The Single Life - 7" of Fun: Featuring My Plastic Sun

My Plastic Sun - Silicone Junkie (digital)

A while back I espoused my love for the late '80's purveyors of darkened psychedelia, The Jet Black Berries. When that band crawled out from their earthen grave and unleashed a total surprise of an album Postmodern Ghosts, I was taken by for a ride by my ear drums, kicking and screaming back down into that abyss of horrorscope pop that the JBB's did so well.

Well, the band is on hiatus right now, but that didn't stop the boys from keeping on keeping on.  Turns out that drummer Roy Stein and singer Johnny Cummings have been busy with their latest project My Plastic Sun who've just debuted their newest single, "Silicon Junkie" and damn if my ears aren't taking me for a ride again.  Big and fleshy, there's still some trappings of psych here, but now it's all wrapped up and buffed in a clear coat of modern pop sensibilities.  And damn if it doesn't cook.  Johnny's voice is smooth as melted butter as he pours over the song, textured guitars wail and undulate, Roy pounds out some polyrhythmic bashings, and the bass plows right into my brain.  Toss in an earworm of a choral hook and we got a chugging winner here.  Seriously, put these guys out on tour with Ripple band, Sky Parade and we're set for a shoegazing, electro pop party.  Cool song that rocks and grooves.  Nice job, boys.  Looking forward to hearing more.

www.myplasticsun.com

Porcupine - Witness to a Chase Scene

A while back I wrote about the fun Porcupine/Metal Ghost split 7".  Now my favorite indie, dream pop shoegazers are back with a 3 song 7" that simply smokes.  "Witness to a Chase Scene" percolates out all revved up late-60's spy film cool with it's Peter Gunn guitar licks and low-down feel that just takes over at the 19 second mark.  Way cool.  It doesn't take long for the boys to mix it up, bringing in some of their hallmark alt-psychelic pop.  A tiny touch of emo?  All good.  "Evil Twin" brings back the more math rock-y aspects of the band but is no less accessible, and "Dare to Jump" jumps right back into the more angular paths without ever losing it's ability to chug along at a head-bopping pace.  Another winner.

Buy the 7" from Porcupine's bandcamp and you'll get your choice of vinyl/cover color combination: red cover/white vinyl, orange cover/clear vinyl, green cover/black vinyl, or heck, just buy the 7" triple box set and get all three.


http://porcupineband.bandcamp.com/track/witness-to-a-chase-scene

Dead Weight - Cosmic Lunch

There's a new southern bluesy classic riffing band in town and they go by the name of Dead Weight, and their music is anything but.  Big guitars with sizzling lead riffs, big blues-based chugging, and vocals soulful enough to raise this unit above the pack.  "Cosmic Lunch" is everything you'd hope for from a song with that title.  Tasty morsels of psychedelic guitars searing and tearing through the classic riffs.  And the fine treats don't stop there.  I have no idea what a "Gannymead" is but the song cooks along like a freight train, chugging off into southern blues rock nirvana.   "Lady" slows things down enough for a classic-styled power ballad just long enough for "Stone Frog" lives up to the bands claim that they play voodoo reefer rock.

Check em out.  Any band that lists Led Zeppelin, Red Fang, Baroness, Down, Pride and Glory, and Pabst Blue Ribbon as influences is a band right up our alley.

https://www.facebook.com/DeadweightTheBand/app_2405167945

Revenge of the Quick Ripple Bursts- the Metal Edition - Featuring Forest of the Soul, Death Strike, Titans Eve, ,Hellmouth, and Bloodbound

Forest of the Soul - Restless in Flight

Truly an amazingly cool record from the fertile mind of Aaron Carey (of Harvist, Nechochewn, and Angelrust) and his collaborator Andrew D'Cagna.  What we got here is a neo-folk, quasi-classical exploration of metal themes all carried out on acoustic guitar and full rhythm section, with the occasional electric solo bleeding through.  Songs vary between vocals and instrumentals with never a let down.  The vocal tracks employ harmony vocals and melodies that simply cry of  the grunge days of Alice in Chains or Days of the New, while the guitar playing is never less than stunning.  On songs like "Auburn Hill" the technique and style reminds of the best work of the late Michael Hedges.  Don't think Iommi classical passages, but rather fully realized complex yet nearly new age guitar.  Both styles (vocal and instrumental) really hit the mark making this one of the more beautiful, yet still darkly heavy releases I've heard in a while.  I've always been a sucker for acoustic rocking metal like the Alice in Chains Unplugged album, so this one was right up my alley.  The Irish toned "Green Heroes" misses the mark for me, but other tracks like the vocal "Restless in Flight," "Alone Desert Rose," and "Without You," are just about three of my favorite songs of the year.

