Ripple News - Adrenechrome Release New EP "Hideous Appetites" and You Get a Free Single

Like zombies with a taste for flesh, Adrenechrome are heavy metal monsters that have been unleashed upon the world with a mission to bring back good ol’ fashioned in-your-face rock n’ roll.

It was the spring of 2010 when the quartet behind Adrenechrome first came together in their hometown of Orillia, ON. The four horsemen included Chris “Chutty” Friesen – ripping guitar and furious lead vocals – Timmay Kehoe – stinging guitar and haunting backing vocals - Matt Copeland – God of thundering drums and operatic background vocals – and Mike Van Dyke – dark lord of the rumbling, gut-busting bass. With the members sharing a love of heavy metal greats, as well as of new fresh sounds, it wasn’t long before they were tearing up the jam space, followed by stages around Ontario, showcasing their blistering set.

But Ontario alone couldn’t handle the roaring beast as Adrenechrome had to unleash its fury. The band’s first tour was a smelly success and now these harried road warriors are ready to continue unleashing sonic mayhem, liquifying the guts and minds of anyone within earshot nationwide with their new EP ‘Hideous Appetites’.

Their sound is described as classic thrash with progressive tendencies. They're releasing their new EP 'Hideous Appetites', which features seven explosive tracks produced by Darius Szcespaniak whom has engineered on albums by SACRIFICE, SUM 41, BLACK CROWES to a name a few. With its blend of innovative guitar shredding, furious operatic vocals, thundering drums and rumbling, gut-busting bass, it's quite a beast to enjoy.

And they just released the first single off the the EP,‘Titans Fall’, which is available for FREE download and supported by the music video in the links below.

Free Download - http://adrenechrome.bandcamp.com/track/titans-fall




Music Video - Titans Fall

Steak - Disastronaught

Lately... as I spin music for the new summer solstice that quickly approaches, I tend to pick the last song on a track listing first. I don't know why. I guess I always root for the underdog. Maybe It's my slight curiosity for all things defeated. Why would the band relegate this last lonely song to the basement of it's pecking order?  The black bird of the CD release per say. The song no one ever hears because most listeners can't endure the 45 minutes or so it takes to get to the last cut. So I like to give the last song a fuckin push.  Play it first I say. Screw it!. Just because! And besides...the solstice is coming and the planets are not lined up anyways... so what the hell!

So hear I spin "Peyote". This song is subjugated to last place in the list of selections on the demo tracks. What a freakin quite gem!!! I could swear I hear a Roland Space Echo on this track too. No vocals here my brothers and sisters. Just a tripped out psyche trip with acoustic guitars I believe. It's a total departure from the rest of the demos.

The new digital album called "Disastronaught " by STEAK, submits out heavy full-on classic desert fuzz riffs. This London, England four piece, fills out the fuzzy, with fury heavy groove vocals. But the "Peyote" cut jumps out for me. It reminds me of "Planet Caravan" without the congas. Maybe STEAK got it right? Blow away your listening audience with a wack of massive riffs, and just when when they are about to bleed, then let them drift away like a black bird over the mountain. All this ... as they lick their wounds on the riffs of Peyote. Righteous!

 They have a few show coming up in the UK. Check them out!

My cat Sir James Marshall Hendrix says..."HEAVY FUZZY!"

--Wino

Knife – 6 song EP

This may be less a story about a solid band than about a great city close to my heart.  And it’s not because the band is less deserving.  It’s because the story of the city is tightly interwoven with the raison d’etre of the band.

The city is Detroit.  The band is KNIFE.

You’d have to be living under a rock to be oblivious about the incredibly hard times D’town’s endured over the last several years, even before the bottom fell out of the auto industry in 2008.  Boarded up factories.  Boarded up schools.  Boarded up hotels.  Boarded up neighbourhoods.  The economic devastation is staggering.  It’s enough to break your heart .  Their heart.  But in the midst of this bleak wasteland there’s still hope.  They’re fighting back.  Pockets of vibrancy and vitality fueled by the driven, focused and resilient SOB’s that call Detroit home.  Despite the desolation and adversity, they’ve kept their eye on the prize and never wavered from their “damn the torpedoes” point of view.  They didn’t let their dire circumstances affect their outlook on life.  Bottom line is, Detroiters are good people and they know how to fuckin’ rock.

Such is KNIFE.  Like a firey Phoenix rising up from the ashes, Knife embodies the same resilient attitude of their hometown in everything they do – their music, their lyrics, their performance and their in your face, fuck you attitude.  They play with heart after a full transplant.  Knife fearlessly leaps headlong into the moshpit of hard times doing it their way come hell or high water.  Just like how D’town has always done it.  They don’t fuck around.  It’s their way or the highway.  A bastion of artistic freedom in an over regulated, politically correct conformist world.  They cut straight through the bullshit.

Knife has shared the stage with heavy weights like Tool, Intronaut, Fu-Manchu, Black Tusk, Hellmouth, Easy Action and Lo-Pan just to name just a few.  When bands of that calibre are paying attention it means it’s time for the rest of us to sit up and take notice.  Wakey, wakey waveriders.
An enhanced Teedified edited version of their smart bio says it best:  “Knife is a sonic colossus.  They cast a huge, riffladen shadow over the metropolitan Detroit area. This beast is devouring the city block by block and venue by venue.  Drawing on their eclectic heritage, Knife coalesces around the riff much like their forefathers did in Black Sabbath.  You can trace their auditory bloodline to pioneering bands like Rollins Band, Crowbar, Danzig, Kyuss and Led Zeppelin as well.  Knife powers forth an inimitable, stand alone and individual reinterpretation of the music that fuels them.  They are a razor sharp conduit of doom, brooding anger and the powerfully destructive side of mother nature.  You can hear the history and soul in their craft.  And yet the band is intent on carving out their own unique brand of heavy blues quite unlike anything we’ve heard before.  Their metal is tempered with mature hooks, cast iron song writing and articulate, soulful solos that firmly plant them in a whole other arena”.

The bio continues:  “Knife is pedigree.  When you put five masters of their respective crafts in a Detroit cellar together, you’re gonna get something that stands out from the tepid bullshit people try to pass off as music these days.  You’re gonna get something sincere, something with perspective and something that will cut your goddam head clean off your shoulders.  Knife isn’t fucking around”.
They sure aren’t .  They’ll gut your earholes.

As we all know, Detroit has a long line of legendary, original pioneering rock acts - MC5, Iggy Pop & the Stooges, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, The Muggs… the list goes on.  Knife continues that musical legacy/dynasty.  They’ve captured  a hybrid sound that’s as varied as their musical heritage.  “Each member draws from a wide range of experience in the punk, blues, stoner, metal and rock scenes.  From playing in Andrew WK’s early death metal band Kathode to rocking in Seduce.  From pioneering Michigan metal band Thoughts of Ionesco to seminal punks The Meatmen.  From LA’s Mother to Detroit’s Speedball. From crust punks Nema to the wrecking ball that is Year of the Pig.  From Heresy to the Holy Fire”.  I think you’re getting the big picture.

