Pet Names". "Hookers on Horseback", "(Hey Dad) Stop Looking at Porn on My Computer", "Jordan Catalano Needs to Break Up His Shitty Band" and "How Satan Stole My Heart". C'mon. Aren't those some of the most interesting song names you've ever heard? Just reading those names makes you want to listen, doesn't it? Go ahead. You'll be happy you did.

The sick, 12-song Southern Gentlemen was sort of an obscure title earlier this year. Well not any more. I'm glad to see Confused Little Girl get signed by Rotten Records. Now the world has a better chance to hear the swamp-rock I've been trudging through for months. Head to the Rotten Records site for this record and get your copy NOW.

Hail the swamp!

--Heddbuzz

http://store.rottenrecords.com/confused-little-girl-southern-gentlemen.html
http://www.bastardsofrock.com/
http://www.reverbnation.com/confusedlittlegirl

The Heavy Company - The Heavy (Please Tune In . . .)

2011-11-21T00:40:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday morning. Third cup of coffee is already drained but the desired caffeine effect is evading my brain. Hiding from my cortex as if I was a movie slasher and it was my prey. Details are hazy, but I remember last night something about some Gin. And some Bourbon. There may me more to the story, but until pictures appear on Facebook or an embarrassing video on YouTube breaks 1,000,000 hits, I'll deny it.

Just setting the stage here. Giving you a peek into my brain as I plop down at my Ripple desk. There's submissions to go through, reviews to write, and the ever present threat of needing to catch up with the Record Label accounting. I need some music to get my brain moving. Something heavy but not damaging. Something with enough energy to clear the cobwebs and kick that caffeine into effect, but not enough to make my eardrums shudder. I want it slightly dark, definitely psychedelic. I want some bleeding guitar effects to swirl through the clouds in my mind but enough of an edge to cut through that haze like a ray of sunlight blitzing down from the heavens. I want it to light up my brain.

I want The Heavy Company.

Metaphysical psychedelia is the name of the game here and The Heavy Company do it just about as well as anybody out there. First and foremost is the understated, yet always effective guitar work of Ian Gerber. Psychedelic rock of this irk has a tough fence to straddle. Somehow, the guitarist has to find a way to evoke the hallucinogenic dreamscapes that he sees in his mind, layering his tone with effects and variety, yet never lose himself up his own ass. Too much masturbation and the music become boring. Not enough variety and it feels empty. Ian finds that place. Each note seems perfectly chosen; not necessarily planned--because that would lose it's spontaneity--but felt perfectly in time with the music and the flow.

Behind Ian, Jeff Kaleth on drums and Ryan Strawsma on bass propel the compositions forward, filling in the spaces between the strobe-light guitars and smoky haze. Again, no over playing here. No bass lines trying to compete for attention. It all just flows into one seamless swirling flow. One kaleidoscopic river, currents of sound and colors, smells and visions. A mushroom trip of music. Perfect.

I suck again at my empty coffee mug. Nothing but air. Yet, I'm feeling better. Somewhere within the six songs of this free EP, I've started to revive. "Please Tune In . . ." opened the doors for me slowly, an introductory opium den of gentle drums and cloud-puffs of guitar. Nothing too harsh, just an invitation for what's to follow. Then somewhere during "The Heavy," my brain starts to awake. Slowly, nothing jolting. Ian's guitar reminds me of passages of Colour Haze or My Sleeping Karma. Spartan and clear, tracing out a delicate harmony. Vocals are a bit buried in the mix, but by the time they come in, something new is hinted at. Maybe it's because the boys come from Lafayette, Indiana, but there's a definite earthiness to the song. A lone cowboy riding the prairie feel. Western-tinged, rootsy, yet still defiantly psychedelic. That's not a mix I'd heard too often and lays claim for new territory. Like a prospector staking out a claim, The Heavy Company have declared their piece of land. Midwest psychedelia.

"Black Tuesday," adds a touch of classic 60's-70's rock to the mix. I hear a touch of Bad Company in the main riff, while the bass percolates behind, before the song wanders into pure jam territory. Bring that harmonica in, let the riff dirty up a bit, pick up the pace. Yep, I'm feeling stronger now. Maybe I'll actually be able to face the day. "Wormweed," brings in even more muscle to the tone, effectively toughening up the sound, getting my heart beating just a bit, pumping that long-awaited caffeine to my limbic system. It's all been a perfect progression from the haze to the rock, as if the whole EP tells one singular story. "Monsignor Charlie Bird," brings the sky down, the requisite coolness, before the final cut "Caged Bird," kicks my mind back into regular time. A chugging guitar riff, still earthy and classic. Good stuff.

The Heavy Company find that rare balance for many psychedelic bands, effect-laden and THC-adled, yet still focused and rocking. I dig the rootsy-vibe under the fuzz, it keeps the album rooted in terra firma even as they float off and explore. The riffs are driving enough to keep the song moving, the jamming is spontaneous and extended enough to fuel the imagination synapses. Dig into this album for your own hangover, or make it the focus of your future hangover to be. Heck, get the hangover out of the way completely, just dig into this album. If you're a fan of the Elektrohasch label brand of darkened spectrum psychedelia, this album will hit your sweet spot.

Download it all free here

--Racer

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theheavycompany.bandcamp.com/album/the-heavy-please-tune-in"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Heavy (Please Tune In…) by The Heavy Co.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Shovel's Unearthed Treasures - free music for your ears

2011-11-20T00:07:00.000-08:00

Five more bands that you should take note of.

Traitors return to earth - Columbus, Ohio's purveyors of downtuned sludge assault. Running the full gamut of classic heft: Name your price @ http://traitorsreturntoearth.bandcamp.com/

Fire Spoken By The Buffalo - If you like Russian Circles, Pelican, Explosions In The Sky then this will be right up your street. Name your price @ http://firespokenbythebuffalo.bandcamp.com/album/hiatus

Dodaren - Genius Swedes who dig Soundgarden. Free download @ http://dodaren.bandcamp.com/album/flyttar-in

Switchblade Jesus - Sounding like a heavier,more pissed off version of fellow Texans Wo Fat. Fuzzing huge. Free download @ :http://switchbladejesus1.bandcamp.com/album/switchblade-jesus

Judd Madden - Instrumental stoner doom riffing of considerable quality. Free Download @ http://juddmadden.bandcamp.com/album/drown

Green Day - Awesome As Fuck

2011-11-19T00:41:00.000-08:00

Rarely does an album title ever perfectly capture how well an album truly is and Green Day’s latest album Awesome As F**k (the band’s fifth live album) does just that. Even as their song “Fashion Victim” (from their album Warning) says, “What’s in a name?” Green Day knows how to make an awesome album with a killer title. Ever since I could remember I have always been a huge fan of Green Day. Strike that. Since 1994, when I first heard Dookie, I have been a huge Green Day fan. For the past decade I have received the strangest looks from people when I proclaim this. Usually, there is some kind of remark along the lines like “How could you support those ‘Anti-Americans’?” or “Why would you support a band that ‘sold out’?” To those naysayers I simply say, “I will always remain a faithful fan through thick and thin because I truly love Green Day. Besides how many bands do you know can say they have made two iconic albums in two different centuries (Dookie and American Idiot)?”

Since my introduction to following bands/music I have noticed an unusual trend amongst music fans or rather I have actually paid attention for the first time. Most individuals are “casual music fans” and only listen to bands that are “hot at the moment.” Only the true and diehard fans follow a band when they appear/disappear from the limelight and never give up on them. I can honestly trace back the moment when I first heard Green Day. It was in Mrs. Jones’ third grade class at Grace Brethren Elementary School and my classmate Chad introduced me to the awesomeness that is Green Day. Thank you Chad, wherever you are.

Over the years I have loved discussing my affection and admiration for Green Day. While at concerts I will usually interact with other fans discussing their past albums, side projects (such as the Foxboro Hot Tubes) and describe how we were first introduced to the band. After a while I noticed a pattern amongst the “older fans,” who were introduced to Green Day prior to American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, which I like to call the Dookie situation. The reason I call it the Dookie situation is because most diehard Green Day fans categorize people into two categories: 1) Fans of Green Day before Dookie and 2) Fans of Green Day after Dookie. Basically, their argument is always “Were you a fan before or after they found mainstream success?” My counterargument has and will always be, “I discovered Green Day because of that album. What’s wrong with that?” That’s usually fine, but if they have an attitude I add, “Excuse me if I was only in the third grade when it came out and weren’t able to check them out in the East Bay in the early 1990s.” Luckily, that has rarely happened.

Still, my passion runs deep for Green Day. As a matter of fact I plan on attending American Idiot, their musical once it opens in Los Angeles Spring 2012 with some fellow diehard Green Day fans. When Rock Band released the Green Day videogame I immediately marked my calendar and rushed out and bought it the morning of its release. Needless to say I’m a fan regardless how old I get.