Death Strike - Fuckin' Death

Nascent, primitive, even megalithic-era Death Metal from one of the unsung pioneers of the field.  Fuckin' Death is a long awaited reissue of the long-out-of print primal death classic.  Fuckin' Death is one of death metal's earliest recordings. "Over a quarter of a century after its initial recording, Fuckin' Death is not only one of the most brutal audio tortures of the mid '80s but one of the key ingredients in the early devilish recipe that gave us death fuckin' metal." Death Strike disbanded after 1985's Fuckin' Death demo and Paul Speckmann went on to front the legendary Master. Fuckin' Death was eventually re-released in 1991 on CD and vinyl, with additional tracks penned by Speckmann on the Nuclear Blast label.  Now we get the album reissued on CD and soon to be released limited-edition vinyl, and it's absolutely sick!  Raw and barely contained, each track here is a primeval assault of thrash tendencies, some dying strains of NWOBHM and decrepit lyrics.  "The Truth," literally assaults leaving me feeling filthy in it's wake.  "Pervert" reeks of Motorhead speed and nastiness.  "Pay to Die" nearly knocked me into unconsciousness.  Bonus tracks include rare demo versions.  If you're a death metal fan, don't even think about it, just buy this.  You owe it to yourself and those you love.

Titan's Eve - The Divine Equal

I can't believe this has been sitting on my computer for so long without getting reviewed.  Actually, I can.  On the surface, it's got everything I tend to avoid in metal; deathy and too fast for the mind to follow.  But that's only the surface.  The Divine Equal just happens to be one of my favorite metal releases of the years.  Furious bursts of old school Bay Area Thrash welded to the modern ferocity of European thrash and we got ourselves a winner.  Melody is never lost, nor the chance to change things up, drop out the blast beats (like they do on "Judgement") bringing in a little gentle guitar before nuking my brain with a speed freak of a guitar solo, sliding into some NWOBHM-styled riffing, some neo-prog guitar flourishes, a singable chorus with guttural but clean vocals, then right back to the blast beats.  And that's just one song!  This shit is heavy, pulsatingly fast, and full of riffs and changes.  Killer stuff.  From Vancouver, these thrashers step way above the also rans of the metal field and do it with flair, panache, and style.  And a loaded shotgun to the head.

Hellmouth - Gravestone Skylines

Hellmouth are ugly.  Filthy, disgusting, putrid purveyors of grotesque trash and bilious dismemberment in a punk/metal hybrid spew.  God bless em!  On this, their latest release, these gruesome-and-roll punks leave no doors left bolted in place as they raid through your town spewing their saliva-stained eulogies of disgust and anger.  "Funeral Drenched" is a furious metal-hardcore-horror film splatter fest of discordant guitars and homicidal drums.  And it's perfect.  "Desperate & Violent," is 1:28 vomit of hatred with fantastic riffing mixed in with the bile and even time for a freakish time change.  "Resist Control" is a call for world-wide resistance in true hardcore fashion, but the real lynchpins here are the central tracks "Spitting Blood & Teeth," "Conceived of Shit,"  with focused moments of violence and "Tragedy of a City," with it's dynamic shifts.  And that's what makes Hellmouth stand out.  These cats aren't frauds.  Not only do they preach putrid violence, it's clear they live it, and best of all, they really know how to play their instruments.  Man, there's more killer riffs in that one song "Tragedy of a City" than in the entire Nickleback catalog.  "If this ain't hell, I can't tell," the band screams in gangland chorus, but to my ears it's a little slice of satanic heaven.

Bloodbound - Unholy Cross

Blistering power metal in the great tradition of true power.  Symphonic, quasi-gothic touches drape over the proceedings in the form of Gregorian chant vocals, and cathedral-styled arrangements.  Moments of Iron Maiden grandiosity meld with Judas Priest power and Stratovarius skill and technique.  The danger in power metal is the tendency for bands to overly-grandiose themselves, inadvertently making their music a mockery.  Not here.  The riffs are tight.  The solos, while furious and technically mind-blowing, don't shoot themselves right up their own ass.  The vocals are rough enough to add texture and not ear-piercing or too attempted operatic.  Everything is solid and just where it's supposed to be.  "Moria," is a rousing opener in the epic vein, while "Drop the Bomb," loses no time mining right into a fiery, headbangin' riff in the best Priest fashion.  "Reflections of Evil," amps up the adrenaline, tearing through it's riff-fest.  Bloodbound prove that power metal doesn't have to be a cartoon-version of its once proud self.  Nothing to break the bank here, but if you long for steaming power metal, this is just about the best example I've heard all year. 