Make no mistake.  This is no bullshit, balls out, hEAVy ass, blue collar machine shop metal folks.  But not machine shop in the meathead sense.  Machine shop in the master class sense.  It’s what these bad ass steel mongers are conjuring up in that cold, hard, dark, dank space that’s putting a dent in the collective earholes of rockdom.  They’re creating tightly torqued high octane sonic power plants with monster thrust from molten iron, pressed and rolled, bent and banged through grinder sparks and acetylene blow torch licks forged out of their massive, swaggering riffs and smothered in a undercoating of audible rust.

Standout tracks include THE MESS… a brazen, bitchin’, frothing-at-the-mouth chugfest that spawns a rabid, full throttle hounds of hell gate charger reminiscent of some top shelf stoner bands like House of Broken Promises and Canadian east coast behemoths, Iron Giant.  THIS FIELD WAS MADE FOR KILLING… when was the last time you heard slide guitar in a freakin’ metal song saddled right next to a scorching Tony Iommi-esque solo?  How about never.  And the thundiferous OUTRIDER?  Who wouldn’t want to be in the mosh pit for this bad ass mutha.

Jeff Uberti from the band Hellmouth summed Knife up best.  “Their songs are thick and contain just the right balance of pure rock fury and sludgy heaviness to make the most discerning head bang”.  Couldn’t agree more.

Knife are Eric Blanchard on guitar, Nathan LeLandais-Miller on bass, Curt Massof on vocals, Chuck Burns on guitar and John Lehl on drums.

~Teeder


http://knifedetroit.bandcamp.com/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D639BC218AB0DF6

An Electrifying, Eclectic Edifice of Ebullient EP's - Featuring The Enders, Hailmary, Mowgli, Engloria, and Cellarscape

 The Enders - S/T EP

I just dig this band.  From the first rumbling of the post-punk flavored bass run that brings in "Role Model" The Enders have gone out and released another near-perfect slab of post-hardcore flavored punk.  Big runs on that bass rolling over the driving drum beat.  Then the guitars chug in, subtle at first, then gaining momentum with a mounting frenzy.  Big chords crush out, followed by runs of a chiming guitar.  All layering upon each other perfectly until the big chord riff finally crushes in and the song is in motion at full speed.  Yep, that was just the intro, and a killer one at that. I think of some of my favorite songs by The Estranged (who'd make a killer touring companion) and I'm in my own little punk nirvana.  I don't know what references to toss out.  Black Flag?  Probably.  Government Issue?   Perhaps.  Dag Nasty or some other cross over band?   Sure.  The Estranged again?  Ok, but you might not know them.  So what's left?

What's left are 5 songs of pure charging punk.  Touches of a metallic edge.   A dark veil like some of the best post-punk bands of the '80's.  A sneering attitude full of bile and spit.  And songs that simply rock.  "Roll Model" may be the best of the lot with it's catchy as hell riff, but that by no means dismisses the rest.  "Martyr" stutters out of the starting gate with a stop start bass/drum confrontation, then the song gets pissed and anger flies out of the strings.  Benny No Good does a good job with the vocals, clearing the sputum and disgust from his vocal chords with the right tonality of "fuck you" but still with enough of a true singing edge that you could play this for someone who wasn't a hardcore fan.

"Split Decision brings back that big bass intro that I love so much before the guitar jumps in and drives the song into my midbrain like a pneumatic drill.   This is killer post-hardcore punk.  Again, The Estranged rages to my mind, mainly because they're currently one of my favorite punk bands.  Well, them and the Enders.

The Enders recently signed to Unrepentant Records.  A full-length album is coming.  I heard it's gonna be much more in the hardcore punk vein.  But don't wait.  Track down this EP and punk your brains out.

Hailmary  - A Million Miles and Days

Damn if "Live it and Breathe" doesn't rock the start of this 5 cut EP by Perth's Hailmary with just about the best gunbarrel garage/grunge blast I've heard in ages.  I mean, let's look at it honestly.  If you're gonna listen to a 3-chord rock crusher what is it that you want to hear?  Those chords ripped through with a sense of passion and urgency.  Some serious hooks big enough to grab you by your spleen and yank you into the band's world.  Volume and attitude cranked up way past the max and a chorus that just demands that you sing it to the world at the top of your lungs, thus insuring you become the town laughing stock at every red light you stop at.  If you agree with this rudimentary assessment, then Hailmary may just be the band for you, because "Live it and Breathe" is one monster thrasher of heavy rock, garage-tainted guitar assault.  A while back, Pope and I screeched the virtues of the band Mardo.  Hailmary sits comfortably right by their side, or rather smash the stage comfortably by their side.

"Don't Believe Everything You Hear" follows next but that's not to say it's second rate.  Riding a finger twisting bass run, "Follow" tears through it's message of gut-busting rock adventuring with the same abandon and even a touch more refinement in the chorus.   Not to say the guys got soft, just wait til the chorus ends and that bass run forces it's way right back down your throat.  Just killer rock.  "You Ain't the Man" is another big-barreled blaster of beefed up bass-built badassedness.   Three chords crush and smash and basically wreck havok on civilization.    Slower cuts like "Bringing out the Best" and "Lottery of Life" round out the proceedings and are a necessary variation in tempo, but really, I want the adrenaline.  I'm a junkie, and Hailmary has me hooked.

Mowgli - San Francisco 7"

As the title suggests, Mowgli are a Southern Californian indy rock band with their eyes set firmly on the glorious days of San Francisco past.  Mixing a Polyphonic Spree and Arcade Fire modern rock sensibility into their version of SF's Haight Ashbury summer of love, Mowgli unleash these three tracks of summertime bliss.  And two of the three ain't bad.  Opener "San Francisco" and follower "Slowly, Slowly" are buoyant, bouncy slices of feel-good sunshine pop with driving beats, big strummed guitars and singalong choruses.  Normally, mention Polyphonic Spree or Arcade Fire in a review for me would be the death knell for a band, but Mowgli manage to avoid all the trappings of egomania and pretense and stick to what they do best, "do-do-do dit do-do-do" ditties.  And best of all these two tracks rock tough enough to avoid becoming snooze fodder.

The third track "Carry Your Will" is a slower acoustic dirge that never really finds itself, discovers it's purpose or goes anywhere.  A throwaway which fortunately does nothing to diminish the pop smarts of the previous cuts.

On their materials, Mowgli says that they have set out to win your heart and save the world with love, laughter, and hand claps.  And really, is there anything wrong with that? 

Available at "name your price" at http://themowglis.bandcamp.com/track/san-francisco



Engloria - Drive EP



Earnest alt-rockers, Engloria from Albany, NY produce radio-ready, perfect pop along the lines of fellow New Yorkers, The Goo Goo Dolls.  Well, the gentler side of the Goo Goo's that is. 

This 3-song EP has just about everything the band needs to introduce themselves to the world.  Title track “Drive,” is an up-tempo rocker in the Gin Blossoms vein with some big ringing guitars and a chorus catchy enough to be scientifically classified as an earworm.  No doubt, alt radio should be clamoring after this baby.  “Out of Love,” keeps the earnestness running high with it's mid-tempo reflection on life's changes.  More acoustic based, this cut is no less catchy or well written.  The guitar driven melodic love ballad, “Made for You,” wraps things up with it's plaintive yearning.

