Charts and Maps is an instrumental progressive rock project from Los Angeles, CA. consists of: Daniel Melancon – drums, John Taylor – guitar, Jasper Crane – bass, Jay Watford – guitar and Mike Allison – saxophone and they are involved in other bands as Danger Bees, Random Patterns, Semiconscious Gloria and Pride of Kenya. Nominated their influences in bands such as Battles, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Deerhoof, Tortoise, Yes and Danger Bees. Their music is a nice blending of Jazz and Progressive Rock, including a large variety of shades and colors in a nice, dynamic pulse. Actually it’s pretty hard to balancing on this thin line between Progressive Rock and Jazz, but Charts And Maps managed to keep a positive groove and the equation of their roots and influences are mixed perfectly and Charts and Maps create their own colorful universe. Read more Charts And Maps – Dead Horse (2011)
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Joe McPhee Survival Unit III – Syncronicity (2011)
The trouble with the so-called avant-garde music is mainly that most of the experiences were already being made in the 60s and 70s. Blowing mindlessly and senselessly your saxophone it doesn’t surprise anybody anymore and plenty of others did it before not once. Well, McPhee is one of those old guys who were there in the 60s as well just like he’s exploring the borders of the free jazz relentless now days. So, McPhee is a true survival literally. Survival Unit III made of Joe McPhee – alto saxophone and pocket trumpet, Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello and electronics and Michael Zerang – drums are trying once again to rendering some order into the chaos, to make sense in a contorted world that sometimes seems senseless. It’s a hard job, difficult task and mysterious are the ways, isn’t it? Read more Joe McPhee Survival Unit III – Syncronicity (2011)
KMFDM – WTF?! (2011)
It’s been two years since the release of “Blitz” and KMFDM are back now with their seventeenth studio album released yesterday, on April 26. It’s true, meanwhile KMFDM released two compilation albums, “Würst” and “Greatest Shit”. Since Tim Sköld (formerly of Shotgun Messiah) left in 2003 to join Marilyn Manson (he left Manson in 2008 and formed Doctor Midnight & The Mercy Cult alongside Hank von Helvete), he still had contributed to KMFDM – “Skold vs. KMFDM” released in 2009, completed entirely over the Internet – and since Sascha Konietzko and Lucia Cifarelli moved to Hamburg, Germany, it will be the first release entirely without any contribution from Tim. Steve White and Jules Hodgson played guitars and Andy Selway the drums, completing the curent line-up of the band. “What the Fuck?!” still remains fresh, pulsing, intense and exciting. KMFDM is one of the few of this genre of Industrial Metal and Rock/EBM blending which avoiding successfully to repeat them self and becoming boring. Read more KMFDM – WTF?! (2011)
ODC – One Dead City (2011)
Poland have a solid tradition of revolt and resistance and its include a tradition of underground and Punk movement as well. ODC from Szczecin, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland, continuing this tradition, Gruby – vocals, Beben – drums, Zaraz – bass, Waldek and Greg – guitars, after the debut EP from January (free download from Bandcamp!) , now in March released their debut album consist of 14 short, incisive Punk Rock songs with some nice acoustic breaks and ingenious dynamic shifts. This is not brain surgery, this is Punk Rock, but One Dead City managed to write a couple of great songs, they have good riffs, pumping bass and “jump around” rhythms, and the acoustic moments giving them an original taste. If you dig a little bit on their MySpace page you will find links to Mediafire.com to download their full album as well, so it may be a good opportunity to listen and get know them. Read more ODC – One Dead City (2011)
Incubus – If Not Now, When? (2011)
It was the longest gap between two albums – five years – for Incubus, but “If Not Now, When?” will be released on July 12, 2011 by Epic Records, although the full album leaked online on April 25. “If Not Now…” pick-up where they left in 2006 with “Light Grenades”. You can forget about their experiments of utilizing elements from a variety of genres and styles, there’s no even traces of Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Funk Metal, not even any sings of any kind of Metal at all, and no left-over shades of Jazz or Hip/Trip Hop inflections as well, Incubus maybe “grew up”, perhaps they lost their appetite for exploration and settled down to a clean, some may call adult, Rock sound. This is not that bad as it may sounds, but I have to admit it, this Incubus is not “that” Incubus I used to love. This is “something” much closer to the late Pearl Jam (“In the Companies of Wolves”) and even passages that reminds me of Kings Of Leon (“Thieves”) than to Faith No More. Read more Incubus – If Not Now, When? (2011)