Awesome As F**k is what a live album should be: fun, fresh and fantastic. As the title even alludes to its f**king awesome and the album immediately drops you into that concert environment. The last two times I saw Green Day was during the first leg of the 21st Century Breakdown tour with their final show at The Forum and during “New Years” at L.A. Live near the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Both times, they sounded fantastic, but the “New Years” gig was even more amazing. At that show, they primarily played their old stuff from Kerplunk, Insomniac, 39/Smooth and a handful of “current songs” from American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown (maybe three or so during a 90 minute set). The raw energy they infused the audience with at each show created two great memories for this Green Day fan.

That same energy can be seen in their latest effort Awesome As F**k. The album kicks off with “21st Century Breakdown,” the titular track from their platinum selling studio album, and for the first few seconds all you hear and feel is the crowd going wild. There is nothing more exhilarating than an audience picking up your intensity and getting your blood pumping. Immediately I was brought back into that environment as though I was at the concert. That’s when you know a live album is great- it brings you into the concert.

The intensity continues to build throughout the track and even more enthusiasm erupts when the explosions go off before Billie Joe Armstrong starts singing. Once Armstrong belts out the lyrics, it’s nonstop fun. The very first time I listened to this album I had goosebumps all over my body. Around the 2:20 mark, you hear Tre Cool’s awesome drumming in the background as Armstrong riles up the crowd before the crowd’s intensity blows up. Then a minute later all hell breaks loose and the energy goes up a whole another notch. That’s what a great band does- pumps up its crowd’s energy to the max and then some.

Where “21st Century Breakdown” leaves off “Know Your Enemy” picks up. These first two tracks highlight the raw energy of Green Day fans much like the KISS Army on the KISS album Alive! and Cheap Trick’s Cheap Trick at Budokan. This irresistible live track makes you want to clap and scream along with as though you were there.

Much like their last album, “East Jesus Nowhere” is my favorite track on Awesome As F**k. Armstrong illustrates what a fun, fantastic frontman he truly is by getting the entire crowd involved with repeating the intro. Once the guitars and drums kick in, “East Jesus Nowhere” highlights how talented Green Day is with creating catchy, energetic and effective songs filled with messages.

With lyrics like, “A fire burns today/ Of blasphemy and genocide/The sirens of decay/Will infiltrate the faith fanatics” it’s no surprise Green Day has been successful for over 20 years. Still, my favorite part of the song is when the audience sings the part, “Don't test me (Pause)/ Second guess me (Pause) /Protest me” by themselves. Overall, a fantastic live version worth checking out.

The song smoothly transitions to one of the most popular and enduring songs from American Idiot, “Holiday.” It’s so flawless, much like a concert, that for a few seconds you forget it’s a whole new song. For almost the past decade, this politically-charged song has inspired, infuriated and increased awareness for many people around the world. Most people tend to forget the only musicians who openly condemned and criticized President George W. Bush’s actions with the War in Iraq from the very beginning were Green Day and the Dixie Chicks. This song still sounds fresh and effective almost a decade later. Hearing the audience shout back “Amen” is intense and inspiring, mostly due to Dublin’s unbelievable energy. Every time I hear this song I can’t help, but get excited. This live track just adds to my enjoyment even more, especially when the crowd sings along to “Zieg Heil to the President Gasman/Bombs away is your punishment/Pulverize the Eiffel Towers/Who criticize your government.”

The more relaxed “¡Viva La Gloria!” follows and shows the softer side of Green Day for a few tender moments before blasting off to the hard sound we have been accustomed to for their entire career. Much like their previous live album Bullet in a Bible, Green Day’s Awesome As F**k primarily focuses on songs from the previous album (21st Century Breakdown features six songs), but do include some awesome tracks from their back catalog.

At the tail end of “¡Viva La Gloria!” around 4:03, Billie Joe Armstrong announces to a Dallas crowd, “We are going to play a brand new song,” which the crowd rejoices to before Armstrong adds, “It ain’t that brand new.” The song transitions unnoticeably (from Dallas to Phoenix) with “Cigarettes and Valentines” officially beginning with Armstrong saying, “This song is called ‘Cigarettes and Valentines.’ Let’s Go!” Surprisingly, there is a good amount of fans who already know some of the lyrics and it makes you wonder what could have been?

For those unfamiliar with what I am getting at, let me give you some insight into Green Day history. Green Day was following up their album Warning with an album called Cigarettes and Valentines in 2003. Near the end of their sessions, the master recordings for the twentysomething tracks were stolen and the band was left with two options: rerecord everything or start from scratch. Green Day chose the latter and history was made. The band recorded the rock opera American Idiot and created one of the most iconic albums thus far in the 21st Century. Even my Baby Boomer parents know who Green Day is because of American Idiot. I heard “Cigarettes and Valentines” for the very first time because of this live album and it’s exactly what I want in a Green Day song.

The classic Dookie song, “Burnout” has become a staple at shows and you can see why. Everyone from Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, Mike Dirt, the rest of the touring band (Jason White, Jason Freese, Jeff Matika) and the crowd’s excitement fuels the intensity of an already splendid song. Even when you see Green Day live, it’s nice they enthusiastically still play their classic songs that gained them national exposure. They follow up with an oldie from their debut album 39/Smooth, “Going to Pasalacqua.” Like most live albums, this one keeps giving with another rare track, “J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)," from the movie soundtrack Angus and besides the aforementioned soundtrack was only featured on the greatest hits album International Superhits! These gems supplement this stellar album, which proves even superstars like Green Day aren’t afraid to play their back catalog and still love playing their classics.

“You guys want to hear some more old shit or what?” Billie Joe Armstrong says before opening the track “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?” and adds after strumming a few notes, “This song is my favorite song from Kerplunk by the way.” Armstrong’s energy and enthusiasm pumps me up every time I listen to this part of the album. Much like attending one of their shows, Green Day keeps you entertained and somehow builds upon your excitement with each subsequent song. The album Insomniac is finally represented with “Geek Stink Breath” and like the previous five songs, a classic song will always be great no matter what.

Then it really gets crazy with “When I Come Around.” Besides “Basket Case” (my all time favorite Green Day song), “When I Come Around” is definitely in my top three songs from Green Day. Once again, they deliver another amazing live version and you can’t help, but sing along. However, my only complaint about this entire album is the Berlin audience’s lack of enthusiasm and knowledge of the lyrics to this Green Day classic. At times, you can’t even hear them sing the lyrics, which is disappointing.

Luckily, Brisbane’s audience picks up the pieces and gives great enthusiasm for “She.” Three of Green Day’s most popular recent songs “21 Guns,” “American Idiot,” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends” follow. Like everything preceding these tracks, Green Day remains full of fun and energy after playing these songs essentially nonstop for the past seven years. Hearing the entire audience sing the opening chorus, “Don't want to be an American Idiot/Don't want a nation under the new media/And can you hear the sound of hysteria?/The subliminal mind fuck America” is beyond amazing. It honestly doesn’t get any better than that.

The standard edition of the album closes with “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” which feels like the perfect bookend to Awesome As F**k. As the lyrics suggest I “had the time of my life” enjoying this album. If that’s not enough, the album includes a DVD with concert footage from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Talk about an extra hour of awesomeness! Awesome As F**k is easily one of my favorite albums of the year and in my opinion the best live album of 2011! I wish more albums were filled with so many goodies.

--Brownstone

Fen Head Back to the Studio to Record the Follow-up to their Massively Successful Ripple Debut, "Trails Out of Gloom"

2011-11-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

Heavy Planet hailed "Trails Out of Gloom" as one of the "best albums of 2010." Infernal Masquerade proclaimed "Trails" to be one of the "Top 10 Albums of the Year!" Imagine Echoes and Prognaut both raved that "Trails" was on their "Best of" year's end list, and Progressions Magazine gave "Trails" a perfect 16 out of 16 score, gushing that "Trails was "consistently enchanting from start to finish" and called it "Fantastic in every way" as they proceeded to give it their "highest possible rating!"

So what does a band do for an encore after accolades like that? For Fen, the answer will be given soon as the band has just announced that they're honing a new batch of songs for a trip back to the recording studio in December. Tour dates are sure to follow.

While no one knows what to expect from the fertile minds of the Fen maestros, one thing we do know is to expect the unexpected. Doug Harrison has said that the next album will be darker and heavier than "Trails," not simply a retreading of old sounds. Fen are eager to expand. Explore. The anticipation builds.

In other Fen news, plans are underway for a deluxe vinyl edition of "Trails Out of Gloom," intended to be released coinciding with the band's summer tour dates. As a special bonus, songs from Fen's previous, self-released album "Congenital Fixation" is being prepared for inclusion as a special bonus digital download with the album. Two great Fen albums for the price of one!

In the meantime, the "Trails Out of Gloom" CD is still available in limited quantities from the Ripple Music store Be sure to get yours before supplies run out.