All in all, it's pretty impressive stuff.  The world always needs some radio-ready indy stuff from folks who can actually write a good tune, and Engloria neatly fit that bill.  The biggest problem with this release is that the production is so low key, it actually sounds more like a demo, than a radio ready product.  Which is actually kinda cool, in it's own right, but probably not what programmers are looking for.  Also, with the repetitive use of words like "earnest" in this review, you may get the feeling that the boys might take themselves a tad to seriously and might benefit from adding a touch of lightness and humor to some of their songs.  And never be afraid to rock out.

But this is only 3 songs, so I won't pass judgement.  I'll just recognize these tunes for what they are.  Neatly prepped slices of indy pop confection.

 Cellarscape - A Theta/Delta Union

And finally, something to calm you down after all that rock.  Cellarscape is the brainchild of Paul Terry who plies a quasi-Luka Bloom-esque alt-acoustic trade of near-soundtrack inspired pop.  I reviewed his earlier work a while back, now he returns with A Theta/Delta Union which brings his haunting compositions to the light with fragile guitars and lush orchestration.

The beauty of Paul's work is the dynamic tension that he captures in the spaces between the crash of a guitar chord and his voice.  In his best work there always seems to be a threat of violence, as if it could erupt at anytime.  That tension keeps me on edge as I listen rather than sitting back, getting comfortable and falling asleep.  His songs actually bristle with a vibrating energy.   The whole experience can only be thought of as hypnotically majestic.  

This cinematic presence is perfectly captured in opener "This is a Shelter" with it's crash and stab of acoustic guitar, haunting spaces and underlying threat.  It's amazing how dark the song can sound with really not much more than an acoustic guitar, some piano notes, and some strings.  "Snowglobe" reminds me of some of the acoustic work of prog-minded bands like Porcupine Tree or OSI.  Mesmerizing stuff.

If you're in the mood for a different kind of tension, where mood brings the power, this may be for you.  The whole EP can be streamed for free at www.vibedeck.com/cellarscape.


--Racer

I Just Want To Sing! - Featuring Redefine and Brandon Jarod

Waveriders, Penfold here.  As you may or may not know I love me some experimental, genre-blending, wild music performed by experimental, genre-blending, wild bands.  Love it!  But there are times when this type of music just won’t do.  Here’s a perfect example.  I’m driving in my car on my way to work.  What do I want to listen to?  Do I want to listen to that stunning new black/death/thrash/etcetera hybrid band that takes all of my attention to enjoy to its fullest?  No.  I can’t listen with my full attention in the car.  There would be an endless parade of damages to my automobile and several unfortunate fatalities.  Plus, I can’t really sing along to all that growling/screeching/yelling stuff that seems so prevalent with extreme music today.  To be clear, I want to sing along.  Oh please…as if you don’t sing while driving.  Yeah okay, I guess I’m the only one.  Right.

So, I need some road music with clean vocals feeding strong melody lines that will allow me to sing along and maintain a groove, all the while keeping my attention on the road.  What’s that?  Why don’t I just listen to the radio?  Who said that?  If I find you I’m going to smack you!  Seriously.  Don’t provoke me like that.  Anyways, thankfully I’ve found a couple of acts recently that really fit the bill.  Let’s talk a bit about them, shall we?



Redefine - Blur On The Horizon EP

This five piece rock band hails from Dallas, Texas.  Perhaps simply living in such a large state affects these guys.  Perhaps it does not.  Regardless, the band has a massive sound.   Redefine’s music is hefty, in your face, and consistently shifting to keep the listener on their toes.  On this EP, their third release and second with singer Scott Headstream, they come roaring out of the speakers like a bat out of Hades!  Guitarists Chris Apaliski and Ryan Maynard lay down riff after righteous riff, along with several frenetic technical passages worthy of study.  The rhythm section of drummer Daniel Taylor and bass player Mike DiQuinzio join together in perfect lockstep to anchor the musical pyrotechnics while managing to provide excellent and tasteful flourishes throughout.  Oh, and the singer?  Let me tell you; this man can sing!  It is abundantly clear that Mr. Headstream puts his heart and soul into his performance.  The term emotive does not begin to do this man justice.

Alright, that’s enough talk of personnel.  Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  The main reason I find this band so satisfying is that they effortlessly jump from influence to influence, all the while maintaining their own identity.  Listening to these songs I can clearly identify moments which evoke strong comparisons with other bands of note.  For instance the first song, “Arcana”, exhibits verses that have a significant Mars Volta feel to them, but then the song transitions to a thrashy bit reminiscent of Megadeth.  And that’s just the first song.  Track two, “Motorcade”, has a gang vocal chorus towards the end that has Belladonna-era Anthrax written all over it.  “Like A Vision, A Ghost” has guitar lines that scream Dream Theater.  “Take Your Medicine” offers up some rapid fire start-stop riffage reminiscent of Tool to my ears.  Keep in mind that all of this is wrapped neatly into an ear pleasing modern rock bundle.  No song ever sounds disjointed, and no individual moment sounds unnatural.  Everything flows together flawlessly.

The bottom line here waveriders is that I recommend checking into Redefine.  Heck, I’d even go so far as to say that this music should be played on the radio!


buy here: Blur On The Horizon
Listen Here – facebook

Brandon Jarod - The Crush EP

Well hey there!  Say, do you like your rock ‘n roll with a heaping dollop of soul?  You do?  No kidding?!  Me too!  But wait…what’s that you say?  You demand this new music to be unique and memorable?  And you want it to be filled with heartfelt emotion?  Okay then.  You do realize that this is a pretty tall order to fill right?  Whoa, calm down!  Look, I was just kidding around.  I’m going to see if I can find exactly what the doctor ordered…no, I’m not skipping over you.  There is no actual doctor.  You ARE the doctor!  Look, I know just what you need.  This is the debut EP from Brandon Jarod, and it is going to rock your world!  Pay attention.

Brandon Jarod is a self-taught guitarist from Virginia.  Together with drummer “B.A.” Bryan Adkins he recorded The Crush EP.  In a live setting the group is completed by Tyrone Jordan on bass, but the EP in question was recorded without him (perhaps before they even met).  I mentioned that Mr. Jarod is self-taught on the guitar because I think it is of the utmost importance.  According to historical record he learned to play by imitating other guitarists whom he admired from all walks of music, and it really shows.  His playing sounds fresh and organic and is clearly not limited by established stylistic structures.  I think the only rule he applies is that no matter what the music has to sound good, and boy howdy does it.

The six songs that make up The Crush EP run the gamut.  An insistent drum beat opens “Falling Into Place” before the guitar and bass kick in to bring on the good times.  “No Solution” is the heavy rocker of the collection with a slithery guitar line preceding the main crunchy riff and a huge bass presence.  There’s also this really cool bluesy flourish thrown in every so often that always draws a smile to my face.  “Luv ‘Em And Leave ‘Em” is a fairly short instrumental (excluding a message at the beginning of the song) that reminds me of Led Zeppelin and Chicago (“25 or 6 to 4”).  “Put It In A Love Song” is a darn near perfect pop-rock gem.  “The Crush” is a wonderful rock/r&b hybrid ballad that swings like a wrecking ball, and “Cream” wraps things up nicely with some killer up-tempo blues rock.  All of these songs are great, but there is something else that stands out.  Brandon Jarod’s vocal performances are something else!  He mixes your standard rock vocals heavily with what you might hear from an r&b/soul singer.  The result is unique and decidedly memorable.

