I wrote about PWEI just a few weeks back, reminding of their album “Dos Dedos Mis Amigos” and announcing the good news: on 3rd October 2011, after a 17 years gap, PWEI will release their sixth studio album entitled “New Noise Designed By A Sadist”. And time’s up, here we go again. 11 tracks, the guys sounds fresh and still kicking like two decades ago and they bring us a little bit of chaos & mayhem, some old-school (cool 🙂 ) noises and anti-plastic anthems. It feels like yesterday, but it’s so now and eventually looking into the future.
In few words: they are back to business! Dig out your dancing shoes, grab your air guitar and bang your head: you’re so wasted! Read more Pop Will Eat Itself – New Noise Designed by a Sadist (2011)
Yearly Archives: 2011
Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning (2011)
Steven John Wilson is a self-taught, yet twice Grammy nominated producer, audio engineer, guitar and keyboard player, playing other instruments as and where required, including bass guitar, concert harp, hammer dulcimer and flute. He is involved in many bands and projects such as Altamont, Karma, No-Man, Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, Bass Communion, Blackfield and not at least he is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. Wilson appears on several other albums by artist such as Mick Karn, Indigo Falls, Fish, Marillion, Richard Barbieri, Anja Garbarek, Opeth, Yoko Ono, Dream Theater, Jordan Rudess, Orphaned Land, Anathema among many others as musician, sound engineer or producer.
“Grace For Drowning” is Wilson’s second solo album released on September 26th, by Kscope Records. The special edition of the album is going to release on Blu-Ray video disc with the music playing in 5.1 surround sound and accompanying visuals and videos for each track, making it the first-ever rock album released primarily as a Blu-Ray video disc.
The album features contributions by artist such as Nic France on drums, Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Nick Beggs and Trey Gunn on guitar, Theo Travis and Jordan Rudess, and some jazz musicians. Touring members will include Marco Minnemann on drums, Nick Beggs on bass, Aziz Ibrahim on guitar, Gary Husband on keyboards, and Theo Travis on flute and saxophone. Read more Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning (2011)
Rocket From the Tombs – Barfly (2011)
If the name Rocket From the Tombs doesn’t ring a bell, probably Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys does. In 1974, the original line-up included Chris Cuda, Peter Laughner, and Glen “Thunderhand” Hach sharing guitar duties; Charlie Weiner on bass and other implements; and Tom Foolery (née Clements) on drums while the classic lineup included David Thomas (then known as “Crocus Behemoth”, Peter Laughner, Craig Bell, Gene O’Connor (a.k.a. Cheetah Chrome), and Johnny Madansky (presently known as “Johnny Blitz”). Laughner and Thomas went on to form Pere Ubu. Laughner died in 1977, of acute pancreatitis brought on by years of drinking and drugging. O’Connor and Madansky joined with singer Stiv Bators to form Frankenstein, which later morphed into the Dead Boys. Both groups used songs first written or performed by Rocket From The Tombs as parts of their repertoires: the Dead Boys were known for “Ain’t It Fun,” “What Love Is,” “Down in Flames,” “Caught With the Meat in Your Mouth” (done by RFTT as “I’m Never Gonna Kill Myself Again”) and “Sonic Reducer”; Pere Ubu went on to reinterpret “Final Solution,” “Life Stinks” and “30 Seconds Over Tokyo.” “Ain’t It Fun” was first released by O’Connor’s later group, The Dead Boys, on their 1978 second studio album “We Have Come for Your Children.” The song was later covered and rose to fame by Guns N’ Roses when they cover the song for their 1993 album “The Spaghetti Incident?”. Rollins Band also covered the song for their album “A Nicer Shade of Red”, a compilation album which was recorded at the same sessions that produced “Nice” in 2001. Read more Rocket From the Tombs – Barfly (2011)
Bill Frisell – All We Are Saying… (2011)
“All We Are Saying is give peace a chance” became the anthem of the anti Vietnam-war movement back in ’69. Guitarist and composer Bill Frisell took his chances on some of the most famous songs written by John Lennon and record his take on the classic songs such as “Across the Universe”, “Nowhere Man”, “Imagine”, “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”, “In My Life”, “Come Together”, “# 9 Dream” or “Mother”.
Some might know Bill Frisell from John Zorn’s Naked City, but before that, he worked with Jan Garbarek on “Paths, Prints” in 1981 and one year later Pat Metheny recommended Frisell to Paul Motian who was recording “Psalm” for ECM Records. Frisell became ECM’s in-house guitar player. In ’83 he collaborated once again with Garbarek on “Wayfarer”.
Frisell’s first solo release was In Line featured solo guitar and duets with bassist Arild Andersen in 1983 and since he released almost 30 solo albums and had collaborate with Vernon Reid, Elvis Costello, Jack DeJohnette, Tim Berne, Michael White among many other artist on several release. Read more Bill Frisell – All We Are Saying… (2011)
Unfold – Cosmogon (2011)
Released on September 27, 2011, “Cosmogon”, on Division Records, the third album by Swiss metal outfit Unfold came after a gap of eight years.
Alain – guitars & keys, Bastien – bass, Danek – vocals, Elie – guitars & keys, Laurent – drums, and Simon – guitars & keys delivered a dark and raw mix of slow grinding crust/doom/sludge like vibes with cutting edge and explosive riffs, hurricane like metal butcheries. Combining classic metal themes and modern sounds, twisted solutions, sometimes scremo like vocals, subtle elector-acoustic passages with post-grunge after taste and merciless grindings, they create their distinctive, own blended metal, and open the gates of an unheard universe.