And if you missed the video for Fen’s latest single, “Miracle”, check it out:

"Consistently enchanting from start to finish, Trails out of Gloom is one of the more rapturous releases you're likely to encounter in quite some time. It is fantastic in every way. Highest possible rating, 16/16." -- Progressions Magazine

"Trails Out of the Gloom is reminiscent of 70s progressive rock with a modern prog rock kick. Trails Out of the Gloom isn't as "spacey" as Pink Floyd sometimes get. But, like Gilmour's work, the solos simply soar and the guitars are truly beautiful and epic. It's heavy, in the way that a lot of progressive rock is heavy (like Porcupine Tree) but that has more to do with atmosphere than with amplifiers. Most of this CD is acoustic guitar and lighter rock'n'roll ... and yet the CD often sounds dark. It's a fascinating combination." -- Rough Edge

“This CD will impact you immediately, but the true brilliance of Trails Out of Gloom comes from further absorption. This is a stellar release. "-- Sea of Tranquility
RIPPLE MUSIC STORE

Also available at CDBaby, Amazon.com, Ebay, and All That Is Heavy.com

www.ripple-music.com

Landmine Marathon - Gallows

2011-11-18T01:09:00.000-08:00

Oh, my children, devotees, congregation-- how I do so love the death/grind.

This most rarified of music genres, is, to me, death metal distilled to a purer and more powerful form, much the same way potatoes yield vodka and poppy seeds yield heroin.

Generally death metal is inflated and cartoonish, but you get something great if you purge it of its disingenuous parts-- eliminate most solos and breakdowns, and instead of grunting vocals cookie-monster-style to try and simulate something powerful or evil, shriek into the mike-- actually be something powerful and/or evil.

Of course, this last part is tricky, and requires the soul of a high priest, or shaman, and not that of an entertainer or performer. Fortunately the members of Landmine seem to be the former two.

Slow death metal way down-- you get haarp. Speed it way, way up, detune it even further, and you get what is popularly known as DeathGrind. A sub-type of music I genuinely enjoy.

Imagine my delight, then, at the arrival of Landmine Marathon's newest, Gallows.

This is solid, dependable, professionally-executed music.

Sounds boring, right? Like a backhanded compliment? It's not-- read on.

You'd want a John Deere if you had to plow your fields, right? Not a Maserati. The Italian sports car is glossy and slick and really fast, but any farmer will take the Deere first-- because there are things you need to do, things that have to happen in order for you to live-- and you know the tractor will do everything you ask it to.

Is it glamorous? No. But it's crucial.

Gallows will grind your face off, voice your hysterical rage and confusion and connect you to the dark like no other. When you need grind, with the possible exception of Brutal Truth, nothing will work better, will scour your soul better, than Landmine.

Gallows isn't particularly an evolution over their previous releases, but I'm nearly certain they're not going for evolution-- more refinement. Hell, Faulkner wrote the same book every time-- it just got better and realer and clearer over time.

"Three Snake Leaves," "Cutting Flesh and Bone," "Liver and Lungs" and "Beaten and Left Blind" and "Morbidity," with its Arabian-Slayer-esque riff, are my personal favs.

Get some....

--Horn

Old & New Dreams - S/T

2011-11-17T00:57:00.000-08:00

In the never ending battle between time and money, I will take time every time. I will also take content over technology. Even though I lost my job a few months ago and money is tight, having extra time to get re-acquainted with old gems on my LP shelves has been very rewarding. The self titled 1979 album from a band of Ornette Coleman alumni called Old And New Dreams has always been a favorite of mine but it was unplayed for many years. Now with the luxury of time on my hands it's back spinning on my turntable on a more consistent basis.

Ornette Coleman's music is a mystery to most and just plain unappealing to some. What no one will deny is that Ornette has played with some of the greatest and most creative musicians who have ever lived. In the mid-70's, as Ornette moved into using electric instruments, some of his best players put together Old And New Dreams to play his acoustic compositions as well as their own. Don Cherry (trumpet), Charlie Haden (bass) and Ed Blackwell (drums) were his key collaborators in the 1950's and Dewey Redman (tenor sax) worked with him in the 1960's. What a band! All of these musicians were part of the so-called New Thing, or Free Jazz, but their roots all ran very deep. In addition to being great improvisers they're all each great composers. When you put that combination together, special things are bound to happen. Like this album.

The album opens with "Lonely Woman," one of Ornette's most famous and accessible songs and their version stays faithful to the original but may even surpass it. ECM Records, who released this album, is well know for immaculately clean recordings. Every instrument is beautifully recorded and reinforces the song's slow boil mysterioso. Charlie Haden's deep bass groove merged with the incredible drumming of Ed Blackwell drive Don Cherry and Dewey Redman to deliver fantastic solos. Blackwell's drumming is simply unbelievable on "Togo," his arrangement of a traditional Ghanese song. You like cowbell? You've never heard it like this before. Side one wraps up with Don Cherry's composition "Guinea," which starts off slow but ends up swinging.

Side two starts off with a great Ornette Coleman song titled "Open Or Close" that Ornette never got around to recording himself. I'm not sure when it was written but it's a classic example of harmolodics in action. Dewey Redman's contribution "Orbit Of La-Ba" has him playing snake charmer melodies on a musette and some more incredible African influenced drum breaks from Blackwell. Haden uses a bow on his bass to create incredible underwater sounds on his tune "Song For The Whales." It's too bad Jimi Hendrix never got to jam with Haden, the tones he produces on an acoustic instrument would have really flipped his lid.

Like a lot of great albums, this is sadly out of print but it should't be too difficult to track down a used copy. Playing this album again after all these years has really reinforced that the simple act of listening to great music can truly be one of life's great pleasures. The album was paid for years ago and the music still sounds like it's from the future.

--Woody

Lance King – A Moment in Chiros

2011-11-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

For some reason unknown to most of us, this is the kind of power/prog metal that causes European audiences to lose their minds, but most American metal fans kind of shrug and give a collective, “Meh”. I’ve read others’ opinions on this and the most prevalent is that power metal often has classical roots, which are embedded in the European conscience, whereas American listeners are used to more blues based music. Whatever the case, if you dismiss power metal, you are cheating yourself out of some good stuff.

For me, power metal is a more positive, uplifting form of metal. Usually the lyrics contain a positive message. Kind of like that happy feeling you get from 80’s hair metal without the cheese and spandex. We who love metal don’t always have to listen to stuff that sounds like it was ripped from the bowels of hell with Asmodeus on lead vocals.

If you’re not familiar with Lance King, he has been the vocalist for Pyramaze and Balance of Power, and has sung on 25+ releases in his 21 year career, so he’s not a newcomer. This is, however, his first step out as a solo artist. The story goes that Lance decided at the end of June 2011 to do a solo album, began recruiting other musicians to help him out, and they had the entire album written, recorded, mixed and mastered 90 days later. So dude obviously knows how to get things done.

What of the results? Well, I’ll be right up front here with the one negative I have with this album. It is meant to be a concept album, but in many places the lyrics seem very forced to fit this concept, as well as some spoken word parts inserted for, apparently, narrative flow. But other than this, it’s a very good album. If you’re into Dream Theater, Symphony X, or the seemingly 100’s of European bands that play power/proggy metal, you will be very happy with this album.

Lance King has assembled a very competent cast of musicians and this is a very solid album. Most of it sounds pretty much like you would expect from this sub-genre, but there is also some very interesting instrumentation on some of the tracks. “Awakening” and “Manifest Destiny” manage to use what sound like real woodwind and traditional instruments without veering over into folk metal. “A Moment in Chiros”, the title track, has a nice change of tempo and feels as though it goes through a couple of movements. And since I ripped on the lyrics a little, I have to say that “Dance of Power” has some well worded political commentary for those who listen closely. Track 9, “Joy Everlasting” has some true ripping and head banging moments, which is another nice change of pace. “Sacred Systems” is probably the proggiest track on the album, and actually manages to remind me of Queensryche at the same time.

“A Moment in Chiros” is a solid solo outing for Lance King. So come on, American metal fans, give power metal a chance. You gotta listen to something between now and the next full moon when you hold your Satanic rites.

-- ODIN

Sly And The Family Stone - A Whole New Thing

2011-11-16T00:16:00.000-08:00

Scene: It is mid-afternoon. Penfold is sitting in his office. He is listening to music. His friend enters the room. (Conversation intended to be read quickly)

“Hey Penfold.”
“What’s going on my friend?”
“Nothing much. Same old, same old if you know what I mean. Say…what is that?”
“What is what?”
“That thing.”
“What thing?”
“That thing,” says my friend as he points his finger.
“The stereo?”
“No, not the stereo. What is that thing that you are listening to?”
“Oh, that thing.”
“Yes, that thing. Is it new?”
“Yes it is.”
“When did you get the thing?”
“The thing came in the mail today.”
“Do you like the thing?”
“Oh yes. This thing is special.”
“Because it’s new?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what’s so special about the thing?”
“Everything. It’s a whole new thing!”
“A whole new thing?”
“Yes indeed.”
“Are you pulling my leg about this thing Penfold?”
“Would I joke around about a thing like this?”
“You joke around about things all the time.”
“But this thing is different.”
“Because it’s new?”
“Wholly new!”
“Can I believe you about a thing like this?”
“Can you afford not to believe me about a thing like this?”
“The thing is you do seem to know a little bit about these things.”
“Yes. These things are things I like to know about.”
“They’re kind of your thing.”
“Precisely!”
“So I should get my own copy of the thing?”
“That seems to me like the thing to do!”
“Do you really think I’ll like the new thing?”
“Absolutely. You’ll like the new thing a lot better than that old thing you’re into.”
“Fine. You talked me into it. I’ll pick up a copy of the thing.”
“Great! I promise it’ll be just the thing!”