Waveriders, Brandon Jarod is an artist you need to check out right now.  Think.  If his debut EP is this good, what does he (along with his musical cohorts) have in store for us down the road?  I’m eager to find out and after you listen to The Crush EP, you will be too!



Buy Here - http://www.bjarod.com/musicstore.cfm

Cain Marko- At Sea

The last person on that planet someone should be talking to about punk is me.  Mainly because although I like the genre, I know very little of it. I do have ears though! So, I can pick out the good sounds, and Cain Marko's EP At Sea has the good audio waves going on. The riffs, the drums, the half screaming vocals... Works. Listen to this EP. It's on your bucket list now.

I am a sucker for a good riff. I will listen to the most horrible, disastrous music if the guitars work for me. The guitar work on At Sea is top, it is smooth, heavy, light, dynamic, sexy, cool... I just really don't have the words to describe how good this sounds. It is times like these I wish I could quote music (N.B. I spent the last ten minutes doing that. It got backspaced as it was just a mess of “duh dummmm duh duh duh duh duh”'s). Coupled with the kick arse drums, they have me hooked.

Luckily for my own sanity and the preservation of my ear drums I don't need to listen to Cain Marko only because of their guitars. They pull together the whole deal with ease, making some of the best punk my underexposed ears have heard. Even if I remove the factor of being punk, some of the best music I have heard.

“At Sea in St. Paul” starts the EP I have just been preaching to you. Exactly what you expect after the hype I just gave it. Long enough intro to pull you in, but not too long you start looking to skip into the middle of the song. Then they hit you with their vocals and at first you might feel surprised and repulsed by the screaming coming out of no where and next to those guitars, but stick with it. Another ten seconds and I bet you aren't looking for the skip button no more. Effortless pulling together. Like a heavy punchy ballet for your ears.

“Ralph, I Can't See” is where I will pull in the first quote of their lyrics.

“The light pours in to show these unhealthy relationships with alcohol poisoning
Our eyes were wide once, singing songs we meant so damn much it hurt
We were alive then”

See? Perfect. Well, no you can't see because you aren't listening to it yet. Hurry!


Things get a little louder, a fuller feeling to the whole song with “I Read This In A Book.”


Then, the finale, the song that made me fall in love with At Sea, “Let's Go Kill The Bastard.” This guitar brimming, drum ridden piece of music was something else. The vocals here are different, still the half scream, but when the opening and parts of the song are sung in this chorus, it transforms it. I don't know how else to put it, but it takes it to a whole new spin. Then they sing-

“He laughed. “Redemption? That's a funny thing.
Wait till tomorrow. See what the sun will bring”
Alone in silence. Dusk painted overhead.
Shrug and sigh traverse back home again.”

Angry, clever, catchy. I can't fault it.

Cain Marko really punched out something that is (excuse the pun) music to my ears. At Sea is worth the time listening to, even if it is for their guitar.

A very happy

--Koala


Streaming/Info/Cool Stuff
http://cainmarko.bandcamp.com/ 

Charlie Simpson- Down Down Down EP

“Girl I have seen your dreams
and they were filled with darkness
but your eyes turn wide in the bright light
I know there is torment in your heart
Ooooh, and its swimming around your body like shark
Can you not see me anymore?
Are you just hot air beneath the floor?
Because I cant feel empty anymore...?” (“Sundown”)


I could continue quoting Charlie Simpson's brilliant lyrics but I feel that may be never ending.


Racer sent me the link to his “Don't I Hold You” download (which you will locate below) and I have collected his EP after falling in love with the music that this talented man makes.

All of his music is instantly identifiable by the sweet sounds, followed by the lyrics that would make any love sick teenage boys facebook status seem cold and cruel.


“Don't I hold you like you want to be held?
Don't treat you like want?
Don't I love you like you want to be loved
When your running away...” (Don't I Hold You)


“I get dressed up in my winter clothes,
And step outside to look at the roses
But they are all covered in the morning snow
Just open your heart
And the world will carry you home tonight” (Thorns)


“And the nights are so long without
And the days speed up, my god I will never let go of you
Cause some things are not worth changing” (Down Down Down)


Such a teaming can sometimes result in the artist sounding a little pathetic, but it works for Charlie Simpson and it sounds beautiful. The music work is simple but played perfectly and is clean, the vocals are sharp, in tune and a joy to listen to.

-- Koala

DOWNLOAD “Don't I Hold You”  HERE

An Electrying Edifice of Ebullient EP's - Featuring Frost Hammer, Aaron Zimmer, Prevenge/Dig It Up, and Bacchus Baracus

Frost Hammer - Live at Reeds

Sometimes you just get lucky.  There I was, minding my own business, sharing a club sandwich with my father-in-law, when an email pops across my iPhone.  Nothing too unusual.  At the Ripple we get over 400 band submissions a month.  But something about this email caught my eye.  First, they were local boys, coming from San Jose, and I always want to support local music.  Second, this wasn't a demo or a first ep, or some fine studio recording.  What came across were 3 tracks, all recorded live at Reeds Studios, the first of many to come from these guys.  Now, that takes balls. To introduce yourself to the world through three songs cut live.  No overdubs.  No glossy production.  Just guitars, bass, drum, and occasional vocal.  Yes, we have balls.  Welcome to our world.  We are Frost Hammer.

And fuck if they aren't!  Forget the overdubs.  What we got here are three searing tracks of guitar fury, detuned and bottom end heavy.  We're mixing the root of Sabbath with some retro-70's Nugent guitar histrionics and groove and tossing in a hint of NWOBHM riffing.  "Master of Weapon" is my off the cuff favorite.  But that's not to say the others aren't killer.  "Void" and "Wizard Tooth" both decimate with earthquake inducing doom riffing and guitar work that comes across like a cross between Iommi and Satriani.  In other words, the cat can shread when he wants to but knows the value of keeping it simple and clean.  "Wizard Tooth," is just a monster of post-Sabbath riffery that tosses in some furious NWOBHM finese, and stop-start time changes.  "Void" is an instrumental that never loses focus and simply terrorizes.

This isn't really an EP. More songs from these sessions are coming and a full length is due soon.  So keep your eyes open.  But I just couldn't wait til then to give these guys some press.  Retro-riff rockers, seek them out!

Hear them at the Frost Hammer Band Page.