Mombu – Mombu (2011)
Well, I love crazy shits and this is one of the craziest shits I heard lately, so I love it. This is hardfuckingcore, we’ve got African rhythms, fabulous grooves, complex rhythmic structures and instead of crushing edge guitars, a mind-blowing bariton saxophone. Mombu reminds me on one hand of the The Thing, they have the explosive creativity of that improvising Norwegian/Swedish Jazz band, but Mombu use grooves, themes, killer unison, on the other hand they reminds me of one of my favorite bands, the Norwegian Shining. The duo consist of Luca T. Mai, the saxophonist from the band Zu and drummer Antonio Zitarelli from the band Neo. Read more Mombu – Mombu (2011)
Fred Hersch Trio – Everybody’s Song But My Own (2011)
Strongly influenced by the work of Bill Evans, about Hersch critics have exclusively laudatory words, been called “a modern master”. Pianist and composer, Hersch explore the borders and beyond the Jazz for the 21st century. Intelligence and emotional involvement goes together in his work and revealing unexpected dimensions of intimacy and beautiful glows of desire for living. High lyricism and impressive turns of pulsing dynamism are meant to keep the audience attentions tight, Hersch led us through different moods and colors of the music smoothly and kindly, he’s universe it’s truly transcendent and he’s melting into one the tradition and the innovation, being classic and modern simultaneously. Read more Fred Hersch Trio – Everybody’s Song But My Own (2011)
The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida (2011)
This is the American dream, or the sparking of it, what’s left from it. Ian,James and Simone Felice, sons of a carpenter, used to play on Sundays at their father’s afternoon barbecues. They stayed in a little apartment in Brooklyn and The Felice Brothers started as a band playing in the New York City subway stations at 42nd Street and Union Square and in Greenwich Village. Ian is the main vocalist and plays the guitar and piano, James contributes vocals and plays the accordion, organ, and piano, their friend Christmas Clapton, previously a traveling dice player plays the bass guitar. Simone Felice was the drummer as well as a vocalist and a guitarist, he is also an author, having released books entitled “Goodbye Amelia, and Hail Mary, Full of Holes”. Simone left the band in 2009 and now leads his own band: The Duke & the King, Dave Turbeville was put behind the drum kit and Greg Farley is the fiddle player. They album “Through These Reins and Gone” released in 2006 made it onto Radio Woodstock WDST’s top 25 albums of 2006 and in 2008 it was announced The Felice Brothers had signed a record deal with Team Love Records, since they traveling the country in their “Short Bus”, touring extensively. Read more The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida (2011)
Gavin Friday – Catholic (2011)
Gavin Friday spans around for more than four decades, not only as musician, but as painter as well or writing and MCing his own weekly cabaret “The Blue Jaysus”. He wrote the soundtrack to Jim Sheridan’s “In the Name of the Father”, which including Sinéad O’Connor’s hit, “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” and subsequent film scores have included the song “Angel” to the “Romeo + Juliet” soundtrack, the score for the Australian film “Angel Baby”, “The Boxer”, “Disco Pigs” and “In America”. He collaborate with artists such as The Fall, Coil, Dave Ball, U2, Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart, The Heads, Howie B. and Preacher’s Son. Gavin’s first solo album was released in 1989, “Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves” followed by “Adam ‘n’ Eve” in ’92 and “Shag Tobacco” in ’95. Gavin have a long collaboration with pianist Maurice Seezer. “Catholic” was released on April 22 and we’ve got 11 brand new tracks. Read more Gavin Friday – Catholic (2011)
Mindless Self Indulgence – Tighter (2011)
This band from NY it’s around since 1997 and “Tighter” actually it’s the re-issued version of their debut and out of print album “Tight” released 12 years ago. It’s a crazy shit, but well, my kind of shit. Love at first listening. Because till this morning I never heard of them. MSI gave us a noisy mixture of Punk and Electronic music, whatever Electronic music may means from Synth Pop to Industrial, in and out and from Marilyn Manson to Jaguar Love. The 26 tracks of “Tighter” it’s kind of trip to Hell and back – all fucking inclusive. A good one. And funny one. To Hell or wherever else you want or imagine to go. It may be a sunny island, a cellar, the (pink) side of the Moon or… a bordello in Amsterdam. Read more Mindless Self Indulgence – Tighter (2011)