38 minutes, 6 tracks, Unfold express anger, despair, suffering, and delivered the darkest future-metal. Read more Unfold – Cosmogon (2011)
Misfits – The Devil’s Rain (2011)
Misfits was founded in 1977 by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig and the band disbanded in 1983 when Danzig went on to form Samhain and then Danzig. During this period, bassist Jerry Only was the only consistent members along Danzing, they released several EPs and singles and the albums “Walk Among Us” (1982) and “Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood” (1983), both considered touchstones of the early 1980s hardcore punk movement.
The success of Danzig’s post-Misfits’ work led to interest in his past work, and several high-profile rock bands professed fondness for the Misfits. Most notably, Metallica covered the Misfits songs “Last Caress” and “Green Hell” on “The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited” in 1987, and Guns N’ Roses covered “Attitude” on “The Spaghetti Incident?” in 1993. Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased Misfits material were issued between 1985 and 1987, the first being the compilation album “Legacy of Brutality” in 1985 which included many of the songs from the unreleased “Static Age” album. Danzig overdubbed many of the album’s instrument tracks in order to avoid having to pay royalties to the other former band members.
After a series of legal battles with Danzig, Only and Doyle (born Paul Caiafa) – the younger brother of the Misfits bassist who featured as guitarist of the band since 1980 – in 1995 the parties reached an out-of-court settlement that allowed Only and Doyle to record and perform as the Misfits, sharing merchandising rights with Danzig. Read more Misfits – The Devil’s Rain (2011)
As We Draw, Euglena, Hexis – 3​-Way Split (2011)
Encouraging free download, releasing classic vinyls and spreading real underground metal and alternatives for the mainstream crap, Throatruiner Records from France seems to be a nowadays Don Quijote of the music industry. One of these days I was thinking about my old record collection, I really miss now the scratches and the warm sound of the vinyls, I miss the big covers and the touch of the paper, I miss the good times they represent at least symbolically. The good times of the music when music was more about music and less about business and industry. I fucking hate the plastic cases, the cellophane coating as I hate the folders on my hard drive and the mp3s. Everything is so plastic and so tasteless.
What I’m saying is that the effort of Throatruiner Records and other-likes worth some respect and recognition. Their new 3-Way split is once again available to listen, free download or buy at their Bandcamp page, but I think both – bands and label – deserves some remuneration. Read more As We Draw, Euglena, Hexis – 3​-Way Split (2011)
Blink-182 – Neighborhoods (2011)
Vacation is over, time to wake up the neighborhoods. After a four-year hiatus this is their first album of new material in eight year. Two tragedies regarding the band – the death of the band’s frequent producer Jerry Finn by a cerebral hemorrhage on August 21, 2008 and a plane crash survived only by drummer Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM – bring the band members together and they managed to work out their issues and reunite in 2008. “Neighborhoods” is the first Blink-182 album produced by the band members without the help of an outside record producer. And Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker did a great job.
Released on September 27, 2011 through DGC Records and Interscope Records, the sixth studio album by Blink-182 is another great collection of pop punk anthems. Maybe some of their new songs have a darker vibe, but still, this is so 101% Californian punk. Read more Blink-182 – Neighborhoods (2011)
Maylene And The Sons of Disaster – IV (2011)
Released in June 2009, the band’s third album called “III” was one of my favorite albums of the year and their tasty southern metal had some unique, fresh breath. The album debuted at #71 on the Billboard 200 and they performed the entrance theme for the former Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho and The Big Show, entitled “Crank the Walls Down”. Also, their song “Step Up (I’m On It)” was the theme for WWE Bragging Rights.
Lead vocalist Dallas Taylor is the last original member of the band left, although he took some time off from touring to deal with some things in his personal life from September 2009 to February 2010 and the band recruited their good friend Schuylar Croom,vocalist for He Is Legend, to fill in for touring and in that period no original members of the band were present onstage.
Formed in Alabama, in 2004, the band name and concept are based on the legend of the criminal gang of Ma Barker and her sons, noting that evil lifestyles will be met with “divine justice”. Maylene And The Sons of Disaster are back. Read more Maylene And The Sons of Disaster – IV (2011)
Mastodon – The Hunter (2011)
Developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, heavy metal, a genre of rock music was declared dead and buried since in each and every decade. Formed in 1999, in Atlanta, Georgia, Mastodon with roots back in blues rock and psychedelic rock, with raw sludge riffs and powerful post-grunge flavors, delivering complex, multi-layered songs, but also memorable and cutting riffs, merging progressive elements with pure rock energy, prove once again that the heavy metal in its purest essence remains strong and fresh, capable of reinventing itself. Mastodon managed to sound classy and traditional being modern and creative, looking further.
Moved to Atlanta from Victor, New York, drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher teamed up with bassist/singer Troy Sanders and guitarist/singer Brent Hinds and formed the band in late 1999. They recorded their first demo in 2000, which featured the band’s first lead singer, Eric Saner on vocals, but he left the band for personal reasons after just a couple of months and Troy Sanders take over most of the vocal duties. Read more Mastodon – The Hunter (2011)