Aaron Zimmer - This Time Next Year

It was last year sometime that we at the Ripple fell under the spell of earnest singer/songwriter Aaron Zimmer, and his full throttle pop.  Now after spending a year playing in the NY area, Aaron comes back with his first new EP, This Time Next Year, and the maturation in song-writing is like a new day dawning.  Playing it a bit looser and rootsier than most of the debut album, This Time Next Year is a knock out of a follow up.  Aaron seems to be a bit more relaxed, some loose strumming of his acoustic guiding most songs like the erstwhile "Broken Records."  The single "Honey, Give Me a Hand," we'd already reviewed in these pages after we got wrapped up in its giddy with spontaneity, and it's still my favorite song here.  "Cab Fare," a languid ballad, brings out some of Aaron's more country roots while "Conspiracy Theorist" surprises with its horn-section accompaniment. 

Just as he did with Live Wires, Aaron has crafted an EP of indy rock perfection.  As with all Aaron’s songs, the melody is right in the forefront, bringing me in, letting me know I’m in good hands.  The casual rush of the song sweeps over me in a moment of shear pop delight.

Aaron Zimmer band page

Prevenge/Dig It Up - Split

Hyper-adrenalinized punk from Montreal.  We got us two bands fresh from the recording studio after pounding six cases of Red Bull and tossing in a Rockstar chaser.  Jittery hands and flailing hearts avoid the Emergency Room by burning off that chemical concoction pounding away on buzzsaw guitars and pulverized drum skins.

It just doesn't get much better than this.  Prevenge's two tracks, "Berry'd Alive" and " Wicked Mess," combine old-school punk chops with modern pop-punk melodic chops and enough blister-riddled fingers and knuckles to make it all work.  Guitars chug and spit and slobber and it's all f'ing perfect.  Vocals that dig into the punk larynx without ever becoming annoying or whiny are a major plus.  I just may have found my new favorite true punk band. 

Then comes Dig It Up, spitting and shouting, generally causing a ruckus and setting a bad example for youth everywhere.  Slightly choppier, definitely dirtier.  Dropping the melody for an extra dose of spleen venting, Dig It Up are the perfect foil for the slightly more polished Prevenge.  "Move My Way," is a chaotic blast of poor impulse control in all the best ways.  Drums are attacked with no signs of mercy.  Guitars leap and jump seemingly at random but altogether forming a cohesive whole.  Less pop.  More punk.  Bring on that big bass line 3/4 in and I'm in heaven.  "Cops on Horses," adds even more hardcore intensity with some seriously surprising musical chops.  What the hell are they doing when the crunching chords drop out?    Punk with a touch of crust?  Don't know what to call it.   I just want to hear it.  Again and again.

Punk rockers look out.  This split is for real.

Get it here for free (but please donate)  Juicebox Recording Co.

Bacchus Baracus - Growler

Another find from the brilliant musical minds of the Soda Shop.  Here comes a four-song, double whiskey shot of blurred, alcohol dazed retro-stoner power.  Massively heavy.  Detuned to the point of rattling spleens out of their audience's bodies.  Bacchus Baracus bring a lacerated larynx to the tobacco and weed stained proceedings.  Going way beyond any Sabbath influence, these cats jump deep into the puddle of Nazareth, spit out the fluid of a sweaty Nugent, and ride the riff waves of Mountain.  Thick, ropy chords propel this smoke-fest ever onward through the fuzzy haze.  Named after the God of wine, Bacchus and whatever the hell Baracus means, these cats are not content to wallow in the doom misery of much fuzzed-riff rock. They want a party and damn it, if there ain't one, they're gonna get it started.

"The Longest Day," simply terrorizes, ripping through it's riffs with an orgy-feeding frenzy.   "Dr Chu" marries a post-Fu Manchu fuzzmania to a serious beat.  Damn, this song cooks.  The pummeling, dirty, and bottom-heavy blues riffs of "Rock and Roll Man," probably serves as the band's morning mantra.  And by morning, of course I mean three in the afternoon when they finally get their asses out of bed to deal with the hangover from the night before.  This song even sounds like a Roman chant to me, getting the testosterone burning as the gladiators are paraded out for a night of pagan delights with the wives of all the old and frigid senators. 

Seriously cool stuff.

Listen and get it here:  Bacchus Baracus

See Green- Ultramarine

“Are you happy now? Are you happy now?” Well, if you aren't you will be after listening to Ultramarine, See Green's debut EP.

See Green is actually the stage name for L.A's Courtenay Green and Ultramarine is her shamelessly sugar pop album.

The moment you hit play you know that it is going to be fun, pop and catchy. This made me a little hesitant about reviewing it, because pop music does get that repetitive, sounds- like- every- other- pop- song- on- the- planet sound but I am glad I stuck with the EP and listened to the whole thing because it doesn't feel like that at all. Yes, it is catchy, sounds like it should be played at a teenagers drunken party but See Green is really fresh and doesn't fall into the monotonous stack of pop that is discarded two weeks later. I think it is the best pop I heave heard in quite a while.

Opening with “Are You Happy” it sets the bar pretty low for the rest of the EP. It is the weakest of the four songs but is full of jollity and catchy lyrics and music. Not a bad song, just the weakest link.

“The Neighborhood” is easily twice as good as “Are You Happy,” it is more synthesized, has stronger lyrics and is just cooler.
“You build your fortresses
Your walls are creaking
Did you close the window shades?
Are your children sleeping?
You think its over
But its not going to go away”
It seems she has decided to put the weakest song first so that every song afterwards is twice as good as the last.

“Closer” is my favourite on Ultramarine because it fits into my expectations better and is a little heavier on the music side, almost stretching itself into pop rock. It starts with guitar and then moves onto synthesized tunes and a good drum beat. The lyrics are more punchy with more attitude. In short, what you want from decent pop music.
“You walk in and walk out
And everything you pick up
You put down
Never made a wrong move
Until now
Isn't that unusual
So your talking, okay
You think you are in control no way”

“I Meant It” is just as good as “Closer” musically. The punchy melody and boppity beat is infectious.
“When I said I would
I meant it
When I had the time
I spent it
You can make yourself
Believe it
But you will never know
Until you see it”


Ultramarine is strong vocally, in tune, in time with the music and it just fits. See Green is certainly something to watch, I can see this getting signed because of its great pop sounds but fresh take on the genre. It is also a cool artist/EP name to say together because of the rhyming scheme. Give it a listen and tell me what you think.

--Koala

Buy here: Ultramarine

Bowery Beasts- Heavy You

When I was in my senior years in a small pathetic excuse of a high school, I fell into the “rejects” group. Being in the rejects group meant  that you didn't like pop music, football, remaining tanked for the entire weekend, shooting random marsupials and when you dated someone it was for longer than a week.

Not liking pop music meant that everyone in the group had differing opinions on what was great, and a few collective favourites. As the new kid on the block I was given a heap of music almost daily and quizzed about it twenty four hours later... If I didn't like the right bands I was ridiculed and mocked. This pressure made me hate music a bit as I was being pushed and pulled in every direction and not left alone to figure it out. It was only after resisting them that I found my feet and I can really appreciate music and really love it. I wish they would have left me alone to start with...

BUT!

On the other hand now that I have my own tastes and opinions I wish I could get those days back. Conversations about bands could last days DAYS and with my new found confidence in what I like and what is good it would be nice to argue with someone about it.