--Racer

Suns - Close Calls In The US Space Program, and The Howl and the Many

“All right people, now is the time.  This is Flight Director Penfold speaking.  I need a go/no-go for launch when I call your area of responsibility.  (Meaningful Pause)  OK, Booster?”
“Go.”
“Control?”
“Go.”
“Electrical?”
“Go.”
“Guidance?”
“Go.”
“Telemetry?”
“Go.”
“Communi…wait…stop!  Astronauts, this is Director Penfold, what are you doing?!?”

I was greeted with six responses at once, one from each member of the band Suns who made up my astronaut crew, all boiling down to “nothing”.

“How did you manage to get instruments into the shuttle?”
This time all six remained silent.
“Do I need to explain again the seriousness of this mission?  It is the mission you signed up for, is it not?”
Responses included “yes”, “yeah”, “maybe”, “yes, sir”, and “think so”.
“Good.  Now I’m going to send up a launch pad technician to open the shuttle door and collect your instruments.  Seriously, how did you manage to get a drum set in there without anyone knowing, and how can you manage to play guitars with those thick astronaut gloves encapsulating your hands?  Alright, we’ve only lost a minute or too with this distraction.  We should almost launch on schedu…astronauts?!?!  Did one of you just hit the launch abort button?  Again?”

Dead air greets me on the radio channel, and the video feed appears to show the astronauts/band members looking from one to another, and then after apparently coming to a silent agreement once again beginning to play their instruments.  I tore the boom microphone I used to communicate with the shuttle off of my head and threw it on the ground.
“That’s it!  I’ve had it!  I told NASA that combining the arts and sciences in this manner was a bad idea!  But no one wanted to listen to me.  I quit!”

Feeling introspective?  Excellent!  I’ve got some music you need to listen to right this minute.  Suns is an experimental/indie band with keen musical sensibilities that are sure to titillate individuals seeking new rabbit holes to explore.  For the most part I don’t agree with the indie label being applied to this band, as I find that most every song simply has too much meat, too much latent power that makes regular appearances behind the vocals.  No, Suns will never be confused for a hard rock or metal act (although they do have two drummers similar to The Melvins), but there is undeniable musical weight being hoisted upon the listener on a regular basis.

Interestingly the production relates directly with the EPs title, or perhaps it’s the other way around.  The sound of the instrumentation is crystal clear, but I get the feeling that there was a filter of some kind laid over top of the music in order to make it seem somewhat ethereal, somewhat distant.  Often when I’m listening I make believe that I am in fact receiving an excellent feed of the band playing from orbit.  The vocals on the other hand are right up front in the mix, thus making them very powerful and potent.  To give you waveriders an idea of what to expect, the lead vocalist reminds me very much of Neil Young.  His voice is considerably more versatile, but the way he conveys his words and phrases is very similar, almost conversational.

The song structures are also seemingly tied into the EP title.  “Little Horn” is a bouncy number designed to prepare the listener for launch with alternatively spacey vocals and big powerful choruses.  “You Are On” picks the tempo up for lift-off shortly after it begins.  “Small Parts of Something Much Larger” reels the tempo back in slightly as the band sets to work after achieving orbit, and “Bright Lights” highlights the dreamlike state the band must be in while completing their mundane tasks.  The closing track “Don’t Do It” drastically shifts gears with the band producing an ominous soundscape to go along with some tortured, anguished vocals.  This song sounds exactly like astronauts who don’t wish to return to Earth, but know it must be done.  All together, five great songs.

This concludes the first half of this write up.  Continue reading to find out what else this band has up their sleeves.

 
Suns - The Howl and the Many

It was nighttime, and everything was illuminated under a full moon.  I had just finished pushing a medium sized dresser up against the cabin door in a last ditch effort to barricade it from the inside when the first loud thump of hardened flesh meeting wood rang out.  The sound was quickly followed by a guttural howl that was shortly answered by a few others.  The beasts were out there, and they wanted inside.  It was time to take inventory.

I was in a medium sized, newly fortified cabin in the woods with the six members of the band Suns.  Between us there were two pistols, a shotgun, a few rounds of ammunition, and three knives.  Inside the cabin we had found a fully stocked kitchen, but not much else.  For reasons beyond my comprehension our current dire straits had seemingly ignited the songwriting passion in the members of the band, and all of them were huddled together playing their instruments and sharing ideas.

The second Suns EP, entitled The Howl and the Many, differs in a few important ways from the previous EP.  Remember that filtered sound I referred to before?  It’s been thrown away in favor of a more organic, crisp sound that evokes sensations of warmth and liveliness.  Also all four songs (including the ballad “Gladys”) on this EP have a more rocking edge to them, especially when it comes to the drumming.  It feels like the drummers were given free reign to let loose and propel the band forward with greater force.  Finally, the four songs on The Howl produce feelings of happiness and contentment with far more regularity than the songs from Close Calls.  I can’t really pinpoint exactly why this occurs, but it is true.

