I love Otep and it was unpleasant to hear that their upcoming sixth studio album will be their final one as well. Listening “Hydra” it’s a strange feeling because it’s not only their supposed final album, but their weirdest one too. And it’s absolutely nothing wrong with being weird, but this is like a twisted little nightmare on a loop. And then again, there’s nothing wrong with twisted little nightmares. Just as Shamaya pointed out: this “music is universal and does not belong nor can it be contained in a nice, neat, little box.” Which is definitively good.
“Hydra” it’s an unusual mixture of mostly whispered spoken words and cinematic, gloomy and minimal, avant-garde music with here and there surfacing riffs and metal rooted passages and carousel like, dark, hip-hop flavored grooves. Quite different from their previous release, the intense “Atavist” which was released in 2011, and was one of the best releases of the year on my personal list. Read more Otep – Hydra (2013)
Author: brushvox
Lords Of Acid – Deep Chills (2012)
“Deep Chills” is the fifth studio album from the legendary Belgian electro-dance-industrial band Lords of Acid and marks the band’s first studio album in 12 years. With the exception of band founder Praga Khan, “Deep Chills” features an entirely new lineup from previous releases and marks the first time an American vocalist – Mea Fisher (aka DJ Mea) – to take on vocal duties for an album. The album also features guest vocals from porn star Alana Evans on “Pop That Tooshie,” as well as vocals from Zak Bagans, star of Ghost Adventures and host of Paranormal Challenge, on the track “Paranormal Energy”. “Paranormal Energy” have also a quite intriguing story, according to Khan, his studio computer took on a life of its own and began writing its own music. Khan described the experience, stating “While working on a new Lords of Acid track tremendous fear shook my heart as I tried to edit a melody line on my cubase. All of a sudden it felt like the computer came to life, notes started to change position creating a new melody, completely different from the original one.” Khan also declared that the computer was not connected to the internet, so, there was no way his computer could have been hacked.
During the recording session another incident occurred, Read more Lords Of Acid – Deep Chills (2012)
ANiMAL – The Animal Cage (uncut)
ANiMAL is a three piece, bass-heavy EDM punk band from London that formed in 2012 with a residency on Modestep Radio and quickly moved to doing guest mixes for Radio 1Xtra, XFM, and Pulse.
After a European tour in the Summer of 2012, ANiMAL retreated to the studio to work on remixes, collaborations, and begin writing new material. Soon the band signed a publishing deal with EMI and took to the road again, for two trips around the UK. They finished the year releasing their first track, ‘I Am Fire’ on the EDM label 2 Much Bass Records, and the track was later featured in the Ministry of Sound Bass Annual 2013. ANiMAL recently performed a live session for broadcast on BBC.
Kicking off 2013, ANiMAL is stepping up their game for the major European festivals by releasing their debut music video “The Animal Cage”. Read more ANiMAL – The Animal Cage (uncut)
Plymouth Fury – Vaudeville (2012)
With roots back to The Stooges and the grooves and melodies of The Dandy Warhols, merging the fury of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion with the straight simplicity of the Danish Surf rockers The Good The Bad, juggling between the rawness of The Velvet Underground and the new blues spirit of The Black Keys, the French Plymouth Fury serve us a hot and noisy, garage flavored rock with resonances to Spaghetti westerns with Tarantino vibe.
The trio, Worzo – guitar and vocals, Will – bass and vocals, and Stephane Kurdijaka – drums, has been formed in 2007 in Paris, and so far they shared the stage with bands such as Division Of Laura Lee, The Elektrocution, The Bombettes, Favez, It’s Not Not, Magic People, TV Buddah and King of Conspiracy. They have one thing on their minds: to burn all those places down! And honestly, this 70’s taste-like, unpolished, straight and noisy rock it’s just perfect for a hell of an evening down in the club! Read more Plymouth Fury – Vaudeville (2012)
Coat Of Arms – Sun & Satellites (2013)
Coat Of Arms it’s a metal/groove band based in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and they just released their brand new collection of furious riffs, angry vocals and unstoppable grooves.
I’ve got a soft spot for these Middle and Far East, Oriental sounding bands, Acyl was a really great and pleasant surprise last time, and not so long time ago, but I must mention also a few other exciting bands I wrote about such as Nervecell , Orphaned Land, Melechesh, Absolace and Arkan. Well, unfortunately Coat Of Arms delivering a very Western (American) type of groove metal without adding any Oriental flavor to it. Fortunately they do it very well, they have a great sense of melodies and deliver some grinding you into the ground kind of solid and powerful riffs. Their sound it’s fueled by the Pantera branded rhythmic and riffs merged with some nu metal after-taste (Slipknot) and metalcore infusion (Alexisonfire). They find an excellent balance between melodies and brutality. Singer Rayan Bailouni manage to sing like a rock star and scream/howl like a dying devil and switch smoothly to one into another creating additional groove to their music and adding expressiveness. Read more Coat Of Arms – Sun & Satellites (2013)
David Bowie – Where Are We Now?
David Bowie’s surprise comeback track, “where Are We Now?” was released without warning or fanfare on Bowie’s 66th birthday on Tuesday and is the first single from his first new studio album since Reality in 2003, album which will be released in March.
The disturbingly emotional, downbeat song has failed to top the singles charts, only making it to number six, still, it has become his first top 10 single for 20 years, and his highest charting hit since Absolute Beginners reached number 2 in 1986, according to the Official Charts Company.