I had this yearning not that long ago after locating in my music library some un-reviewed brilliance. Bowery Beasts was a bit of a surprise for me, not only because I didn't know they were there but because it is like a shining two dollar coin on the footpath of music.

Heavy You is the Bowery Beasts debut EP and I hope there is more to come. This LA band plays really good rock 'n roll. I was quite surprised because whenever I heard the phrase “rock 'n roll” I was transported to some distant childhood memory of my dad's music... But now, I am thrown into the modern era that holds the smooth, sexy sounds that the genre is known for.

Its not just the guitar riffs that catch me, it is the lyrics, vocals, drums the whole set up makes you want to listen to more. The five songs in Heavy You just aren't enough.

I don't have a favourite song this album, which is rare for me, because I think they are all awesome.

It opens with “He Was Your First Tattoo” and instantly reminds me a little of Them Crooked Vultures-  has more rock than roll. Team this legendary sound with lyrics like-

“He was your first tattoo,
Never seen eyes so true
The was the first you knew
Never met a girl like you”

And you have a winner!

“White Diamond Babe” definitely pulls together the silky rock sound to create something really special. It is worth noting that when you are singing along to this music (as one does) you not only sing the lyrics you sing the riffs too...

“Today I saw my angel smile, (duh duh duh dummm dummm dummm)
It made me want to try. (duh duh duh dummm dummm dummm)
Today I saw my angel cry (duh duh duh dummm dummm dummm)
I could see you waiting right there, out on the sand, under the sun.
Twisting her hair, I could see her.”

I was really happy cruising around in my modern day rock 'n roll feeling, then “Young Rockers” took me back to my childhood and took Heavy You up another notch, which I thought was impossible. I think the change in sound comes because this song has more haze around it.

“Amulet” is completely different to any of the other songs, starting off with acoustic sounds and slowly building towards a peak of velvety riffs. Beautiful.

“Rock and Roll Queen” is the neat package at the end of the EP. Tying together all of the sounds of Heavy You, being sweet and having a quick line like-
“I want to roll a Rolling Stone”

My parents live 1300km (808 miles) away from me and I held the phone up to the speaker for 20 minutes because I thought this band was that great. They did too! Bowery Beasts bridges generation gaps with their smooth, beautiful sound. Heavy You is definitely an EP to get and they are a band to watch.

 --Koala

Buy here mp3: Heavy You

Syd Arthur - Moving World

I had know idea who or what Syd Arthur was, but what I heard was not what I was expecting by any means. Moving World was another 'gift sent' to me by Ripple Music, and I really don't know what to make of it. It melds styles I previously thought un-meldable. Truly a conundrum of sound and style. I only label this as progressive rock because I don't know what else to classify it as, it is that much of an interesting mash-up of style.

I'm going to assume Syd Arthur is either a nickname or the band name, like Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull or Franz Ferdinand, a name that sounds like a person's, but is in fact the group's name (in my searches I discovered a theory that the band gets it's name from Syd Barret (original singer for Pink Floyd) and from The Kinks' album, Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire), so that's kind of interesting. I say this because the singer has a very peculiar voice; At times making me think it is a female singing, and at others just a really odd male (the first draft of this paragraph was all about a female vocalist, then I did some actual research and learned the truth). It is really odd, I can tell that he's British, but other then that I am at a loss.

The music off of Moving World is an odd conglomeration of styles. I hear elements of funk, jazz, classic rock, singer-songwriter, soul, Latin, etc, etc. Each of the songs begins in one fashion and then heads into another at one point or another. Track two, "Pulse," begins with a bluesy classic rock riff, then moves into a funk/soul blend. The following, "Exit Domino," spends most of it's time with only the (odd) voice and a plucked guitar melody, but at parts it becomes much more involved with a semi-impressive drum-cymbal collaboration and a much more heavy guitar (but still not close to metal by any means). The best part of the song is towards the end when the vocals cut out and the guitar goes into a frantic solo-style with a keyboard/maybe-guitar over it all. It all builds into this crescendo and then dies suddenly and drastically, leaving only a single wailing guitar. Probably the best song on the EP.

Throughout it all there is that solo-songwriter style of a focus on vocals and guitar, with the rest of the instruments only getting the green light to truly perform when the vocals are dormant. The final track is the best example of this; "Hermethio" begins with a big band sound, with piano, flute, strings, moving drums and a couple of guitars, their only instrumental track. This song shows that the act can pull off some decent music, but the rest of the disc doesn't really support this theory.

All in all... um, I don't know. I don't have some witty way to wrap up Syd Arthur. The music is eclectic and odd... but good. The vocals are... weird to say the least. There are a few good moments on Moving World, and a couple decent songs. The band knows how to play, and how to write some compelling music, but there is something missing in their conception. If you are in market for something interesting and odd then Syd Arthur may be just your bag, give them a spin and let me know what you think.

--K-

Buy here

Meekos &Me- Anxious Little Turtles

The first thing you will notice about the new LP released by this LA based band is the fourteen song length. Now, I am no expert but fourteen songs is longer than the average LP, especially if they are of this quality. All of the songs are really good and the sound is built to suit the content. Due to their changing style and story telling it manages to keep you interested throughout the entire fourteen songs.

As I have mentioned, Meekos&Me is a LA based band. They are comprised of guitarist, songwriter and singer Joey Colando and classically trained cellist Danny Grab. Anxious Little Turtles is their debut release and gives a glimpse of the greatness that is to come. It is difficult to sum them up into a single genre as it is clearly a work of creative collaboration rather than a decision to make a folk band or a rock band.

“Entropy” is the opening of the album. With good acoustics and cello support and creative, clever lyrics it gets you ready for what is to come.
“I say I love you,
You say you love me.
But oh my god,
Its been way too long.
Strength divides the weak from the strong”


It is surprising how well the electric sound from the guitar and the classical cello work together in “Grove Street”, accompanied with soulful vocals and lyrics about separation. Tied together to make a neat package.
“We've got green plants in the garden
It was nothing before we stared
And I know that
So stop your whining
Get away from me, if you are crying.”


“Underwater Dream” is a song about a merman's love for a human and is recorded to sounds muffled and bubbly, as if you were underwater as well. It really shows of the duo's creative outlook on their music.
“I can walk on water, on the bottom of the sea,
And when I talk to you, you can't understand me.”


“Animals in my Room” immediately caught my attention because of the opening with the Kookaburra laugh and the other lyrics that refer to Australian animals,
“Kangaroos, Polar bears,
Owls with their crazy stares,
And I am scared”
This was released as the single and it is easy to see why. It represents the album well with its eccentricity that still stays between the lines of normalcy. 


“Mountains in the Rearview” has a “hillbilly” sound to it with banjo like sounds and the pitch climb that hillbilly music has. Additionally, interesting lyrics.
“I'm going home,
Because you're back home.
Every night we are the last to fall asleep,
We talk about music
And we act so casually”


“Steven and Kirsten” is one of those growing up and moving on songs that most people are going to relate to. It is lyrically well written with a country sound to it (think tambourines). I especially related to it as it is pretty much how I ended up moving to the city. Just decided to one day and packed.
“All she wanted to know,
Is why you move so slow,
All you have to do is pack and go”


Joey Colando's talent on the guitar is on showcase with “Fantasies and Fairies” being carried by his brilliant fingerpicking style. With creative lyrics it is another exceptional song.
“Fantasies and flying fairies
Are you insane?
Act your age.
You gotta act your age
These days”


 “Umbrella” opens with Danny Grab's cello solo then breaks into being rhythm based. The cello stills features largely in this song and has a really good sound to it.
“I saw you laugh a lot the other day
You looked so cute
Do you think you look any other way?”