The bottom line here is that if you are someone like me who occasionally needs a break from heavier music, but still demand music that can be very emotive, Suns is ready to accommodate your needs.  These songs will whisk you away from your worries and cares for just under forty minutes, taking you on a compelling journey full of interesting roadside attractions.  Have I mentioned that both of these EPs are being offered to the public at no cost?  Yes, that’s right, they are both free to download.  Basically, there is no reason why you should not check this band out if what I have said seems interesting.  Getting back to my present situation though, I think I overheard some disturbing talk coming from the guys.

“I wish there was an army of vampires to fight off these werewolves.”  I don’t know who said this, but I knew I had to stop this wishful thinking immediately.

“Hey, get your head out of your nether-regions!  We’re talking about werewolves outside trying to kill us, not some fantasy creature that only exists in stories!  I don’t know about you guys, but I want to make it out of this cabin alive.  Now for the love of all that is good put down those instruments and start melting down that silverware!  We can use the material to make silver bullets.”

--Penfold

P.S.:  Does anyone else think that the covers for the two EPs should be switched?  I think the band is playing a little joke on us, the good listeners.

Download music: http://www.sunsband.com/download/



 

Black Sleep Of Kali – Our Slow Decay

Life is too short for intros. I like how the first song “There Is Nothing” just comes crashing in. Full band with vocals and totally pissed off sounding. Perfect when you need to annoy the neighbors RIGHT NOW! Black Sleep Of Kali is a loud 4 piece from Denver that play in a vein similar to Torche or Baroness but with a bit more aggro. The riffs are intense but very catchy and there are some vocal parts for everyone to scream along to.

For a band that’s only been around for about 2 years these guys are very tight. The songs are mainly mid tempo-ish but contain plenty of left hand turns to keep your interest. Killer drum fills abound and the guitar/bass tones are massive. Lyrically they keep it pretty lean and mean. With sonnets like “we will all be forgotten in the end” (from “The Great Destroyer”) you don’t need to say much more than that. Faster ones like “The Crow and The Snake” really pummel the senses and would sound great blasting in the car as you drive off a cliff. Once they dig up your body they can play “Eulogy” at your funeral.

If you like it loud, negative and heavy then Our Slow Decay is right up your alley. And with a cool sleeve from everyone’s favorite tall Australian artist Seldon Hunt you can’t go wrong.

--Woody

www.myspace.com/blacksleepofkali

Buy here: Our Slow Decay
Buy here mp3: Our Slow Decay

Buy here: Small Stone

Ripple Theater - Johnny Winter - Live Through The '80s DVD

You’d be forgiven for thinking that a DVD titled Johnny Winter Live Through The ‘80s wouldn’t be all that great, but you’re wrong. Johnny Winter went through a bit of a rebirth in the 1980’s thanks to the popularity of Stevie Ray Vaughan and a new contract with Chicago blues label Alligator Records. Both of these helped introduce Johnny to a new audience and got some youngsters showing up at his concerts. I should know, since I was one of them. Even during the peak of my snotty thrash metal high school powers, I still loved blues and classic rock. A friend and I went to see Johnny at the Beacon Theater in NYC, early 1985 and were blown away by the frail, shirtless Texan’s incredible energy and fiery playing. (His brother Edgar opened the show and did a great set that included a truly bizarre hip hop version of “Frankenstein.”)

This DVD really brought me back to that great night at the Beacon 25 years ago. Starting off in Toronto, 1983 there’s a kick ass version of “Unseen Eye” and 3 other smokers. Johnny’s leading a powerful trio with John Paris on bass & harmonica and drummer Bobby Torello. In 1984, Tom Compton takes over on drums and there’s footage from 3 different concerts – 1 from Europe and 1 in the US. The playing is tight but loose and production is primo. The band really rips it up on songs like “Mad Dog” and his frenzied take on Dylan’s “Highway 61.” After a semi-embarrassing music video for the song “Don’t Take Advantage Of Me” (it was the 80’s, all videos sucked) there’s an electronic press kit Alligator Records put together with a cool interview with Johnny. After that, it’s right back to the boogie with more footage from Europe in 1987 and 88.

Back in the 80’s Johnny stopped using his gorgeous Gibson Firebird guitars in exchange for butt-ugly Steinberger guitars. Despite their cosmetic unfortunateness, Johnny still makes them sound great. Proof that good guitar tone is all in the hands and not in the gear. If you’re a blues-rock lover you’ll definitely want to pick this up and give your TV speakers a work out.

--Woody

Buy here: Winter, Johnny - Live Through The 80's

and go back and explore more: Live Through the 70's

Ripple News - A Band of Orcs on Mini-Tour Right Now!

