“Homefront” is the controversial first-person shooter video game developed by Kaos Studios and published by THQ. The antagonists in “Homefront” were originally intended to be Chinese, but were later replaced by North Koreans for two reasons: a possible backlash by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the reality of economic interdependence between America and China. Homefront is set in a near future America in 2027 when a nuclear-armed Korean People’s Army invades the USA. The game is written by John Milius, who co-wrote “Apocalypse Now” and wrote/directed “Red Dawn”. In the speculative fiction, post peak oil world that features a significantly diminished United States, and a united Korea that has built a massive alliance in East Asia. The game focuses on the collapse of the United States, subsequent occupation by the Greater Korean Republic – a united Korea under the rule of North Korea – and the American Resistance that fights said occupation. The player is invited to join the American Resistance, “using guerrilla tactics, commandeering military vehicles, and utilizing advanced drone technology”. For sales of Homefront to Japan, the game has been censored by removing all references to North Korea including pictures of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.The changes are replaced by using a “A Certain Country to the North” and the “Northern Leader”. Read more VA – Homefront – Songs For The Resistance, OST (2011)
Sum 41 – Screaming Bloody Murder (2011)
With their debut effort “All Killer No Filler” released back in 2001 certified platinum in Canada, the United States and in the UK and the following three releases certified platinum in Canada, Sum 41 definitively it’s what we call a mainstream rock/punk band. Still, these Canadian guys rocks harder then 99.9% of the so-called rock and punk bands the record companies and the media trying to sell us as “real stuffs”. They blending intelligently rock, punk and hardcore elements and they have a good taste to write real songs. “Screaming Bloody Murder” is not only in its title a killer piece of work, it’s really an intense material far from the usual “bubble gum” and “soap box” pseudo-punk stuffs we get used with lately.
Deryck “Bizzy D” Whibley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard, Jason “Cone” McCaslin – bass guitar, backing vocals, Steve “Stevo” Jocz – drums, percussion, and Tom “Brown Tom” Thacker – lead guitar, backing vocals managed to write and put together a quality material, 14 (plus 2 bonus) tracks without any senseless filling. Read more Sum 41 – Screaming Bloody Murder (2011)
Devour – The Sacred Union of Opposites
Ancient traditions over the world honor the sacred union of male and female and recognize the importance of balancing the masculine and feminine elements within each of us, as well as in the external world. I’m kind of obsessed with this dualistic perspective of splitting “things” in Good and Evil, right and wrong, black and white, man and woman, us and them, and so on.There is no light without shadow, I think we denominated and divided one thing into two only to handle them easier, but meanwhile we create turbulence, disharmony and dis-functions. Unhappiness is generated by this kind of disequilibrium. The union between feminine and masculine energies, yin and yang, (Shakti and Shiva), is the basis for harmony in all of life. The understanding of our self and the correct understanding of our relation with others, the balanced understanding of male and female communion, will bring back not only the joy of life, but will reconnect us with the universe and the others. Therefore, we are in desperate need of a sense in our own existence which is in accord with the physical facts and which overcomes our feeling of alienation from the universe. Read more Devour – The Sacred Union of Opposites
Al Di Meola – Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody (2011)
I love from time to time to listen to Dizzy Gillespie, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz or Astrud Gilberto, but honestly, I’m not an “expert” in Latin jazz. I was just a boy when I heard “Alien Chase On Arabian Desert” and maybe “Splendido Hotel” (1980) it’s not the best moment of Al Di Meola, many people says there he goes commercial, but I still love that song and if it comes to jazz/fusion, I think it’s a standard. But I have to admit it, I didn’t follow closely Al Di Meola’s career. Following “Splendido Hotel” there was the famous “Friday Night in San Francisco” with John McLaughlin and Paco de LucÃa, but still, I kept an eye almost exclusively on Mr. McLaughlin works. But since 1974 Al Di Meola constantly working, writing, playing music and this is the 23th solo album of the 56 years old guitarist who also plays keyboards, drums, percussion, cello and sing vocals. Read more Al Di Meola – Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody (2011)
Jonathan Kreisberg – Shadowless (2011)
Jonathan Kreisberg has studied a wide range of music and performed in many eclectic situations, with a busy touring schedule and positive reviews from the press, he’s steadily becoming one of the most exciting new faces on the international Jazz scene. Jonathan played with Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Red Rodney. He performed 20th century works with the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas. He has performed as a sideman in the groups of Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joe Locke, Lee Konitz, Ari Hoenig, Don Friedman, Stefano DiBattista, Joel Frahm, Greg Tardy, Donald Edwards, Jane Monheit, and Yosvany Terry, as well as leading his own groups. On this new recording it features Jonathan’s touring band members: Will Vinson on Saxophone, Henry Hey on piano, Matt Penman on bass, and Mark Ferber on drums.