“If I Don't” has a great acoustics accompanied by soulful cello which is perfectly matched for this love song.
“I'll be with you some day,
I will.
I'll be with you one day,
My heart always will.”


“Whistle” is another sweet acoustic song that has almost dark lyrics to it. Unexpected but brilliant.
“But I whistle everyday
Cause I have nothing to say.
I lose my mind with you
I will someday
Oh, one day.”


“Kid Things” another song that is percussion and cello dominated but it then opens to a surprising electric guitar climax. It was really enjoyable hearing it open up and explode like that.


“Whistle (reprise)” is the only song on the album that is not full length. Whistling to the tune of “Whistle” it is a sweet way to wrap things up.

Overall, a really creative album. It is enjoyable to listen to and I will be on the look out for their next releases. 


-Koala

www.meekosandme.com/

Campaign - Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!

(1) New Email:  “I don’t know if it is your style or not, but give it a try.”


My instinctual response was “oh dear..” but I downloaded it anyway and ran out of the door as I was once again going to be late... Fast forward a few days and I find the EP whilst cleaning my download folder. Hitting play I am thinking I may need to admit to myself that I actually enjoy this sort of music more than I like to think I do...

Campaign’s Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! is punk. It doesn’t have punk “flavor”, it is punk. The heavy vocals, heavy guitar, and heavy drums might deter some, but it is very neatly pulled together to sound intricate and interesting.

My favorite song of the album is “Old Haunts” and I personally think it is a great way to open. The music sounds as if it could have coped on its own, without the vocals, it is very well played and varied. That being said, the vocals are really what top “Old Haunts” and the whole EP if fact. Catchy lyrics too-

“I tell myself the score is worth settling,
Til I almost believe the lies that I’m peddling”

“Old Thrills” reminds me of those people in bars who progressively get louder and louder and think they are cooler and cooler... That mental image is probably fueled by the chorus which is sung louder and rougher than the rest of the song, with lyrics that read,

“After last call, I'll drink with the fishes
I'll end this drink's life
You'll be the witness.”

“Old Blues” has the good, rough music that provides the canvas for the lyrics that take the picture from black and white to colored -

“Out of time, burned out too soon,
Born to lose, blacked out and blue”

“Old Mess” closes off the album. Some of the lyrics hit a personal soft spot of mine, making it even more enjoyable to listen to.

“So call me up when you are feeling low,
Because we both know
That you felt like a notch on my belt,
But you stayed anyway”

To be frank, after these four songs you are left wanting more. Overall an enjoyable EP by a band that knows how to pull it all together.

- Koala

Thulium – 69 EP

Damn it, I hate it when this happens!

Ok, here’s the truth.  I know music is going digital, but here at the Ripple office, we get so many cool CD and vinyl submissions that the digital promos tend to  . . .er . . . wallow on my hard drive for some indeterminate amount of time before I get around to playing them.   Sorry, that’s just the facts.  In the car, I play CD’s.  In my office I play vinyl.  I play digital . . . when?

Then something like this happens and I get all flustered.  See I just pulled up and hit the play button on this 3-song EP by UK band, Thulium.  I don’t have the slightest idea how long this set has been languishing amongst the 1’s and 0’s of my desktop.  A month?  Six?  97? 

What I do know is that I’ve been depriving myself of some killer music.  A hard band to classify, Thulium do it all on these three songs and do it with major aplomb!  “Running” kicks this affair off  with major adrenaline.  Copping a riff sequence that reminds immediately of the Sex Pistols, the boys drop into a monter TSOL/New Model Army type of gritty, poppy, guitar post punk madness.  Damn it!  This song smacks me upside the head and calls me Suzie!  Love the gruff voice, the bellowing bass line, those crunchy guitar chords.  Why haven’t I been listening to this for years?

Recently, (and often) I’d hailed the chops of Portland’s The Estranged, one of my favorite post-post punk, punk bands.  Let’s add Thulium to that list now.   Aggressive alternative?  Post punk metal?  I don't know what to call it.  Just play it..

But the boys prove right away that they’re no one song ponies.  “Craving” keeps the intensity at full throttle with their post-punk meltdown of jangling guitars, street gutter chords, step-infected vocals, and killer chops.  Just like “Running”, “Craving” wraps all this aggression into some mighty tight, hook-laden pop smarts.  Another pure winner.

The boys, who hail from France, England, Canada, and Hungary, cite bands like Audioslave, Nickleback, and Foo Fighters as influences, and I suppose so, but I hear so much more and less than that in their sound.  More, in the terms of aggression and punk attitude, less in terms of commercial bowing to the mainstream.  And certainly (thank God) no Nickleback.  This is pure, spittle rock and roll.

The EP ends with the piano and acoustic guitar driven “90 Days of Sorrow,” a beautiful downer of a ballad.  It serves to showcase the band’s scope and talent, even if it ends the EP in stark contrast to the blitzkrieg of the opening songs.

Personally, I can’t wait to hear more from these guys.  If this EP is a true testament to their talents, a full-length Thulium album will be eagerly anticipated around the Ripple office.

And it won’t sit on my computer for months.

--Racer.

http://www.myspace.com/thulium69

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/



 

Heavy Glow - The Filth and The Fury”EP

Electronic distortion - to reproduce or amplify (a signal) inaccurately by changing the frequencies or unequally changing the delay or amplitude of the components of the output wave. (The “Filth.”)

Audio feedback - when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output. The frequency of the resulting sound is determined by resonance frequencies in the microphone, amplifier, and loudspeaker, the acoustics of the room, the directional pick-up and emission patterns of the microphone and loudspeaker, and the distance between them. (The “Fury”)

Add the two together and you have The Filth and The Fury.  Use it skillfully and surround it with expert guitar playing, world class rock drums, driving bass, catchy lyrics, and soulful vocals, and you have Heavy Glow’s The Filth and The Fury EP.

Although the EP’s name is the same as a 1999 video rock documentary on the Sex Pistols by Julien Temple, Heavy Glow’s performances are more akin to the 1969 psychedelia of Jimi Hendrix.  Guitarist and vocalist Jared Mullins displays his axe virtuosity like a circus ringmaster. He tames feedback and turns it into melodious waves of sound in much of the same way Hendrix did during his performance of “Can You See Me?” at the Monterey Pop Festival.  He adds various distortions - from Hendrix’s and Clapton’s fuzzboxes to Link Wray’s dislodged amplifier tube sputter.  Mullins’ guitar playing is a master class in tone. Mullins’ vocals fit beautifully and provide an expressive and accessible foundation for the power trio.