There is no point in beating around the bush waveriders. I’m confident that nearly every human being on this planet has heard a Sly And The Family Stone song. It is certainly possible that some individual out there is operating under the assumption they have not yet been exposed to this group, but let’s face it…they’re wrong. Maybe “Everyday People”. Perhaps “I Want To Take You Higher”. Almost certainly “Dance To The Music”. Some folk might not have known the name of the band, but I guarantee an overwhelming majority would hear the beginning of one of those aforementioned songs and say to themselves, “Oh man. I love this song!”

Sly And The Family Stone’s second, third, fourth, and fifth albums are considered all-time classics. This is a statement that I wholeheartedly agree with, but I am going to talk about something else today. I am going to talk about my personal favorite Sly Stone album; his debut, A Whole New Thing. From the first moment I began listening to this album my ears knew that they had found a new soul mate. Waveriders, I’m sure you have all experienced one of these musical connections yourselves, but if you have not had the pleasure let me explain further. To say that the music clicked with me immediately is an enormous understatement. It was magical!

Admittedly, I’m a sucker for bands that combine musical elements I already like in a new and interesting way. I like rock n’ roll. I like funk. I like classic r&b/soul. I like the blues, and I like pop. SATFS manages to combine elements from all of those genres into an immensely listenable sonic gumbo. The main reason I like the music on A Whole New Thing more than later Sly Stone releases is that the songs are less refined than what followed. What does that mean? Well, the energy level of every song is off the charts and the compositions are often quite complicated. Most songs utilize multiple singers, have horns blasting intricate note patterns, and layer truly funky guitar/bass/organ instrumentation on top of some wicked rock n’ roll drumming. In short, it’s a dream come true for folks like me!

Those in need of proof concerning what I’ve reported need look no further than album opener “Underdog”. Horns build up listener anticipation before the full band kicks in around the twenty second mark. From there we have highly motivated start/stop drumming, rock solid basslines, tasteful guitar and organ playing, and positively massive sounding waves of unified instruments and voices following irresistible sing-along choruses. Oh, and the lyrical content is nothing to laugh at either. And that is only the first song! It gets even better! The energy level is lowered slightly for the next two tracks, “If This Room Could Talk” and “Run, Run, Run”. Then the throttle is stomped to the floor for the barn-burning “Turn Me Loose”. Knowing that the listener needs a breather, the band delivers the stunning blues/soul number “Let Me Hear It From You”. Waveriders I apologize. This writeup is getting out of control, and I didn’t even talk about other favorites like “I Cannot Make It”, the psychedelic “Trip To Your Heart”, or the bonus track “What Would I Do” from the 2007 remaster. Alas, you’ll have to discover these delectable sonic morsels for yourselves.

On several occasions I’ve read that A Whole New Thing is a ‘lost album’. Due to the success of later Sly And The Family Stone albums, the debut release is largely forgotten. This is a travesty of the highest order! But fear not waveriders, for we can rectify this grave injustice. All you have to do is pick up a copy of this magnificent album, let the music it contains fill your days with happiness and good cheer, and then spread the word to anyone who will listen. We can do this!

--Penfold

Ogressa - Warts And All

2011-11-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Man, sometimes I really wish I could afford to pack up and move to the California desert. For almost 20 years, many of the bands who I love the most have come from that area, but I'll never have the chance to see any of them play a live show where I'm at now. Who the hell comes to Nebraska? A lot of my favorite groups won't, but sometimes their cd's will.

Warts And All, the debut by Ogressa, is the latest prize possession I've greedily snatched out of my mailbox with my grubby hands. "Dali's Llama Records, Palm Springs, CA.," I'm reading on the big yellow envelope. Oh shit. I'm like a skinny, strung-out junkie fumbling with his stash I'm so excited. I wanna get this in the stereo and pumping through my veins as soon as possible.

I know...I have a problem. Admitting it is the first step, right? You wouldn't understand unless you're an addict like me because Ogressa are not just another spin-off. Some of my favorite all-star players in the game make up this rock band.

First, we have the one-and-only Zach Huskey (Dali's Llama) on guitars and some vocals and such. He wrote all the songs on Warts And All - except 1 cover - and I shouldn't have to tell anyone about the riffs commanded by his hands. Trent Ramsmeyer (Whores of Tijuana) supplies his 'spellbinding throat' on lead vocals. He's also the producer/engineer for the album. Then there's...wait for it...desert rock legend Scott Reeder (Kyuss, etc.) on bass for 3 songs. Ian Dye (Ape Has Killed Ape) is the main skin-slapper and Mike Jacobsen (Hot Beat Pussy Fiend) provides the bottom-end on most of the tracks.

"Ogressa is a heavy-sounding band and the name of Shrek's evil blue-headed stepmother. Ugly human males yelling and singing loud; rumbly low sounding doomy noise, with guitars and pounding and thudding things." according to the band. "Heavy, down-tuned rock and sludge." Sure, it's part desert-rock. It's rock music from desert, isn't it? But it's also part doom. It's part...DESERT DOOM. Yep. That's a new term for me; heard it from another music-lover a while back and I'm sure I'll be talking about it again.

"Lady Ogress", "Snake Head" and "Animal Mask" are perfect examples. They're what I would consider pure desert doom and I believe they're some of the heaviest songs by Ogressa. Think of sand turning to glass. That's what desert doom is to me. The elements can be that extreme.

It's definitely not all sludge, gloom and doom; ogres and witches, though. "Sonoran Desert" is a real place in the southwest and it's also one of my favorites on Warts And All. It's mainly acoustic and it's beautiful, just like the desert sunflowers I'm picturing in my head as I'm listening. I hear the site-seeing there can be amazing. "Rational Man" is yet another fave. It starts spooky and gloomy, but grows funky and up-tempo as hell after the first 40 seconds and I find it hard not to start shakin' my ass. Oh...piss on it. Let's boogie down.

Know something? I'm feeling a little ashamed after listening to Warts And All for days on end now. You see, I practically begged Ogressa for a copy after hearing the first 2 songs, "Give Me Some Space" and "Mange", which I've included below for you listening pleasure. The band obliged, but I shoulda forked out my hard-earned bucks because this album is a 10-track, 50-minute precious bounty of heavy rock music. I'm sorry, Ogressa. I'm making it a mission of mine to save up enough money to get at least a few more releases from Dali's Llama Records. And a t-shirt, too. Extra-large.

You can also buy Warts and All from iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby. Hell, you can probably get it most anywhere and I highly recommend that you do. I should get you a copy 'cause I didn't pay for mine, but I can't afford it right now. Seriously.

--Heddbuzz

http://ogressa.com/
http://www.dalisllamarecords.com/
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ogressa

Kirby - Into The Dark

2011-11-15T00:46:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This album should not be consumed by diabetics. The sugar content could be detrimental to your health

I’m talking about Kirby’s new album Into The Dark. You can download it for free at bandcamp. This is John Kirby’s second release. It is an amazingly strong effort that taps the intersection of Country, folk and roots rock. It sounds thoroughly American with an incredible dose of syrupy sweetness in every lyric. Even though the lyrics could give you cavities, this is great stuff. Each one is like unwrapping a fun size candy bar.

The opening track “Off Your Mind” swells forward with a country folk-pop deliciousness and harmonies that put the Eagles to shame. Then, Kirby breaks into “Picking Up Page,” a cute pop piece. It is at this point you realize how good Kirby’s voice really is. When Kirby bounces in on “High Horse” the mood gets a touch harder and we rides off into the sunset at a gallop

The track “Into The Dark”, for which the album is named, is a pop lost love song. These are the types of songs that have you crying in your beer if your significant other just left you. Whenever there is a break up there is “Change” and that is exactly the name of the next song. Kirby sings it in his best “Love Hurts” pop sorrow voice.

What follows, “The Other Boys”, is as sappy as Kirby gets. It is an overblown meet and fall in love song. Somehow the song still works despite its candy corniness - probably due to the incredible wall of sound instrumentation.

The best songwriting of the album is the last of the eight tracks and it highlights Kirby’s big city dream. Kirby tell us “I Want To Live New York.” The song is a discussion with a woman who wants to live in New York and she tells Kirby why. Kirby then plans how they can do it together.

Once you get past the pixie stick lyrics you’ll find in Kirby an incredible instrumentalist, composer and arranger. Look, sugar tastes good. Just don’t have too much at one time. The seven scoops on Into The Dark are just about right.

- Old School

SuperGiant - Pistol Star

2011-11-14T00:45:00.000-08:00

Thunder: noun: The explosive sound that accompanies a stroke of lightning.

