Depeche Mode are back. Strangely, “Sounds of the Universe” feels like a million years away, although it was released in 2009, so, only four years ago. This is the final piece of the trilogy of records that Depeche Mode were doing with producer Ben Hillier. And the thirteenth studio album of the band, the first for their new label, Columbia Records, scheduled for release on 22 March 2013.
I started listening with interest DM only after their 93’s “Songs of Faith and Devotion”. Still, their first four albums are quite meaningless for me. And probably their latest two. From their 2005’s “Playing the Angel” stuck in my mind the fabulous cover of “John the Revelator” and the opening track, “A Pain That I’m Used To”. “Sounds of the Universe” was even less impressive, actually I can’t recall any song title from it, although, I remember it was dark and minimal. And dark and minimal it is “Delta Machine” as well. Read more Depeche Mode – Delta Machine (2013)
Yearly Archives: 2013
Josh Money – The Petrine Cross (FREE DOWNLOAD)
Josh Money took his first piano lesson at age 5 and later studied classical composition, guitar, and piano at Macon State. After hearing the music of producer BT, he learned that his true passion was producing behind a computer. With indie film and video game scoring already under his belt thanks to programs at Full Sail University and an audio engineer position at EA Games, Josh began producing full-time in 2010 out of his home studio in Orlando. Focusing on a darker, heavier side of electronic music, Josh experimented with elements of dubstep, metal, and advanced classical theory. This newer sound caught the ear of veteran UK producer Deekline, who immediately signed Josh’s first dubstep release to Sludge Records. Josh took the EDM world by storm with his single “Let Go With You”, which dominated Beatport’s Dubstep chart, staying at the #2 slot for 6 weeks. After remixing Celldweller’s “I Can’t Wait”, Josh Money has joined Celldweller’s FiXT label to continue his attack on the charts. “The Petrine Cross” is a sick, contorted, noisy, dubstep fueled EBM track. Read more Josh Money – The Petrine Cross (FREE DOWNLOAD)
Wildmen – Wildmen (2013)
Hippies are back and they seems furious. Punk-like furious. White Stripes fans will gonna love it.
Hailing from the heart of the old empire – Rome, Italy -, Wildmen is a duo made of Giacomo Mancini and Matteo Vallicelli. Their self-titled debut album was release on 14th March on Shit Music For Shit People. Ten pounding, raw sounding, unpolished garage rock with roots back to the 70s and both to hard rock and psychedelic flavoured experimental rock. Energetic, sometimes quite wild and violently noisy, but fun throughout. This is Rock’N’Roll on steroid or on any other illegal drug. Read more Wildmen – Wildmen (2013)
Lush Rimbaud and zZz – Split, The V’ll Series # 1 (2013)
If you’re looking for something different, the Italian fromSCRATCH Records just released on February 2013 a split EP with the Italian band Lush Rimbaud and the Dutch duo zZz.
The V’LL series is a 12” coloured vinyl series released with artwork by Nico Villani (a.k.a. V’ll), handmade serigraphy (ltd. 300 copies) and featuring two different bands each release. The vinyl cost 16€ – shipping costs included.
This is a short, but consistent incursion into the alternative/experimental area of music. While Lush Rimbaud building upon the solid ground of the 70’s experimental and psychedelic rock, easily related to Hawkwind or more recently to the sound and explorations of The Flaming Lips. On the other hand, zZz have a more dance oriented approach building edge-cutting dance tracks with twisted out noise layers. Feels like Joy Division on steroids and some dangerous experimental drugs!
Trust me, this is addictive, serious shit! Awesome! For real. Read more Lush Rimbaud and zZz – Split, The V’ll Series # 1 (2013)
The Flaming Lips – The Terror (2013)
This feels and sounds pretty much like a dark, modern, minimalist, but soulful Pink Floyd album. Maybe with a healthy addition of King Crimson taste. It has something from that glowing, thirsty 70’s spirit, but sound fatter, feels like nowadays. “The Terror” is the thirteenth studio album by The Flaming Lips, and it’s to be released the April 1st 2013 worldwide and April 2nd, after a four year gap.
Lead vocalist Wayne Coyne describes the album’s general idea on the band’s official site: “We want, or wanted, to believe that without love we would disappear, that love, somehow, would save us that, yeah, if we have love, give love and know love, we are truly alive and if there is no love, there would be no life. The Terror is, we know now, that even without love, life goes on… we just go on… there is no mercy killing.”