Joe Brooks provides the bottom. He thumps and bumps crunch in a way Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer fame would fully appreciate.  Dan Kurtz is a madman.  He is a power drummer, with exacting rhythm, that would have Buddy Miles and Ian Paice on their feet waiving flicked Bic lighters.

Now here’s the kicker.  The EP was cut live in one room over a period of six hours.  Let me say that one more time - the EP was cut live in one room over a period of six hours.  Incredible!

How did they do it?  Well, talent helps - so does the steady hand of guitarist and producer Stevie Salas.  Salas has worked with Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, George Clinton - even Justin Timberlake.  He just seems to know how to get the best out of these boys.

The EP contains five songs - all of them gems.  The most radio ready are "I Almost Prayed" and "Bourgeois Baby" which share a certain drive and complexity that have you up and rockin’.  Then there is "Hot Mess" with a riff that descends directly from Hendrix’s "Manic Depression"  "Love Ghost" does things with feedback and fuzz that make you know the band was reared on a steady diet of hard rock.  To finish the EP Heavy Glow performs "Red July," an early 1970’s power rock ballad of Bootsy Collin-esque bass combined with Clapton’s Cream-era guitar tones, accented by Stewart Copeland-like drumming, over which Mullins croons about “hot summer, red July” with mantra-like repetition.

Don’t know where the band name Heavy Glow came from.  At first I thought it might have originated from the lyrics of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song "By The Way."  After listening to the EP I’m not so sure.  It might just be taken from the light at the end of a burning medical marijuana cigarette.  Now, that’s more like Heavy Glow.


- Old School

Buy here mp3: The Filth & The Fury [Explicit]

City and the Sea - Leave A Light On EP

A while back, Pope and I talked about how cool it may be if every once in a while, we both reviewed the same album.  Two different opinions from the same site on the same work.  It may be cool to see how each of us responded to the album and as a waverider, you may find it helpful in deciding if you want to check it out or not.

But being inherently lazy, we never did it.

Until now.  Unbenownst to Old School and Mr. Brownstone, they each got a copy of this dramatic new album by City and the Sea, and both responded with . . . well, we'll let you read on.

The EP Leave A Light On by City and the Sea contains only four tracks and I can’t stop playing it over and over and over again.  If this EP, released September 21, 2010, had been on vinyl, by now I’d need a new needle and a new pressing - and I would immediately go out and get it.  It is available on CD but is also downloadable for free in high quality digital formats, so fortunately, I can listen and listen and listen without wearing it out (however, I sure would like to hear this one on vinyl.)

I love Leave A Light On.  I hear lots of original music.  I play lots of original music.  But, this - this is highly original World-Class Motown soul and kick ass rock.  The band started in 2006 as The Mississippi Kings, but then decided to change its name and sound.  Now, as City and the Sea says on their website biography, their sound is “Part Detroit, part steel town Hamilton [Ontario, Canada] and part Manchester, England.”  The four person nucleus of the band is: Nick Cino (lead vocals), Mike Ventimiglia (lead guitar), Dave Marini (bass) and Dano Stajduhar (drums). All four tracks are originals.  The writing and performances are amazing.  The EP was produced in Hamilton, Ontario by Glen Marshall (Feist, Apostle of Hustle) and Michael Keire (Dark Mean, Wildlife.) The band and producers have crafted four masterpieces.    

The EP starts with “Fool’s Union,” a gritty hard rocker that sports a struttin’ attitude and killer guitar and bass riffs.  The band provides lead singer Cino with high intensity background vocals that accentuate the power chord display. The tune out bads Bad Company, outdrives Bachman Turner Overdrive and is hotter than Hot Tuna.  “Fool’s Union” is not even the best track on “Leave A Light On.”   

The band turns to modern Motown and competes with Detroit’s best on the second track “Hundred.”  By adding a horn section (Scott Neilson on saxophone, and Ellis Marsalis-trained William Sperandei on trumpet) City and the Sea cooks up a soul blues with guitar parts as good as Eric Lindell and a sound that would make Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes melt. This isn’t even the second best track on the EP.

The third track is “Leave A Light On,” the song for which City and the Sea names the EP. It is an introspective, emotional, power rock ballad.  It is the kind of tune that will have you raising a fist and singing the tag line “Please leave the light on for me.” It is arena rock at its best.

The final song - last, but, certainly not least - maybe even best, is “Gimme Back My Soul,” a modern Detroit soul rock piece with a downright infectious riff. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings have nothing on this City and the Sea tune. Even when the track is over I am still humming “Gimme Back My Soul.”

Then, comes the worst part of the EP - it is over.  In a little over twelve and a half minutes I fell in love and now it is over. I miss this music. City and the Sea, I want more and I want it now! So will you.


- Old School


Four dudes and kick ass music, what more do you need? City and the Sea shows how to rock n’ roll the good old fashioned way. They’re a little bit of everything and have that perfect mix showing soul, remarkable rhythm and loud guitars that totally have a Detroit/Southern rock sound.

Letting loose on the “Leave A Light On” EP, City and the Sea showcase soulful, bluesy country rock that was previously established on their debut album “Long Time Comin.’” Their passionate playful sound seems reminiscent of songs you have heard years and possibly even decades before, but somehow they aren’t. On their debut, they have been compared by some as a “Marvin Gaye meets the Rolling Stones” and I can completely see that.  However, I get more of a Kings of Leon, Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Kid Rock (2007 to present) sound. They are a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll and a whole lotta soul.

The band is comprised of Nick Cino (lead vocals), Mike Ventimiglia (lead guitar), Dave Marini (bass) and Dano Stajduhar (drums). “Fool’s Union” sweet soulful sound leads off City and the Sea’s  Leave A Light On” . Call me crazy, but Cino comes across like Paul Stanley on the beginning part of this track and take the intensity one step further. It’s like Kid Rock, Marvin Gaye and Paul Stanley’s vocals are all combined into one exquisite voice.

They are complete badass rockers you can’t help, but want to sing along with them as though they are “already rock anthems.” Almost every time I listen to the songs off this EP I feel like I am listening to a modern classic rock song. As the lyrics point out, I feel “like a fool” saying that, but their “southern” spirit just overpowers me when thinking about this band.

Horns heat up the song "Hundred" and captivates listeners in a whole new way proving their versatility. They say heart no longer exists in modern music, especially rock. Obviously, those people have never listened to City and the Sea and are truly missing out on a passionate playful band. Their melodic music is fused together to create a simplistic splendid style all their own.

Pop penetrates this EP in “Leave A Light On” showing their softer side and a mature modern outlook on life. This is a great single and one of my favorite songs of the year. I hate do that in a review, but it’s just so sweet and sad. It’s an effective emotional song that leaves you on the edge of your seat building up until the very end. No doubt in my mind, City and the Sea definitely wear their heart on their sleeves and are damn proud of it! More modern rock needs to be like City and the Sea.

The EP concludes with “Gimme Back My Soul,” a pitch-perfect song that is irresistible from beginning to end. Each song, especially “Gimme Back My Soul,” are perfect examples of great music that should always be on the radio. They have captured my soul and should be checked out immediately.



--Mr. Brownstone

 There you have it; two totally unbiased opinions that make the same conclusion.  An album worth checking out.