The album, entitled “The Next Day”, will marks the renewal of Bowie’s long-term relationship with producer Tony Visconti, who also worked on a range of albums with the singer, including Low, Heroes, Lodger, Young Americans and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps).
Director Tony Oursler’s created an enigmatic promotional film for David Bowie’s new single. So, Let’s walking the dead now! Read more David Bowie – Where Are We Now?
Blue Willa – Blue Willa (2013)
Blue Willa is the debut album by the Italian art rock quartet bearing that same name. The band had been touring and recording for years under the name Baby Blue, but then they decide it that the time has come for change and came up with a brand new identity: Blue Willa.
They explains: “Continuing a story which lasted seven years and three records so far, we decided to carry on our pursuit for a sound that would fit neatly onto our ideas asking a person we unquestionably loved to help us fulfill it.
We called on Carla Bozulich, whom we had met in Florence some four years ago, and she immediately got involved and interested in our plans.
We spent ten days in the Italian countryside, working side by side with her and our sound engineer, Davide Cristiani. Carla took care of our songs and sounds, proposing shapes and a whole new imagery for them. She made our sounds feel aquatic, ringing and overturned: a sort of underwater punk rock music from the Thirties.
This music then went on to be mixed and fixed on the Himalayan mountainside and in Paris: it is a pleasant thought for us to imagine that something from these places – as well from our provinces – got entangled and caught inside these songs.”
And well, this is really a journey to folk flavored punk, psychedelic rock and vivid experimentalism, but also to yet undiscovered places, unrevealed sounds. Read more Blue Willa – Blue Willa (2013)
John Zorn – Music and Its Double (2012)
I’m not an “expert”, actually, not even a frequent and frenetic listener of contemporary symphonic music. But Zorn it’s Zorn, my curiosity was bigger then my fear of abstract, eventually unfriendly listening. And Zorn managed to grab my attention. Still, this is quite dark, dramatic, twisted out Wagnerian feels-like music, unfriendly and probably for most nerve-racking, or at least disturbing. The violin (the cello and ultimately the soprano… 😆 ) sometimes literally split your brain in two and makes your ears bleeding, while the tension it’s tenebrous and the dissonances makes you feel like you’re trapped in a horror movie – think of the Kubrick’s “The Shining” soundtrack. The four parts of “Ceremonial Magic” definitively fits that profile and vibe. Still, the work have a huge groove and Kenny Wollesen bang his drums like crazy. Zorn’s cinematic experiences are leaving their sonic finger-prints on his symphonic adventures as well. Don’t think that the closing one-act opera, “La Machine de l’Être”, because of the vocals it’s an easier piece. It’s not.
John Zorn is not only prolific, but also fascinating, he manage to express himself in so many different ways by different musical vehicles – just like any true Magician. And there is no doubt, Zorn it’s a Magician. Read more John Zorn – Music and Its Double (2012)
Welcome To The Music Business…. You’re FUCKED!
“Well, there are 101 ways to get fucked in this business – the more you are aware of – the better off you’ll be. Right? This is a very dangerous world and when you come un-stuck it isn’t always just “aw shucks that was wild” it could be bankruptcy, loss of friendships, divorce, death, you might end up in a cover band.” – says Martin Atkins and he continue: “It’s a little bit Disney, a little bit Tarantino….two conflicting ideas, the yin, the yang, two halves making a black hole battling it out in the tumble dryer with someones severed foot.”
Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959, Coventry, England) is an English drummer and session musician, probably best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd (PiL), Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, Killing Joke, and his murderous projects such as the industrial supergroup Pigface, The Damage Manual, and Murder Inc.
Martin Atkins is the definition of entrepreneurial activity in cultural arts endeavors, his 30+ years in the music business spans across genres and borders and industries.
He is the owner of Invisible Records and Mattress Factory Recording Studios (est. 1988). He is the author of Tour:Smart, a Suicide Girls columnist, taught at Columbia College Chicago for six years and currently teaches Madison Media Institute. Martin is a producer, drummer, documentary film maker, DJ, and father of four.
Now you can download for free his fabulous write-up about music industry, “Welcome To The Music Business….You’re FUCKED!” from HERE by giving-up your precious contact details. Read more Welcome To The Music Business…. You’re FUCKED!
Ben Royal feat. Kate Walsh – Home, EP (2013)
Both, Ben Royal and Kate Walsh, are terribly common names. Not really helpful to google them because you will end up reading about a million different people from all over the world from Australia to Alaska.
If Ben it’s not a doctor having fun twisting beats off after-hours, he night be a DJ from Melbourne, Australia, while Kate, hm, there are too many Kate’s I guess, actresses, singers, waitresses, whatever.
The key of selling a product it’s not the product itself, but the identity of it. Hard to impossible sell something without solid, build-up identity while the market it’s anyway over-saturated and lately everybody “doing” music, “making” music, but nobody listening music, and very few are interested in buying music. You say Lady Gaga and everyone automatically knows exactly what you’re talking about. Ben who?
Although “Home” it’s an uplifting, melodious and minimalist, but really nice and sweet, danceable house track featuring in two different mixes (original and radio edit) and benefitting of 6 tasty alternative remixes delivered by Chris Valencia, U4Ya (with two mixes), Franco De Mulero, Desusino Boys and Max Fabian. Read more Ben Royal feat. Kate Walsh – Home, EP (2013)