A BAND OF ORCS is set to head off on a mini tour in which they’ll display their live, human killing domination.  Their show on Oct 29 in Simi Valley @ 118 West Live will also be professionally filmed and recorded.  If you want your chance to be on film with the orcs, make sure you head out to the event.

Oct 28 – Yuma, AZ @ Ron’s Place
Oct 29 – Simi Valley, CA @ 118 West Live
Oct 31 – San Diego, CA @ The Ruby Room

People have really been digging these orcs in a live presence.  A certain Metal Sanaz hosted two A BAND OF ORCS shows w/ Sothis earlier this month, and the band also impressed a certain Bruce Campbell to play the Weekend Of Horrors event: http://www.myspace.com/abandoforcs

Here’s what some have been saying so far…

SMNnews -
“A BAND OF ORCS play brutal chugging death metal with technical chops.”

PureGrainAudio -
“Truthfully, I found no filler on this disc, just pure raw metal that is sure to satisfy metal heads everywhere”.

Santa Cruz Metal Bay -
“No Headbanger, Metalhead, or Dungeons and Dragons nerd is safe at a Band Of Orcs performance, for the goal of the colossal green beasts is strictly domination and chaos.”

Metal Underground -
“A Band Of Orcs delivers an overwhelmingly destructive death metal experience, even if it is a little nerdy”

Salif Keita - La Difference

The descendant of warrior princes, the son of two black African parents, Afro-pop pioneer Salif Keita was born “white.” Inheriting albinism, a lack of skin pigmentation, Keita instantly stood out among other Africans and stood out as a spokesperson for tolerance in all forms.

On La Différence, the legendary singer addresses this deeply personal issue–albinism in Africa—and gives it an urgent global resonance that takes his songs from Bamako to Beirut. As Keita’s famed “golden voice” cathartically croons in the title track, "I'm a black man, my skin is white and I like it, it's my difference/I'm a white man, my blood is black, I love that, it's the difference that's beautiful."

The distinction is often interpreted as an ill omen in his native Mali, and invited a life of ridicule, making Keita an outcast in his own community. Society, including public schools in Mali, perpetuates harmful beliefs about albinos, and they are often shunned, ridiculed, and even killed for superstitious purposes.

Although he and others have come to terms with albinism, Keita has struggled long and desperately with the stigma attached to his skin color. Though born into a noted caste of musicians with direct links to Sounjata Keita–the heroic 13th-century warrior-prince who edified the ancient Malian Empire–Keita was forbidden to play music growing up. He was also disowned by his father, kicked out of school, and rejected by the local aristocracy.

Filled with unrealized musical ambitions, Keita had no choice but to leave Mali as a young man. Armed with the strength of his convictions, he travelled to neighboring Ivory Coast, then Paris, London, and New York, where his skin color could not keep him from expressing his artistic vision. His perseverance paid off throughout the 1970s and 1980s, as he became an internationally recognized icon thanks to his gravely voice, innovative musical arrangements, and profoundly poetic lyrics.

In 1997, Keita’s fame helped him to overcome the stigma attached to albinism that persisted in West Africa, allowing him to make a triumphant return to Mali. Cautiously re-entering a community that once shunned him, he discovered a newfound acceptance, which allowed him to re-establish roots there, including building a studio in the capital of Bamako.

La Différence is the latest in a trilogy of acclaimed acoustic oriented recordings (Moffou 2002, M’Bemba 2006) that were primarily recorded at Keita’s Bamako studio. The intimate acoustic environment of La Différence allows Keita’s vocal timbres to shimmer and soar, highlighting their poetic nuances and the poignant themes of his lyrics. While the album is dedicated to the plight of albinos in Africa, leading with its title track that aims to increase the global awareness of this cause, the remainder of the album delves into a wide range of social and political issues.

Over a thick sanguine female vocal chorus and rhythmic guitar riffs, “Ekolo d’Amour” seeks to inform listeners about the ecological devastation that has befallen Africa. Fusing the powerful traditional tones of the 21-stringed kora with a contemporary guitar-rich, down-tempo, polyrhythmic groove, “San Ka Na” cites a specific example of ecological destruction, alerting audiences of the need to protect Africa’s Niger River, upon whose banks Keita played as a child. With a rough and urgent voice, Keita scorns local politicians for their neglect and complacency regarding such problems.

La Différence also finds the singer re-imagining a few previous recordings with a new palette of sounds. Harnessing the deeply echoing, bluesy textures of guest guitarists Bill Frisell and Seb Martel, an intimate rendition of 1995’s “Folon” offers a stripped-down, horn-absent version that allows Keita’s haunting voice to pierce the mellow cosmopolitan soundscape. With producer John Henry, Keita reaches back to the 1970s, recalling his days with the Ambassadeurs du Motel band in Bamako, with a new incarnation of “Seydou.”