SuperGiant: noun: see Thunder.

A sonic explosion. A crack of electricity tearing through the desert sky. A southwestern thunderstorm full of malevolence and fear. A thunderhead gathering on the bleak horizon. Violence to follow.

That's SuperGiant.

Rampaging out of the desert southwest state of New Mexico, SuperGiant breathe in the dirt and dust of their arid environment and spew out a thunderous assault of bottom-heavy, fuzzy-sludged, stoner rock that's as tough and rugged as the southwest's ancient mountains. Riff-mad waves of sound blow the sand off the bleached and whitened bones of the desert's dead, exposing an ancient and beating soul. The thunderhead approaches. Scorpions scatter in fear of the approaching devastation.

I'm not talking hyperbole here. Tons of stoner, sludge, southern, and doom rock makes its way through the Ripple doors each month, but I can't remember the last time I heard a band that brings it all together with the ferocity, balls, and skill that SuperGiant does. Each riff is simple, pure and clean, but mean as a starving desert coyote tearing the flesh off an unsuspecting kill. Drums and bass pummel with the unrelenting death knell of the desert sun. And best of all, each song rocks with a groove as steady as the flow of the Rio Grande. This IS desert rock. This is what it's supposed to sound like. Stark and heavy and mean. Thunder. It sounds like thunder.

"Tres de la Manana" is my introduction to the desert hostility. The intro riff is simple and barren, a pulse of bass perfectly timed to add the menace. Then the storm hits and all hell breaks loose. Bass and drums kick into overdrive, pounding that riff into the rockhard desert ground. Joel Rogers' voice is the perfect accompaniment for the barely contained mayhem ripping the planet apart. Sweet and smooth when he wants, at other times, his vocal chords sound like they've been dessicated and leathered by the baking desert sun. Like he does here, when he drops down into the chorus, his vocal chords offering up every epithelial cell as if a sacrifice to the Sun God.

As good as that opening track is, it was really the second cut, "Emotion" that spiked me down to the desert floor. A simple drum beat. A galloping bass. So far, this could be anybody. But lightning knows when to strike, and with that speed and precision, Jeremy's Mccollum's guitar slices in like electric fire and suddenly the whole desert has erupted into an inferno of fire and ash. Raging like the best riff of Feurzeug or Monster Magnet, the boys let the sound settle while they sit back into a comfortable groove. But it's only a false safety, for seconds later, the fire explodes again. Joel screams to the heavens, the riff echoes against the walls of the craggy valleys, and the rhythm section of Gary Chavez and Kyle Erickson bring the earth to a cataclysmic shudder. No other way to put it. If you like your rock heavy and hard, and grooving like an earthquake, this song is perfect. Just perfect.

There's not a down moment anywhere on this disc. "Revolution" plods and trounces like a soldier's death march. "Rosey Posey" drops some AC/DC-esque attitude into the desert air, but in a way that's more threatening than anything the Aussies ever conjured. "Aries," mixes a sci-fi-ish tone to the guitar before dropping into something as mean as a pissed off pack of Hell's Angels about to set pillage to a helpless desert town. "Mexican Radio" brings a ZZ Top-ish southern boogie swagger into the mix, with the band's ode to the stations that pump it out from down south. Think of this as their version of "Heard it on the X." What's noteworthy here, is how well the guys can pull off the sunburned blues. Finally, "Pistol Star," is a time-warped, epic of Sabbath-y terror and dread. This song reminds me of an Apache indian warrior, alone on the mesa, fire raging, offering a final sacrifice to the Gods before he embarks upon his final suicide raid against the white man. Dread. Foreboding. Violence will follow.

SuperGiant got it. What ever it is that makes a band rise above the carnivorous hoards that shuffle and scurry for attention in the desert-world of stoner rock. What ever it is that makes one band's riffs that much more intense. Their groove that much groovier. Their deslolate and bleak desert land that much scarier. SuperGiant have it. They have that extra something to create magic.

They have thunder.

--Racer

<a href="http://supergiant.bandcamp.com/album/pistol-star">Pistol Star by SuperGiant</a>

BLACK SABBATH: Official Reunion News with Press Conference Video Highlights

2011-11-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

The original lineup of the legendary heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH announced on Friday (November 11) that it was reuniting for its first new album in 33 years and a 2012 world tour.

Singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward revealed during a press conference at legendary Sunset Strip club Whisky a Go Go they were working on new material for the album which will be made available Vertigo/Universal Republic in the U.S. and Vertigo in all other territories. There is no title as yet but it will be produced by Rick Rubin, who has previously worked with METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER and SYSTEM OF A DOWN, among many others. The band hopes to begin recording the CD in January for a fall 2012 release. A world tour will follow, including an appearance at the U.K.'s Download festival on June 10, 2012.

"It's now or never. We are getting along great. Everything's really good," Iommi said.

"It's like putting on an old glove. It's fantastic," he added.

The band credited Rubin's persistence for helping get them back in the studio. "He phoned us every five minutes," Iommi joked.

"It was the obvious choice," explained Osbourne of Rubin as producer. "I've known Rick for many years."

"It was time," said Osbourne of the reunion. "The timing was right."

Osbourne went on to reveal that they've written "seven or eight" new songs for the album, which they plan to release at the end of next year.

Butler added that the new songs are "back to the old SABBATH style and sound. The stuff that Tony's been playing is absolutely brilliant."

Rubin, who was also present at the event, said: "We've been working on developing material and we're halfway into the writing process. It's inspiring hearing what's coming out."

A two-minute video clip featuring highlights from the press conference has been posted on the newly launched official BLACK SABBATH You Tube channel and can be seen below.

The Ozzy-fronted lineup of SABBATH hasn't toured since 2005 and last appeared together when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006. They attempted to cut a new album — their first since 1978's "Never Say Die!" — with Rick Rubin in 1999, but the sessions fell apart after just a couple of songs and Osbourne turned his attention to his solo career. The Ronnie James Dio lineup reunited under the moniker HEAVEN & HELL in 2006 but split four years later, after Dio passed away.

A Sunday Conversation with End Times

2011-11-13T00:38:00.000-08:00

Recently I had the chance to have a Q and A session with the drummer of Dallas, TX Hardcore band END TIMES, Chad Green. Enjoy!

Cicatriz: Introduce yourself to the Waveriders.

Chad Green: My names Chad Green, and I play Drums for END TIMES. Josh Green is our Vocalist. Our Guitarists are Cody Faulkner, and Daniel Schmuck, and Rob Glynn on Bass.

Cicatriz: Describe your band, END TIMES.

Chad Green: END TIMES is a metal influenced hardcore band that was started in late 2007, by myself, our friend Mike, and our guitarist Cody. After a lot of material scratching, member changes, and shows, the 2011 Demo was born to destroy. Despite the countless set backs, and all the frustration we have kept it together. END TIMES is about the end of something old, and the beginning of something new. We play Fast, and Heavy music, so come to a show and get wild.

Cicatriz: Who and what influences you and the band?

Chad Green: Our love for the music most of all. We draw influence from a wide variety of fast, and heavy genres of music. We try do our part to carry the torch, and keep the music going. At the same time we try not to bind ourselves to a specific sound, but yet keep to the roots the best we can. Aside from that, our ideas, and anger towards ourselves, and the world, all the way to that individual at your job you just can't escape from, who everyday you wish you could just erase. We just want to make it work, and put something out there that someone can relate to, and enjoy!

Cicatriz: Describe the recording process of your latest Demo, Demo 2011. Which was recently featured in October's Cicatriz' Six Pack.

Chad Green: Well, the recording process was a long one, but thanks to the patience Daniel Schmuck had we were able to push through, and get it done. We were still in the process of finding full time members while recording the Demo. Cody, and I had the instruments written and ready, but we still had to work on the vocals. Once in full time Josh, and I wrote all of the lyrics, and patterns, worked on tightening them up, and recorded those shorty after the rest of the instruments. We are currently working on our new material. We are happy with our new line up, and the direction in which are headed. We're excited to see whats next!

Cicatriz: Give me your opinon of the current state of music in DFW, more importantly the state of Hardcore.

Chad Green: Things are going very well! We are lucky to have so many great bands in our local city, and state! There are new faces at every show, and what many have worked so hard to keep going for so long in the past is really flourishing. Everyone has their opinion on hardcore and how its going. We all know things are at a constant change, some changes we like, others we don't. The state of hardcore is far from dead that's for sure. No matter what style you want to listen to, or play of it, as long as you do your part to believe in it, and live it then the state of hardcore will always be alive, and well. Whats just a short fad, or phase for one, is a way of life, and a reality for another. Just keep showing up to shows, being supportive, do your part, welcome the new faces, and things will only get better!

Cicatriz: Any last words for the Waveriders?

Chad Green: Lets keep this going, look out for the bands coming out of texas, DEGENERATE, MODERN PAIN, TRUTH, REAL TALK, HUMANERROR, POWER TRIP, ONE AGAINST MANY, CUTTING LOSSES, CAST AWAY, ALTERED MINDS!