Well, this is quite a dark vision, but a realistic one. I guess. There is no love left in this world, it was all sold or stolen and although, eventually, there is love between two people or small groups as a family, there is definitively no more love between humans generally. So, yeah, I kind of get it, feel it. Everybody for himself and against everybody else. Read more The Flaming Lips – The Terror (2013)
Archers and Arrows – Alone Together (2013)
Switzerland’s Archers and Arrows on their debut album entitled “Arrows Alone Together” delivering a tumultous, but gentle mixture of hardcore rooted energy and indie flavoured melodies. Sometimes feels and sounds like Sigur Rós playing dEUS songs, or Bullet for My Valentines start playing Mogwai covers. Sometimes quite gloomy, but very smartly build-up and gently soulful, Sebastien, Nicolas, Bunty and Yves created a world of their own and now they share it with us.
Impossible to label it, to forced into a particular genre, Arches and Arrows it’s kind of ageless and fresh, furious, teenage oriented, but simultaneously calm and mature music, something which eventually catch your little sisie’s soul, would fit nicely in your ex-hippie father’s iPod and even your mother would listen it while she’s cooking the dinner. Read more Archers and Arrows – Alone Together (2013)
Celine Bonacina Trio – Open Heart (2013)
Céline Bonacina plays baritone, alto and soprano saxophone, she’s a composer and leader of her own trio.
In 2007 she won the Group prize at the National Jazz competition in La Défense, France. In 2009 she was the winner of the Rezzo contest during Jazz à Vienne. In 2011 she was nominated for the “Instrumental Discovery French Music Awards. In 2012 she was selected for the european project “Take Five Europe”. This year (2013) she was the winner of the Adami french Award.
From the age of seven Céline studied music at the “conservatoire” (in Belfort, Besançon and Paris) then specialised in baritone saxophone in Paris big bands from 1996 to 1998. After gaining her music diplomas she moved to Reunion Island, where she taught at the regional music conservatoire for 7 years. During this time she performed in many festivals in the Indian Ocean with her own band, and as guest of the pianist Omar Sosa.
Back in France in 2005, she released her first album, « Vue d’en haut« , recorded on the island. Her compositions, interpreted with baritone, alto and soprano saxophones, are praised in the press (Jazz Magazine, Jazzman, Culturejazz, Sitarmag, Citizen Jazz, les Dernières Nouvelles du Jazz…).
With her 2010 album „Way of Life“ Bonacina had an impressive debut on ACT featuring Lê as a guest. ”Fono Forum” magazine commented on her playing: ”It is just sensational what sounds and musical styling Céline Bonacina manages to get out the Bariton-Saxophone.” Read more Celine Bonacina Trio – Open Heart (2013)
Dirty Shirt – Freak Show Remix Contest
Are you a musician? Would you like to “play” with the song “Freak Show” by using the original audio stems or you own recordings? Enter the “Freak Show Remix Contest” and you can win cool prizes worth more than 1,500 euros (gear, software, mix/mastering session, cash, etc).
EarthBound – The Tales of EarthBound (2013)
EarthBound, known in Japan as Mother, is a role-playing video game series created by Shigesato Itoi for Nintendo. The series started in 1989 with the Japan-only release of Mother (planned to be released in North America as “Earth Bound”) for the Famicom, and was then followed up by a sequel, released in North America as EarthBound for the Super NES in 1995, and followed up again 12 years later with the Japan only release of Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance in 2006. Itoi stated in an interview that the name “Mother” was greatly influenced by the John Lennon song “Mother”.
About the EarthBound trio it was damn difficult to dig out useful informations, although I find them on Facebook, Bandcamp, Soundcloud and YouTube. It seems they are an Australian band and probably “The Tales of EarthBound” it’s their debut album, as they declare, “a conceptual journey through a mystical musical land called Cleftopia.” Actually, this is a simultaneously familiar and refreshing adventure around several very famous and recognizable rock themes with a great combination of rock, funk, jazz and blues elements. Incredible talented musicians, great instrumentalists. All of them.
Joe Jeremiah – Keys, Jon “Oshy” Ooi – Drums and Jonathan “Menjeed” Mengede – Bass manage to twist in and out and back again some great themes and tied up together several different songs and at the bottom line it’s sound brand new, fresh and their own. Some things were out of my knowledge, I wasn’t able to identify precisely the source, but almost every passage sounded familiar. I’m still thinking of “Simple Bloom” and its tango flavoured aroma. Read more EarthBound – The Tales of EarthBound (2013)
Kickstarter/Support Needed!
As you eventually know, maybe not, I run my own musical project. I intentionally avoided using the word band, because it’s not a band, but a project build upon virtual internet-based friendship and collaboration between one American guitarist, an Italian bass player turned into saxophonist and me, one more or less vampiric Transylvanian (ex) singer and sampler/keyboard abuser.
We worked quite hard in the last one year to build songs around my ideas and managed to deliver two quite adventurous EP’s with the involvement of some outstanding and talent friends of ours from the Indaba community.
The feedback was quite positive so far. Read more Kickstarter/Support Needed!