Departing from the original track (“Seydou Bathily”), this softer version bathes Keita’s voice in a rich sonic world of resonant vocal refrains, Arabic-tinged string arrangements, interlocking guitar tones, and a multilayered percussion ensemble that merges sounds from Africa and the Middle East. Given that these songs have been refined by Keita and his band over the course of many years, some for decades, it is no wonder why his delivery comes across with a relaxed, sophisticated confidence.

Further linking La Différence with Keita’s long musical career, the melody of “Djélé” is decorated by the intricate balafon work of Keletigui Diabaté, a monumental figure in Malian music and one of Keita’s most faithful musical partners, helping him to develop as a guitarist over the course of almost four decades. Drawing on his international sojourns, “Djélé” reinforces Keita’s cosmopolitan approach to this album as the breathy tones of an accordion dance with a concert piano over top a bed of deep electric bass, legato orchestral strings, plucked African lutes, and a global array of polyrhythmic percussive timbres.

La Différence is an intimate journey into Keita’s personal struggles. Singing a hymn of universal tolerance Keita poetically claims, "some of us are black, some are white/all that difference has a purpose…for us to complete each other/let everyone receive love and dignity/the world will be a more beautiful place.”

-- provided to the Ripple by World Music News Wire

buy here: La Difference

I. AM. BACK. Part 2!

Yes - there's a part 2! I wasn't originally gonna write more for a while, but after I published that post last night I realized what I had missed. And of course, since I won't really have the time to write full-length reviews until the weekend, this will have to suffice until the weekend. School starts tomorrow - give me some time to adjust to a new class and new subjects!

Sometimes I think my readers (if I even have any regular ones) have forgotten that I'm first and foremost an English music blogger - I built the foundations of PRN on British and American music, not kpop. Asian music was just an afterthought - when I started blogging about kpop PRN was already established. Ugh but enough of that.

This is like ages old, but I never wrote about it on a blog of my own (they've always been comments on Ken's and Jio's blogs) so I thought why not. I've never liked the idea of Charice - a girl who makes her voice sound like a 40 year-old on purpose. She's talented, I won't deby her that, but it's a personal taste that I don't like voices like hers. In comes an argument I find stupid - why should I support her if I don't even like her? People always say "support Charice, she's Pinay!" but I refuse to, because I don't like her music or her voice. Why will I put my support behind someone I don't think is any good? Because we come from the same country? Because she has a sob story to tell? I look at music, at taste and aesthetics, not personality and background - if I judged an artist based on how he acted or whatever, then that person shouldn't be called an artist. What makes it worse is that in comes stupid David Foster - what does that guy know about music? I mean yeah sure he wrote a few pop hits here and there but he hasn't really done anything ground-breaking. *sigh* Whatever.

Exactly how long was Usher #1 in the US? I don't even wanna know, but just seeing blogger friends annoyed about how he's still number one week in and week out annoys me. I heard OMG back in April, and by the end of the song I was like So where's the song? - it goes nowhere. The melody's boring and Usher's trying to do this "lay low" R&B whatever but he clearly can't. Give me something as good and epic as Yeah!, Confessions or Burn, then we'll talk.

I tried listening to the new Miley song without the video (since the first time I heard it I was watching the video), and it's not as bad as it originally sounded. I still don't like it, but as a song it sounds like Miley a few years after Hannah Montana, and she is Miley a few years after Hannah Montana started. What's happening to Miley right now kinda reminds me of what happens to a lot of popular kpop girl groups - their talent company pushes a "radical change" or whatever and it really looks like they changed because the videos are racy, the performances are scandalous and everything looks different, but you hear the music and it doesn't fit the look. Can't Be Tamed kinda matches her new look though, but I can still hear traces of the "old" Miley.

You guys thought I forgot Kylie, didn't you? I wasn't that engrossed in kpop world not to notice. Shame on you! LOL.

When Kylie's All the Lovers came out, I remember all my blogger friends going crazy. I listened, and though I didn't say it, I loved it. I really did. I got my hands on the Aphrodite megamix today and here we go again - I'm in love. The first song is probably the most brilliant 'coz it's so cheery and whatnot, but everything else is just WHOA. I like. Nine and a half minutes of brilliance? Nine and a half minutes of brilliance. Well, it looks like I'll be waiting for the album then - I'll expound (LOL) on all the songs when it's out then. Yayyyy.

I. AM. BACK.

And by "back" I mean back to posting about non-kpop stuff - I've put this post off for way too long now, and I'm not exactly happy with myself. *sigh* Well, I take this as my big return to blogging about American/British pop? This calls for some confetti, and a lot of comments, don't you think? Just saying.