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

2011-11-12T01:40:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that The Social Network was my favorite film of 2010. With one of the hottest casts (Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Justin Timberlake and Rooney Mara), helmed by one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed directors (David Fincher), an Academy Award winning script by my favorite screenwriter (Aaron Sorkin) and an Academy Award winning Best Original Score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, it’s easy to understand why The Social Network is one of my favorite films of the past decade. I mention this because I would like to discus Reznor’s and Ross’ score.

Earlier this year, my friend Adam and I were discussing the Cannes Film Festival when he brought up the film Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks and Christina Hendricks. Besides The Rum Diary, Drive was the only other highly anticipated film I absolutely wanted to see this year. Before Adam could say anything I warned him to not reveal any details because I wanted to be completely surprised. What Adam said next lingered in my mind for the next couple of months.

“The soundtrack will blow your mind away,” Adam said. “My friend who went to the Cannes screening can’t stop talking about it. He says it’s as good as if not better than The Social Network.”

My only response, “Blasphemy!”

Prior to last year I couldn’t comprehend why anyone would own a film score unless it was by Enrico Morricone or John Williams. Then after I saw The Social Network it made complete sense. Not only did I finally see a movie whose soundtrack completely mesmerized me from beginning to end, but a score I found myself mimicking on a regular basis. So much so that for one month straight I always had The Social Network score in my truck and it took the #1 slot in my six CD changer. Certain friends mocked me for having a car filled with “nothing but soundtracks” (along with Scott Pilgrim and The Runaways), but most understood why- the music really moved me.

That’s exactly how I feel with Cliff Martinez’s score and the rest of the Drive soundtrack. From the moment I walked into the theater and saw Drive I knew I was in for a treat. Drive doesn’t disappoint on any level. Everything about Drive is fantastic, especially the soundtrack. The vibe and mood it creates is arguably the best reason to go see the film besides the terrific acting. DRIVE IS THE BEST SOUNDTRACK OF THE YEAR!

Drive captivates the eeriness and gloominess of Los Angeles perfectly with an 80’s synth friendly score. Once the film begins you feel transported back in time to the 1980s and it almost feels surreal until you realize it’s actually modern day. Martinez manipulates the music so effectively that you don’t even realize how emotional you are getting while watching the film. Even now as I listen to the music a surge of emotions overtake me and that’s when you know a soundtrack/score is successful. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez has been capturing audiences ears for over two decades as a film composer starting with Steven Soderbergh’s critically acclaimed Sex, Lies, and Videotape and include Wonderland, Traffic and Contagion.

Usually when any member of RHCP, whether past or present, is involved with a project I’m always happy. It’s such a minor thing, but very true. Whether it’s Chickenfoot (Chad Smith) or members of the band acting (Flea and Anthony Kiedis), I definitely get my entertainment’s worth. Martinez miraculously captures what most modern day soundtracks fail to do- take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

At times the music feels reminiscent of Scarface and even Grand Theft Auto with all the synth sounds, but that’s okay. The first track “Nightcall” by Kavinsky & Lovefoxx is ridiculously good. No matter how many times I hear it I will always associate it with the film Drive. Every single second sounds so remarkable I don’t want it to end and for four minutes and twenty seconds it doesn’t disappoint. Even the other night I was watching The Lincoln Lawyer with one of my lady friends and heard the song (Cliff Martinez also did that soundtrack as well) during a club scene. Immediately I blurted out, “No way! They have my favorite song from Drive in here. Awesome!” while my lady friend just gave me a look.

What can I say? I’m a music nerd and I’m damn well proud of it. Drive is a slick, sexy soundtrack that gets better with each listen. Thus far I can easily say I have listened to the soundtrack about a dozen times already. No matter how high your expectations are with the soundtrack, somehow it manages to meet and exceed your wildest dreams.

The vintage keyboard sound captivates and catapults the listener from one track to the next. The surreal and sublime “Under Your Spell” by Desire continues the heavenly flow only to be surpassed by “A Real Hero” by College featuring Electric Youth. The more I listen to the first three tracks, the more compelled I feel to read early Brett Easton Ellis books like Less Than Zero and The Informers.

The incredible “Oh My Love” by Riz Ortolani featuring Katyna Ranieri consumes and overtakes my soul with this compelling orchestrated modern-day masterpiece. This is followed up by the wordless “Tick of the Clock” by The Chromatics, which continues stimulating your pulsating heart as tension continues escalating throughout the song.

The remaining tracks on Drive were all composed by Cliff Martinez and some of the notable ones to check out are “He Had a Good Time,” “Kick Your Teeth,” “Where’s the Deluxe Version,” and “See You in Four.” My three favorite tracks by Martinez are “Kick Your Teeth,” “After the Chase,” and “Bride of the Deluxe.”

If there is one soundtrack you’re thinking about buying, whether on iTunes or on CD, Drive is a must buy! Both the film and soundtrack are simply stunning masterpieces that need to be embraced. And yes, a copy of Drive has earned it’s well deserved spot in the #1 slot in my six CD changer because nothing compares to it.

--Brownstone

Iron Claw's Great Rock and Roll Come Back Story Continues!

2011-11-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

“Step aside, Anvil… there’s a Rock n’ Roll comeback story that blows yours into the stratosphere! IRON CLAW is the Rock n’ Roll comeback story of legend.” So proclaimed Metal Odyssey after taking one listen to Iron Claw’s new Ripple Music release, A Different Game.

You see, IRON CLAW was playing their brand of Heavy Rock at live gigs when Heavy Metal was just getting it’s name. The early 70′s were the building blocks for the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal that we all cherish deeply in 2011… and IRON CLAW was there… planting the seeds. Touring during the early years with the legendary likes of The Kinks, Spencer Davis and Pink Fairies, (to name a few), IRON CLAW easily can be considered an important underground player within the structure of the British Rock Movement. Without a “coveted” record contract, the Rock history books have overlooked too many silent legends, the pioneers of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock such as IRON CLAW. With A Different Game, their role in Rock history shall never go unspoken again.

And what a year it’s been! First, Scotland’s Proto-Metal pioneers, returned with their first ever official album of gritty, blues-based melodic heavy rock that’s been garnering album of the year accolades from the press. Then, they debuted the album at a record release gig at the notorious Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow as special guests of the Governor Derek McGill who wanted to show the prisoners that there are healthier alternatives to crime, such as playing and creating emotionally stimulating music. The show was such a major event, it was covered live on radio and film by GMG Radio, Scotland and filmed as a special by Border TV!

And it doesn’t stop there. A Different Game has been receiving airplay all over the globe, specifically the lead single, “What Love Left”. Huge supporters have come from the likes of Classic Rock Radio.eu, Rock Me Baby TV, Get Ready To Rock! Radio, Planet Rock, SuperestacionMetal, and SineFM to name but a few, and Iron Claw are now one of the featured bands on the Screaming Singles, Vol. 1 compilation disc released through Nasty Casty Records.

Not bad for a band that hadn’t recorded in 40 years. And there’s much more to come.

A Different Game was released by Ripple Music on Oct 4th, and is available world-wide with distribution through Code 7 Distribution, Clearspot International and at the label’s web store.

Here’s what the press has to say:

"They have taken all their musical experience and rolled it up into an album which simply rocks. If you dig the roots of heavy metal, 70's hard rock and Southern Rock, you will indeed enjoy listening to these experienced masters of Rock N Roll." -- ThrashHead

“This is pure muscle at work and Iron Claw still has plenty of the natural juice in them to make this reunion endeavor soar . . . thankfully Iron Claw has given themselves the opportunity to say a thundering hello to the rock world, if not hijack it.” -- Ray Van Horn, Jr., The Metal Minute

"This is a solid, dynamic, vintage rock ‘n roll record, 13 tracks spanning 57 minutes yet hardly a dull moment to be found. A Different Game is more of the same—high quality heavy rock unearthed from the underground" -- Hellbound.ca

RIPPLE MUSIC STORE

Also available at CDBaby, Amazon.com, Ebay, and All That Is Heavy.com

Live at the Barlinnie Prison, Galsgow, Scotland

Second-to-second impressions of a first listen to The House of Capricorn's "In the Devil's Days"

2011-11-11T00:21:00.000-08:00

"All Hail to the Netherworld": shouted vocals with tremolo picking: black metal Agnostic Front... now slowing down, sounds a bit NWOBHM almost with New Wave guitar strumming... now Celtic Frost riffing to close it out...? Nope. Starting to get too long... know when to end the song/piece, guys... sound's not evolving, really, just repeating... the refrain's not your friend if the melody's not that interesting...!

"Les Innocents:" a long time with a flatted fifth... it's Swans meets Black Sabbath, but not quite as cool as that sounds... like most doom bands, they don't know when to end... this spoken word over bass thing you're doing was cool for approximately five to ten seconds, just enough to say what you need to say... now you're just belaboring it... at 3:31 it's worn out it's welcome-- get to it, you're pissing me off... lots of reverbed whispering. Big NO on this track.

