Of a Revolution (O.A.R.) due to massive online distribution over campus networks, become a hit among college students. The band is also well known for its live performances, they often creates variations to songs at each concert, making it rare to hear a song played exactly the same way twice. The band incorporates jam elements in their concerts, resulting in many of their live songs running anywhere between 5 and 18 minutes each.
Founded in 1996 by Marc Roberge and Chris Culos, recruited Richard On and Benj Gershman and one year later recorded their debut album “The Wanderer” at Gizmo Recording Company in Silver Spring, Maryland.
They graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, then moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend Ohio State University where they met Jerry DePizzo. In 2000 they returned to Gizmo Recording to record “Soul’s Aflame”, their second album. Read more O.A.R. – King (2011)
2011
Dead Letter Circus – This Is The Warning, Deluxe Edition (2011)
Althrough “This Is the Warning”, the debut full-length album by Dead Letter Circus was released in May 2010 and distributed by Warner Music Australia, debuted at #2 on the Australian album charts and at #1 on the iTunes chart. Only in May 2011, one year later, they signed a deal with Sumerian Records to release it also in North America and the band supported Animals As Leaders in a 24-city national tour from July to August.
Formed in 2005 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, their self-titled debut EP released in 2007 made some waves and building an ever-growing army of DLC disciples. Completely independently, the band shifted well over 13,000 units of the debut EP and subsequent double A side single ‘Next in Line / Reaction’. Triple J radio placed everything that the band released on high rotation and live, the band becomes festival favorite. Read more Dead Letter Circus – This Is The Warning, Deluxe Edition (2011)
Krakatau – Krakatau (2011)
If you’re familiar – and in love – with tumultuous, turbulent musical project such as Fantômas, Tomahawk, Moonchild Trio and Mr. Bungle, generally speaking, if you like the mainly twisted and contorted avant-garde experiments of Mr. Mike Patton, Krakatau might just fit your taste and extremely important: this self-titled full-length debut album is available for FREE DOWNLOAD at the band’s official web site.
This is metal only if you’re not committed to Iron Maiden or Metallica, don’t think that “progressive metal” means exclusively Dream Theater. Say (vocals/guitar), Muz! (bass/vocals), Max (lead guitar) and Mark (drums) expands the horizons and sometimes construct music by demolition. Sometimes hypnotic, other times quite schizophrenic, Krakatau is actually an explosive music volcano, this might not be a safe trip, but eventually an exciting one.
Read more Krakatau – Krakatau (2011)
Bomb The Music Industry! – Vacation (2011)
Bomb the Music Industry!’s sixth full-length sounds just like a fun summer album and I swear, I could kill for a vacation!
BTMI! probably have the most devoted fan base in the US. They do everything with enthusiasm and electrifying energy, while the “secret” of their success is the fun, intimate, and personal approach. From fun ska-punk to pop punk there’s maybe not a far way, BTMI! managed to stay between and delivered 13 new tracks of conscious feel good. And I’m envious for this while I’m admiring them for this. This is love/hate. Some people love them for their disregard for conventions, for their stupid lyrics, their shouted, silly gang vocals and sloppy riffs, others hate them for all of this. I’m caught between. Read more Bomb The Music Industry! – Vacation (2011)
Arhythmia – Awake (2011)
An arrhythmia is a disturbance of the normal electrical rhythm of the heart.
Second installment from this twisted groove/nu metal band from Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), “Awake” consist of ten, strong, breathing, modern metal songs with roots back both to classic and groove/nu metal.
Michele Canu – voice, Matteo Lombardo – guitar voice, Riccardo Bevitori – guitar, Luca Moro – bass and Gabriele Angius – drums formed the band in 2004. Focusing on intense live performances, the band gained a devoted fan-base. In 2006 they won the “Sardinia Rock Contest”, a battle involved more than 50 bands from throughout the region. They release their self produced debut effort entitled “Noize Room” in 2008 and continue the intense live activity, opening concerts for various big groups of the Italian scene and not only.
Read more Arhythmia – Awake (2011)
The Book Of Knots – Garden Of Fainting Stars (2011)
Tony Maimone of Pere Ubu, They Might Be Giants, Bob Mould, Frank Black, Lucinda Williams, etc, Carla Kihlstedt of Tin Hat Trio, Tom Waits, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, 2 Foot Yard, and many many more, producer/engineer/guitarist Joel Hamilton (Elvis Costello,unsane,Frank Black,sparklehorse,Shiner, Players Club, etc) and Matthias Bossi of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Skeleton Key, Vic Thrill, etc) are the core members of this project.