The release of “Shadowless†marks the rebirth of New For Now MusicUSIC, a label Kreisberg created in 2002 for the release of “Trioing”. Read more Jonathan Kreisberg – Shadowless (2011)
Letlive – Fake History (2011)
A classy, good-old fashioned hardcore record from L.A.’s Letlive. And still, Letlive looking forward, they blending perfectly the traditional hardcore approach with modern sounds and solutions. “Fake History” came out originally on Tragic Hero Records in 2010, but it is set to be re-released by Epitaph Records on April 12. We’ve got 14 (on the original release 11) very intense, high energy kicking tracks. It’s a very striking mixture of dark tone riffs, dizzy rhythms and tasty melodies. Jason Aalon Butler – vocals, Jeff Sahyoun and Nascimento – guitars Jean, Ryan Jay Johnson- bass and Anthony Rivera – drums find a path to bring together the frantic intensity of The Blood Brothers, the sonic complexity of At the Drive In, the unrestrained emotion of Glassjaw and industrial strength hardcore of Refused and the result is 100% Letlive.
Read more Letlive – Fake History (2011)
The Love Doves
“Love” is a Magick word, in fact, one of the most powerful words. Forget about “Abracadabra” or any other Magick formula you heard. I believe it’s directly a sin to throw around this word, spitting it out without being conscious of its power, without we really mean what we say. Actually I’m almost scared to use this word knowing its power. Love is also one of the most powerful forms of energy. Love is all around. And naturally Love is free. Love is sharing, Love is communication and exchange.
Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst.Helen Fisher, a leading expert in the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust exposes people to others; romantic attraction encourages people to focus their energy on mating; and attachment involves tolerating the spouse long enough to rear a child into infancy.
Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. Psychologist Robert Sternberg formulated a triangular theory of love and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment, and passion.
Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, “God is love”. But Love becomes “embedded” and even “forbidden”, Love becomes synonymous with shame, dirt and filth… Read more The Love Doves
Movits! – Ut ur min skalle (2011)
Three guys from Sweden mixing up Hip Hop with Swing. Feelgood music. Just jump around and forget about all that s*it its going on lately. And Johan Jivin’ Rensfeldt – vocals, Anders Rensfeldt – multi-instrumentalist and DJ, and saxophonist Joakim Nilsson make a good job as usually any Scandinavian dose it. Formed in 2007 Movits! choose their name alludes to Fader Movitz, a character in the Epistles of Fredman by Swedish 18th-century poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman, and replaced the last character of the name z with an s in order to avoid being associated with Swedish bands playing dance style music, such as Lasse Stefanz, Svänzons or Larz-Kristerz.
Their debut album “Äppelknyckarjazz”, literally translated as Apple sweeper jazz, was released in November 2008. Read more Movits! – Ut ur min skalle (2011)
Boris – New Album (2011)
It’s pretty strange listening with one ear the loudspeaker and the new album by Boris and with one eye looking over the shoulder to the tv set, watching what’s going on in Japan, especially at the Fukushima Daiichi site. Boris planning to release three new albums this year, “New Album” was released on March 16, 2011, on CD through Tearbridge – an imprint of major label Avex, and on double LP through Daymare. The album is not planned to be released outside of Japan and the CD and LP feature different versions of several tracks. “Heavy Rocks” and “Attention Please” are expected to be released in April and on the same day. And all this after in January we had a nice piece of work, the collaboration between Boris with Merzbow and the brilliant album “Klatter”.
The fifteenth studio album by Boris contains 10 brand new songs and this Japanese guys know how to rock. Read more Boris – New Album (2011)
Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
A nice piece of post-rock/noise album from Belgium. Steak Number Eight was formed back in 2007 and won the local rock contest Westtalent. Only a few months later they became the youngest winners ever of the biggest Belgian rock contest, Humo’s Rock Rally (former winners: Deus, Goose, etc). After that they released their first demo album entitled “When The Candle Dies Out†in self-production. They played at the biggest Belgian festivals, a.o. Graspop Metal Meeting, Dour, Marktrock and also supported bands like Pelican, Torche, Deftones, etc. Planned to be released in the winter of 2010, “All in Chaos” is the new material of the band consist in 10 brand new contorted songs, and the album is produced by Matt Bayles (Isis, Neurosis, etc).
Brent Vanneste – vocals and guitar, Joris Casier – drums, Jesse Surmont – bass, and Cis Deman – guitar claim their roots in the sound of bands such Neurosis, Tool, Deftones, Pelican and Isis, and they managed to blend smoothly the dark and gloomy post-rock/noise elements – mostly very heavy and slow stuffs – with a few nice harmonies and calm moments. Read more Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