"Coffins and Cloven Hooves": opens with mid-paced alt-pop strumming, but with radically-detuned riffs (in B). Very cool so far. Becomes New Wave-ish again with a chorus... almost Sisters Of Mercy-ish, and overall cool and funky... a bit of Isis here... overall, it grows on you. I'm humming this one. Favorite so far.

"Arcane Delve": opens boring, then at about 1:32 and its refrain of "Like a Lord of Flies" like a very cool heavier Depeche Mode, or KMFDM or Swans. At 4:30 we get a middle-eastern riff version of Kirk Hammett's solos and a Morne-ful melody that actually quite moving, in the same way Chopin's Funeral Marche is....

"Canto IV": we start with lush strings, not unlike a 12-string, or a simple harp melody in Db minor that resolves to major and then becomes--

"Veils" with a monolithic riff, funeral progression, drums plod, but not in the good way... sounds like a drummer who's never quite found the pocket (and no, I don't care that this is, at this point, funeral doom-- you can still rub stank on it, à la Centurions Ghost)... overall forgettable....

"To Carry The Lantern": opens with toms and minor 9th chords (I think)... and doesn't particularly change over its nearly seven-minute running time....

"Illumination in Omega," while sounding cool in title, is really just a pop-punk, Ramones-y, Type O Negative castoff.... "Horns" and closer "In the Devil's Days," well, close things out.

Overall: not at all what I thought I was getting into: in its best moments, much more like the early-80s pop version of Ghost and Opus Eponymous....

...Sounds kinda cool, though, doesn't it? When it does in fact hit that mark-- very cool stuff.

--Horn

Toy Matinee - S/T

2011-11-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

I found this GEM (and I do mean GEM!) Back in '91 on cassette. I'm from the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois, and was a frequent shopper at Co-op Records. The guys all knew me and knew I KNEW my music. I was looking for something different, something interesting, something not mainstream, that I could sink my teeth into AND be able to call my own (always loved finding great music and then turning others onto it, like a music guru). The Co-op dudes knew I was a Beatles collector and fan as well as a follower of Steely Dan. I had respect for Madonna's pop sensibilities, but much preferred intelligent lyrics and word play within an easily digestible, but intricate movements in a song. They showed me a cassette of Toy Matinee.

Toy Matinee was a short-lived American art-pop band, and also the title of their only album. Their sound was an array of mixed influences, including progressive rock, AOR and pop reminiscent of both the Beatles and the Beach Boys. I was ADDICTED the very first time I heard the very first chords on LAST PLANE OUT - the very first song on the album! I knew, immediately, that this should have been a much bigger record than it had been. Lots of pop hooks that, in no time at all, you'd be singing along with, not to mention bopping your head. This was classy, intelligent power pop from mostly unknown masters! THE BALLAD OF JENNY LEDGE spent a few minutes in rotation on stations in Los Angeles and San Fran, but didn't really make it out of Cali. The radio show MARK & BRIAN were big fans of Toy Matinee and good friends with Kevin Gilbert. They had them on live many times!

My favorite track is the title track, TOY MATINEE. Amazing feel to it! It kind of comes out of nowhere on the album, but fits! If it weren't there, the collection wouldn't feel right. I won't go into each track (although I could!), because I want to tantalize you with just a few teases of this record. I'd like you to experience TOY MATINEE the same way I did. Something fairly old (especially now, released in 1990), but was new to me (and it will be to you!).

Now some facts:
TOY MATINEE was formed by producer/composer/keyboardist Patrick Leonard in collaboration with singer/lyricist Kevin Gilbert. Backed by a group of session musicians (drummer Brian MacLeod, guitarist Tim Pierce, and bassist Guy Pratt), and with guest appearances from several other musicians including Julian Lennon, the duo recorded just one self-titled album which was released on Reprise Records. Pat Leonard was a known producer in the biz, having produced and co-written with Madonna. Kevin Gilberts was also a recent engineer on a Madonna record, which is how Pat and Kevin began their collaboration. They both had plenty of experience in recording studios and in songwriting technique, so the fact that they both started working on a project together, seemed destined. The album was engineered and produced by Bill Botrell. Thematically, it covered a rather broad ground; two tracks were dedicated to Czech poet and political figure Vaclav Havel and painter Salvador Dali, and "Queen of Misery" is about Madonna.

After the release of the album, it didn't take long before Pat lost interest and left Kevin to promote it on his own. Kevin was an accomplished composer, singer and instrumentalist who played keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, cello, and drums. He also spent time producing and engineering for bands including his own in GIRAFFE. Kevin needed a touring band to promote the album, so he brought in his then girlfriend, Sheryl Crow on keyboards, friend and guitarist Mark Bonilla. From there, he promoted the album in many live shows in and around the L.A. area, as well as many live spots on KLOS on Mark & Brian's show.

I remember see this in a Disc Jockey Records, when it was released with the album flat promoting it on cassette and CD. I, of course (like so many young idiots), ignored it, since I hadn't heard anything about them. Soon after, it was gone and forgotten, and found in many discount/cut-out bins.

I am a HUGE fan of listening to things most have never heard, and finding good reason to promote it myself, to anyone who'll listen (right now, that's YOU!). I've worn out SOOO many copies of this on different formats: cassettes (went thru 3 of them), CD (2 of them), and then again in 2001 and 2008 - remastered and offered as two different "special editions" featuring original demos, remixes, etc.

Sadly, after this endeavor failed to take off, and a few great solo Kevin Gilbert releases (that had no promotion and went no where), Kevin dealt with severe depression, and distrust as well as disillusionment with record companies (much like his friend, Julian Lennon), and felt maybe he didn't have what it took to make it. He was asked to join a musician's think-tank/writer's group with friends David Baerwald (of David and David fame), Bill Bottrell, Sheryl Crow, David Ricketts, Brian MacLeod and Dan Schwartz. From these sessions, Sheryl Crow's TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLUB was written and recorded. Kevin co-writing (some say he wrote most of the album), as well as playing keyboards, guitar and drums on RUN BABY RUN, ALL BY MYSELF, and bass on ALL I WANNA DO. LEAVING LAS VEGAS was also reportedly written by enlarge by Kevin, and given to Sheryl after her vocals fit better with the feeling of the song (she was coked up during the session).

In 1994, Pat Leonard collaborated with MR. MISTER front man, Richard Page, and released the album MEANWHILE under the name 3RD MATINEE.

In 1996, Kevin Gilbert was found dead in his apartment, hanging from a belt. Coroner's reports said it was death from "acute autoerotic asphyxiation". Tapes to a newly recorded album were found nearby. Fans, like myself, believe it was the depression of a musical genius that was never realized by the mass public. A live recording of the touring band of TOY MATINEE, recorded at the famed TROUBADOUR club in L.A., were eventually released by Kevin's family. To this day, Sheryl Crow has given very little, if any, credit to her ex-boyfriend, friend, co-writer, Kevin Gilbert.

If you want something refreshing, new AND old, pop but not schlock, intelligent and aurally satisfying, TOY MATINEE is what you've been looking for, for some time now. As you listen, smile and give some much deserved kudos to Kevin in heaven. Then check out Kevin's tribute website, http://www.thedebster.com/gilbert/ , and check out eBay and Amazon to find more from a musical master at his craft.
END.

--Crimson King

Dixie Witch - Let It Roll

2011-11-10T00:34:00.000-08:00

Now this is my kinda album - no ballads, no keyboards, no acoustic guitars! Dixie Witch is a band you can count on for heads down, no nonsense boogie. Anything less from a Texas three piece rock band would be complete heresy. Let It Roll is the first Dixie Witch album since 2006 and marks the debut of new guitarist Joshua "JT" Todd Smith alongside the usual rhythm section of bassist Curt "CC" Christenson and singing drummer Trinidad Leal.

Right out of the gate, the band hits hard on the opening title track and you'll be reaching for the volume knob. Is that the new Dixie Witch? WELL, TURN IT UP! The intensity picks up on the 2nd song "Boogie Man." For those of you who have been waiting the past 30 years for The Rods to write a follow up to "Rock Hard," your time has come. This song is the perfect blend of Blackfoot and early Krokus (some of their early tapes are pretty good, and you know it). "The High Deal" is a great song to fire up at quitting time as you go space trucking to happy hour. There's also a great song called "Anthem" that thankfully has absolutely nothing in common with the Rush song of the same name.

There isn't a dud on this entire record. 10 songs kick ass songs in 36 minutes will leave you wanting more. The production is great, heavy but not metal guitar sounds, pounding drums and thunderous bass. Let It Roll was designed to be played loud in a moving vehicle. Rather than write about it, that's exactly what I'm gonna do right now.

--Woody

Peste Noire – L’Ordure a l’Etat Pur

2011-11-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

I’m just going to right up front about this. French black metal makes my dick hard. Give me some Blut Aus Nord, Merrimack, or Deathspell Omega (best band name ever IMHO) and I’m a happy, happy guy. I can’t tell you what it is that the French do with black metal that makes it a little bit different than other countries, but it definitely hits the sweet spot for me.