Collaborators are including Tom Waits, Mike Patton, David Thomas, Blixa Bargeld, Jon Langford, Carla Bozulich, Norman Westberg(Swans), Dave Curren (Unsane), Megan Reilly, Cat Oberg, Zeena Parkins, etc. Already quite impressive, isn’t it?
And the result – the music – is similarly colourful, gloomy, shape-shifting, flowing and floating “something”. Something charming, hypnotizing or sweet like poison. Read more The Book Of Knots – Garden Of Fainting Stars (2011)
Against Me! – Black Crosses (2011)
Punk Rock anybody?
“Total Clarity” is a collection of demos and unreleased songs from the 2005’s “Searching for a Former Clarity” recording sessions, released through Fat Wreck Chords, label which also released “The Original Cowboy”, an album of demos from the band’s 2003 album “Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy”, in 2009.
Following the band’s decision to create their own record label, they decided to re-issue their fifth full-length album, “White Crosses”. The re-issue contains a second disc titled “Black Crosses”, a collection of demos from 2009 and acoustic sessions from 2010, serving as an inaugural release for their newly launched record label, Total Treble Music.
One one hand we’ve got a lot of releases and that’s nice, but it also smells like some record labels try to cash-in, don’t matter what. Zappa were joking about this – we’re only in it for the money – but too many jerks and dickheads are actually really don’t give a shit about music anymore…
On the other hand, I really enjoy listening demo collections, it shows sometimes a different face of the band, the sound mainly are not so polished, the edges are not rounded by (over) production and mainly on the demos we can actually hear what the band had in their mind and not what the record label, some producer and their manager expect from them. Read more Against Me! – Black Crosses (2011)
No Made Sense – New Season/New Blues (2011)
Before saying anything else: you can download this album for free and at top quality from the band’s Bandcamp page, “name your price” actually means that you can “give” even zero. It’s not fair, not even elegant, but… I still believe work and mainly creative ones should and must be rewarded substantially, but well, I’m a fucking weirdo.
Off-topics (and not so): I don’t know why nowadays people get together to make some noise, start a band. Lately, and more and more it seems everybody play, nobody listen and for worst, most of the bands are obsessed by the same (stupid) patterns, labels, boxes, genres, whatever. It’s fucking haunting me: “Punk’s not dead / It just deserves to die / When it becomes another stale cartoon / A close-minded, self-centered social club / Ideas don’t matter, it’s who you know / If the music’s gotten boring / It’s because of the people / Who want everyone to sound the same / Who drive bright people out / Of our so-called scene / ‘Til all that’s left Is just a meaningless fad / Hardcore formulas are dogshit / Change and caring are what’s real / Is this a state of mind / Or just another label / The joy and hope of an alternative / Have become its own cliche” (Dead Kennedys – Chickenshit Conformist). And if Jello Biafra saw this back in ’86, what can we say now? Looking back, the 80s smells like blooming creativity while today… shit. Really. If I have to listen just one more metalcore act, I kill myself!
Fortunately there’s always the exception that proves the rule. Read more No Made Sense – New Season/New Blues (2011)
ATO Records Free Summer Sampler
A total of 12 tracks, one by each artist: Mariachi El Bronx, Ben Ottewell, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, My Morning Jacket, Bobby Long, Drive-By Truckers, Alberta Cross, Gomez, Vusi Mahlasela, 311, Dawes and John Butler Trio, it’s the free summer sample offered by ATO Records if you’re willing to gave up your e-mail address – confirmation required. Get your copy from the label’s official site.
I believe it’s just perfect for your car stereo or iPod and it’s a nice opportunity to listen some artist, get a batter taste of them.
Some – Gomez, 331, My Morning Jacket, etc – are quite familiar ones, I wrote about their recent albums, others might be fresh acquaintances, anyway, nothing’s better than a free ride, isn’t it? Read more ATO Records Free Summer Sampler
Taken By Cars – Dualist (2011)
Taken by Cars is a Filipino indie band and “Dualist” is their soft-more second full length album.
43 minutes, 11 tracks, a tasteful, indie pop, alternative dance mixture delivered by Sarah Marco on vocals, Bryce Zialcita on lead guitar, Derek “Siopao” Chua on rhythm guitar, Isa Garcia on bass guitar, and Bryan Kong on drums and sampler.
Founded in 2006, Taken by Cars made waves with their underground demo “A Weeknight Memoir (In High Definition)†which attracted attention and hit number one on a local rock radio station in Manila. They singed to the local indie label Party Bear Records and they released their debut album, “Endings of a New Kind,†under Warner Music distribution in early 2008. Read more Taken By Cars – Dualist (2011)