*sigh* I've been gone for way too long to be able to write about everything, so I went and looked for a lot of newer stuff. I kinda missed this hunting for good music thing, since everything in kpop was just handed to me on a silver platter. All the more reason to rejoice being back then!

The fun starts after the cut, so hurry and click for crap's sake!


If you were with me pre-kpop and even a little post-kpop special, you'll remember that I used to do these short "new music" posts a few times a week or month - Well I'm bringing those back. I need to get my "skill" of scouring for good music back, and I'm hoping that these posts do it. Hopefully in a few weeks I write a few single reviews, maybe even album reviews - I hope I haven't lost my touch just yet! Ugh the stress. ANYWAY.

Alexandra's got a repackaged album, eh? Hmm. Start Without You has very rich production but I dunno, I'm not sold - THEN I find out it's RedOne. Oh well, there you go. Everything seems detached from everything else and Alex sounds bored. See, even she doesn't sound like she likes the song. Oh well.

I've been hearing a lot about Sky Ferreira from Ken, Jio and Kat, but I never bothered - was stuck in kpop world. I'm repenting now that I've heard One. She sounds very American, in the sense that everything's so clean (not Japanese clean though, that's like sterile or something) and the accent gives it away. Of course since I'm not head-over-heels for her yet, I can't help but think that something about her is contrived. Trust me, after seeing nothing but contrived and manufactured acts for the past few months, I know how to spot them - she looks to me like an American trying to be Brit/Euro. But this is just one song - I like the melody though, and I sense the autotune trend shifting once again. I'll give her some time, and maybe listen to 17 in a while.

Do I have to say something about the JLS single? *sigh* OK I will - it's crap, I didn't think Louis Walsh would do something that bad, but he actually did. Oh well. There you go, I said something. But seriously now, they put together the most horrid hook and possibly one of the cheapest videos of the year and they got what they wanted - an absolute disaster. I mean yeah the verses are a bit live-able and JLS have the vocals to carry themselves, but that hook was just sad.

Just listened to that Journey to the Regionals EP Glee put out recently, and there're two songs I have to talk about. If I remember clearly, I was one of those people who were crazy about Glee when I saw the pilot last year, but then lost interest when everyone starting gushing about it - the song that did it for me was their version of Don't Stop Believing on that pilot and now that I hear there's a new arrangement, I'm a little disappointed. I mean I love it that more of the cast get solos now and it's not just the two leads, but I didn't get goosebumps when I heard this. It's not the change of arrangement 'coz the instrumental's pretty much the same - it's the mix of the new production and the different vocals. And of course, the purpose, this new version is for regionals - lose the epic, replace it with show. The original one was epic and it was supposed to be just that, the damn song gave me goosebumps for crap's sake! Anyway. And then the Somewhere Over The Rainbow cover - what was that? I mean yeah they changed up the arrangement (a little too much though) and it's not your usual Simon Cowell-fueled performance oozing with cheese, but it's so cheesy in a completely different way.

I'm probably weeks (or maybe just days, it was a Sunday here when they crowned the winner) late in saying this, but Germany won Eurovision this year, and Britain was an epic fail, yet again! Yayyyy. Hahah. I'll get to listening to the British entry when I'm ready, but Satellite, the German one, was definitely good - sounds very European. The vocals, the specific sound of the "funk" or whatever, and the production sounds very familiar to me - oh gosh I really did miss this. OK enough emo-ing. It's one of those songs that grow on you, I'll admit that when I first heard it a few weeks ago I thought it was so-so, but I do love it now. It's like the instrumental's bare, but as a whole if you stop deconstructing everything and just listen, the entire thing sounds very tight and full.

Travis Garland was on AI a few weeks ago, and since Mel's a big fan, I had to watch. He wasn't that bad, but I'll admit that he wasn't perfect. The song is nice, it's got a pretty melody even if it's not he best song ever and he's got a rather unique timbre mixed with that range - I liked him when he was in NLT (mainly 'coz I liked the entire band), I still do now.

I feel like I have some kind of obligation or whatever to talk about Xtina, even if I don't. I listened to Bionic sometime last week and to be completely honest with you, I was bored to death for most of it - I miss the old Christina. Although, Lift Me Up, even if it doesn't really kick in until halfway through, is a gorgeous song - I like the contrast of the real drums and all these techno-ish things running around. Other than that, Bionic bored me. I'm sorry.

Lee Ryan put a ballad out a few weeks back - that's more like it. I mean I don't want him to be singing ballads for the rest of his career, but if Secret Love is what we get from the non-ballad side, then I'll have to go with ballads for now. I Am Who I Am reminds me of something Ronan Keating would have no problem doing, and I see A LOT of similarities between the two of them - I like Lee's voice better though. Everything about the song is gorgeous, and I'm like all over it now that I realize that.