And lo and behold, here is a French band that I’m not familiar with, Peste Noire, but they definitely do it for me. This is not for the faint of heart, as there are some long track lengths to deal with, the music is schizophrenic at times, and some of these tracks go down a rabbit hole that seems to just go deeper and deeper. But it always ends well and it’s a very entertaining ride.

I got a chuckle out of the band credits, because one guy is actually credited with “chicken imitation”. I kid you not. Bet you’ve never seen that before.

Opening track “Casse, Peches, Fractures et Traditions” is ten minutes plus that will leave you wondering what you got yourself into. It opens with very traditional black metal stylings that have you totally unprepared for what is coming. That would be a section of the song that veers into very traditional sounding French accordion music. Pretty sure there’s a tuba and trombone in there too. Then back to the black stuff like nothing ever happened. With the aforementioned chicken imitation. And it totally works.

Next up is “Cochon Carotte et les soeurs Crotte”. I remember enough high school French to know that cochon is “pig” and les soeurs Crotte would be “the Crotte sisters”. The song breaks with tradition with a middle section that features an almost disco drum beat with all the normal black metal tremolo guitar and screams going on. It’s these types of change ups that make this a very interesting album and easy to stick with through the song lengths.

In the middle we have 20 minute track “J’avais reve du Nord”, which I think has to do with dreaming of the North. Again, an interesting treatment to this song in that it is several musical vignettes rather than one seamless track. The first is almost industrial, then moves through various metal styles and even an acoustic section. If there is a section that doesn’t appeal to you, wait 3 or 4 minutes and something else pops up.

Tracks 4 and 5, “Sale Famine von Valfoutre” and “La condi hu” respectively, stick more to traditional black metal, which, after everything that has gone on in the previous 3 tracks, is not a bad thing at all. These folks are definitely good at what they do and the individuality of the music stands out all the way through.

I totally dig this album. I will be the first to admit that it is not for everyone but what fun would that be if it was? If you like black metal that takes some chances and even has a sense of humor you really should give this a shot. Music should be more than something just playing in the background, and this will definitely make you perk up and pay attention to what is happening. Highly recommended.

-- ODIN

Trunks - On The Roof

2011-11-09T00:45:00.000-08:00

It had been a long, arduous flight back home from France. I nearly jumped for joy when the pilot informed us that the plane had begun its final descent into JFK International Airport. Thankfully I was sitting in a window seat where nothing stopped me from taking in the landscape rolling rapidly by below me. The sight of all of those buildings and bustling traffic was the perfect remedy to the endless blue ocean I had been observing for the last several hours. I had almost adjusted to the busy cityscape when all of a sudden one massive rooftop demanded my full attention.

This was no regular rooftop. The roof in effect was a massive billboard that a person would only be able to see from an airplane. That was interesting in itself, but what most captured my attention was the vague advertisement on display. The roof was painted to resemble the French flag. In the middle of the flag was the word Trunks, all caps, with ‘On The Roof’ painted directly below it. That was all. There was nothing else!?! What in the world was this advertising? My mind immediately went to work reviewing the evidence and coming up with possible answers to this rooftop riddle.

Having spent the past two weeks in France, I felt I should have some inkling as to what this mysterious sign indicated. I’d immersed myself in every aspect of French culture that I could during my stay. Too bad I apparently lack the necessary mental faculties to quickly siphon through my memories for relevant clues. With my memories leading to a dead end I decided to simply brainstorm a reasonable explanation. What could Trunks be?

Well, the rooftop was an advertisement. What would someone want to advertise related to the word Trunks? A car? I don’t believe Renault or Peugeot Citroen were ready to make any significant product introductions in New York. Also, what would a car be doing ‘On The Roof’? Didn’t add up. Wait! Paris is known for its fashion. Maybe Dior or Jean Paul Gaultier was preparing to introduce a new line of swim apparel in the city. But why introduce swimwear during the late Fall, early Winter? They certainly wouldn’t model swimsuits ‘On The Roof’ exposed to the elements on a cold blustery day.

Perhaps the advertisement was for a new French rooftop restaurant? No, I was confident there was no new chef named Trunks, and if it was for a restaurant there was no reason to advertise to airline passengers. After all, they would likely be leaving the city before they had the opportunity to eat there. My last guess was admittedly a bit left of center. As everyone knows, there are plenty of museums in New York. It might be an advertisement for a new exhibit of exotic Trunks from trees deep inside the Forest of Tronçais. Yeah, you’re right. That’s just silly.

I disembarked from the plane and collected my luggage from the carousel. A taxi took me home. When I got there what did I do first? Did I unpack? Absolutely not! I turned on the computer and Google searched Trunks coupled with ‘On The Roof’. Lo and behold. The answer to the mystery was far more interesting than anything I dreamed up. Trunks was a band!

That’s right waveriders. Trunks is a French band from the city of Rennes. I recently discovered their great new album On The Roof, and I think everyone deserves to know about this sonic smorgasbord. The group is five members strong. Régis Boulard plays the drums, Stéphane Fromentin and Florian Marzano both play guitar, Daniel Paboeuf adds all kinds of flavor on saxophone, and last but not least Laetitia Shériff handles bass, guitar, and vocals when called upon. Based on their instrumental makeup can you guess what they sound like?

If you said…you know what, no matter what answer you came up with it would only hint at the full auditory experience on offer here. The music is jazzy. The music is funky. It’s artsy. Sometimes it rocks out. Other times it’s delicate. Throw in some seriously freaked-out passages and the portrait is as complete as I can make it using words alone. Quick side note; I absolutely love the fact that the members of Trunks don’t consider themselves a band, but ‘more an artistic collaboration’. Each musician clearly brings their own approach to the table, and the resulting musical mish-mash is delightful!

On The Roof is composed of nine songs. Nine fantastic songs! In an effort to further clarify Trunks’ sound I’m going to delve into a few of them and explain what groups I’m reminded of while listening. The second song on the album “Screaming Idiots” is fast, noisy, and slightly repetitive (in a good way). It always brings to mind Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. “Clever White Youth” is a playful romp heavily influenced by New Orleans style jazz and funk. This song could easily be on the next Galactic album. “Who’s My Favorite” can be split into two halves. During the first half the whole band works in unison to stomp out a powerful line of descending notes with the saxophone occasionally going off on a tangent. Everything changes half way through however when the song tempo picks up substantially, vocals kick in, and the band channels their inner Gang Of Four. Standout track “Blue Dot” regularly draws favorable comparisons in my mind to early King Crimson. But what about the other tracks I can’t quite pigeonhole?

Album opener “Harfiscury” is a mid-tempo groove machine with a wonderfully strong Middle-Eastern vibe. “Derby” starts peacefully and over its running time gradually builds and crescendos to an immensely satisfying conclusion. Title track “On The Roof” feels somewhat otherworldly thanks mainly to Ms. Sheriff’s haunting vocals and interesting bass lines. If by any chance you’ve had a tough day take a listen to closing track “First Train Home” and let your worries melt away behind the easygoing melody lines played by the guitars and the dulcet tones of the saxophone. Peace will be with you.

Waveriders, On The Roof is one terrific listening experience! To those of you looking for albums that take the listener on a wild, unpredictable ride I say listen up. There is a new vacation destination accessible through your music player of choice. Trunks will serve as your travel agent, hotel manager, and tour guide. Pick up On The Roof today. Experiences like this one are too good to pass up!

--Penfold

Jonny Lives! - Revolution For Free

2011-11-08T00:26:00.000-08:00

Mimic (disambiguation). It is that effort to imitate something else. Imitation. Fake. Something that is not the real thing but tries to appear to be the real thing. Yet, bands that mimic successful bands are not necessarily fakes or imitations. There is a whole cottage industry in “cover bands” that faithfully mimic the originals down to the feather boas and black tights. These are the “fake” bands that mimic the original bands.

There is a completely separate side to successful band mimicry and it depends on what the band mimics. Many music genres are made up solely of mimicry. The bands in a genre sound alike because they mimic a style and feel of music. They take you on a similar journey, with similar tools, but usually with their own twist.

Jonny Lives!’ new release, Revolution For Free, mimics Green Day on the track “Parking Lot” and Coldplay on “Still Dreaming. The mimicry continues with a early Beatles-like effort on the cut “Your Money Or Your Life,” a flashback attack of the Kinks on “Breaking Down,” and a Kokomo-era Beach Boys on “Vagabond Lovers.” The band also lets go with punk and pop rock pieces that may remind you of someone else’s music or style - maybe a prescription of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, a shower of Fountains of Wayne or a kick or two of The Clash.

Jonny Lives! may sound familiar but the band and its music is hardly fake. Revolution For Free is energetic, well-written, well-produced and well-performed. The band, anchored by frontman Jonny Dubowsky, puts out a solid and thoroughly enjoyable recording.

The saying is “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” I picture Hall of Fame rockers listening to Revolution For Free, wry smiles curling their lips as they hear sounds that remind them of their recordings, then raising devil horns - rock on! Jonny Lives!

- Old School