I wanted to write about more songs, but that'll have to do for now. Was my "return" to non-kpop blogging decent at the very least? I hope it was.

Ripple News - New Falling Down Compilation Nears Completion

You like good music?


Of course you do, you're a waverider after all.  So, if you're always on the hunt for new, good and fresh tunes, you may want to check this out.


Coming from France, a new installment in the Falling Down Compilation Series is coming, and if it's anything like the first one, you will want to sit up and take notice.  The first volume, released last year on 3CD, featured bands like Kylesa, Knut, Amenra, Year of No Light, Dirge, Cortez, who participated with unreleased tracks. Other bands in the scene "post-metal" also participated (Pelican, Callisto, Overmars, Rosetta)

Now, coming in March 2010, a new volume will hit the stands.  This will be a 2CD compilation with unreleased songs from White Hills, Ufomammut, Gnaw Their Tongues, The Ocean, Across Tundras, Jucifer, Omega Massif, Farflung, The Poisoned Glass and more!

You can learn more at the compilations Myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/fallingdowncompilation).

.CD1 

ACROSS TUNDRAS - Final Breath Over Venom Falls (Unpublished version)
ICOS [now MONACHUS] - Februari (Unpublished)
WHITE HILLS - Heads on Fire (Unpublished)
OCOAI - La Main Electrique (Unpublished)
FARFLUNG - R-Complex (Unpublished)
IMPURE WILHELMINA - Cold Fever (Unpublished)
TIME TO BURN - Elena Djinn (Unpublished)
GNAW THEIR TONGUES - We Breath Hate and Spit Fire from our Mouths (Unpublished)
THE POISONED GLASS - Silent Vigil (Unpublished)
[with Stuart Dahlquist (Asva, Sunn O))), Burning Witch) & Edgy59 (Burning Witch)]
KALVRIA - .N (Unpublished)
U.S.CHRISTMAS - Lazarus (Live)
KINGDOM - Ruina.Where men go to die (Unpublished)
KALKH-IN(JOY) ERODE - Xwck (Unpublished)

.CD 2 

KONGH - Thunders Collide (Unpublished, 2006)
TESA - Untitled (Unpublished)
OMEGA MASSIF – Am Abgrund (Unpublished)
KODIAK – By the Sea (Unpublished)
WHEN ICARUS FALLS - Nyx (Unpublished)
THE OCEAN - Asslickers Incorporated (Unpublished)
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - Farewell, Mona Lisa
JUCIFER - Marianas (Unpublished)
UFOMAMMUT - Astrodronaut (Unpublished version)
GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT - Shining Trough
??????? - Mirage (Unpublished)
TAINT - Black Rain (Live)
MUMAKIL – Dawn of Slugs (Unpublished)

The Best Ripple Albums of 2009

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 Woody writing for us all year, he plunged on into the heavy stuff, so Racer spent a little more time in other territories. 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.


Woody's List

The Accüsed - The Curse of Martha Splatterhead
Dozer – Beyond Colossal
Firebird – Grand Union
Kylesa – Static Tensions
Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Skeletonwitch – Breathing The Fire
Slayer – World Painted Blood
Stone Axe – S/T
The Stooges – Live 1971, You Want My Action
Sun Gods In Exile - Black Light, White Lines


Pope's List

1. Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious
2. The Atlas Moth – A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky
3. Sarkh – Vorunah
4. 1349 – Revelations of the Black Flame
5. A Backward Glance on a Travel Road – S/T (free download)
6. Skeletonwitch – Breathing The Fire
7. Tripdavon – Sketches From Silence
8. Hacride – Lazarus
9. We Insist! – The Babel Inside Was Terrible
10.Katatonia – Night is the New Day


Racer's List

Kamchatka - Volume III
Mammut -Karkari
Stone Axe - S/T
Oak is for Keeping - Animal Style
Black Bone Child - S/T
Robbers - Flesh E.P.
Rammstein - Leibe Ist Fur Alle Da
The Estranged - Singles
Grand Atlantic - How We Survive
Amadou and Miriam - The Magic Couple


*** Honorable Mention ***

Mountain Mirrors – the Immortal Deadbeats EP
Old Californio- Westering Again



Best Reissues

Siena Root - A New Day Dawning
Poobah - Steamroller
AC/DC - Backtracks
Sly & The Family Stone - The Woodstock Experience
Johnny Winter - The Woodstock Experience
James Brown - Live At The Garden
Motorhead - No Sleep Til Hammersmith
Santana - The Woodstock Experience
David Bowie -
Space Oddity (40th Anniversary Edition)


Don't forget to check out these sites and their Top 10 list of 2009

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/

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/

Rock Of Ages -- http://rockofages.wordpress.com/
All About the Music --http://allaboutthemusic24.blogspot.com/