Animals As Leaders – The Joy Of Motion (2014)

Animals As Leaders - The Joy Of Motion (2014) It is the third album by instrumental progressive (metal) group Animals as Leaders, introducing new drummer Matt Garstka along guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes. Three years after “Weightless” the band sound fresh and feels explosive. Wicked riffs, complex rhythmic structures and build-up, nice harmonic breakdowns and surprising turns are all part of their arsenal. Although I like jazz and instrumental jazz albums, I generally don’t like instrumental rock albums. Animals As Leaders have the creativity and intensity to capture my attention and it’s always a pleasure to take the ride through their albums. Song by song they build-up vivid, unexpected spaces and the mixture of sounds and styles their perform it’s outside the box, above genres. Between the subtle shades of “Air Chrysalis” and the heavy tones of “Tooth And Claw”, Animals As Leaders mix and merge Read more Animals As Leaders – The Joy Of Motion (2014)

Combichrist – We Love You (2014)

Combichrist - We Love You (2014)

Combichrist - We Love You (2014) While the post-dubstep mainstream EDM scene is populated exclusively by plastic dolls, posers and annoyingly boring “copies of imitations”, it’s quite refreshing to listen to something powerful, modern, but still attached to the classic values and to the classic sense of the values such as “We Love You”, the 7th and probably the deadliest album by Andy LaPlegua, the one man army and the master mind behind the Combichrist machinery. Although the Ministry parallels are still there, Combichrist it’s definitively one of the best and most intense EDM bands from the scene and their Aggrotech aggression it’s always meaningful and genuine each time.
Without reinventing the EDM, without doing anything revolutionary, they managed to sound fresh and refreshing, modern without becoming predictable and boring as most of the other bands and artists from the EDM scene are sounding. There is life and music after drops and wobbling s*its after all! Read more Combichrist – We Love You (2014)

Random Being – World Without Memory (2014)

Random Being World Without Memory 2014

Random Being World Without Memory 2014 In a world of predictability, of products and fakes, art became a sub-product and a merchandise. It’s more important to lock-up on a large target and sell your stuff, then do something special. Tits are more important then talent and well, ass-kissing it’s more productive then any original idea. I only and always can quote Jello Biafra and his bitter-prophetic “Chickenshit Conformist” (“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…)
Pop music – a term that originally derives from an abbreviation of “popular” – it’s a generic genre which originated in its modern form in the 1950s, deriving from rock and roll. Rock and roll lost its sense, meaning and consistence, became a cliche while popularity last less then 15 minutes and with proper media support anybody can be a star nowadays where few people are still playing rock and roll (generically speaking) because they feel the need to play, very few people are doing music for the love of music or because they feel the need to express themselves, to communicate, to have fun doing it or – eventually -to find another path, to reveal a previously unexplored universe.
Random Being it’s an on-line creative collective and their collaboration bring to the surface a magical-mystery world of sounds and emotions, grooves and emulations. Self label it “avant-pop”, their universe it’s a melting pot of different genres and flavors, it’s a place of psychedelia, space and progressive rock, fever-burned rhythmics, contorted samplers and sound manipulations, jazz grooves and tango fueled passions. It might be post-pop as well – while post became the new (fashionable) porn. Think of David Bowie, P.I.L., Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd jamming in the same room. Read more Random Being – World Without Memory (2014)

KXM – KXM (2014)

KXM - KXM (2014)

KXM - KXM (2014) This is how probably The Jimi Hendrix Experience would sound if they would be still around.
I was skeptical about this as I am skeptical about any type of so-called supergroups. And this is definitively a supergroup while we have here three rock icons such as Doug Pinnick of King’s X on vocals and bass; George Lynch of Dokken and Lynch Mob on guitars and Ray Luzier of Korn behind the drum kit. On the other hand I always loved the powerful rock trios such as Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rush, Motorhead (Ace of Spades era!), Primus, The Police, Nirvana, Muse, etc. And then again, I had my reserves regarding King’s X because their Christian affiliation/association. Don’t get me wrong, don’t care about the faith of anybody, it’s their own PRIVATE matter, but I don’t like to mix music and faith issues and don’t like to be guided, less, listening preaches on guitar riffs. But then Pinnick’s announcement in 1998 of his homosexuality. Another thing I disapprove: your sexual orientation should be another PRIVATE matter, don’t make a thing out it! (“Metal God” Rob Halford of Judas Priest did the same controversy announcement back in 1998…) As a result, the self-proclaimed religion of love (and tolerance) re-trait the support of the band and removed King’s X records from their distribution through Christian book stores. So, Pinnick has since openly discussed his agnosticism and his belief that Jesus Christ was not truly the Son of God, however, band mates Tabor and Gaskill, have a background in Christian rock and self-identify as Christians.
Too many non music related issues cloud the music… This is a quite dis-balanced and twisted world, isn’t it? And sometimes all that non music related buzz cover and kill the music. Fortunately, not this time!
While King’s X was more off then on in the last decade, Doug Pinnick had numerous guest appearances and worked on several side projects lately (as Pinnick Gales Pridgen). Read more KXM – KXM (2014)

Skrillex – Recess (2014)

Skrillex – Recess (2014)

Skrillex – Recess (2014) While we all know Skrillex, envy Skrillex, love Skrillex, hate Skrillex or get bored of Skrillex, it’s kind of unexpected and surprising that “Recess” actually it’s his debut album as solo artist. Never would figure that. Well, true, I’m not a fan of the trend settler and trend butcherer producer. Now I honestly do not understand what’s the use, the purpose of releasing a dubstep/EDM album thesedays. We’re living the age of singles, nobody’s buying dance albums anymore and most of the people are buying tracks, mp3s to listen them from their phones while they are traveling on the bus or the subway and the music is meant to be to cut off the outside and any sort of man to man communication, and cover the white noise of the surroundings. If you’re not playing jazz, eventually rock of some sort of avant-garde/experimental whatever, an album seems pretty pointless – in these circumstances. And mainly while for the last six years you were conscious of that and released that sort of stuffs.
Skrillex have or want something to prove? I don’t think so. His fans and followers love him for those drops and wobblings, his haters and contestants for the same drops and wobblings. The marketing, the package of the album was pretty cool although. Read more Skrillex – Recess (2014)

Laibach – Spectre (2014)

Laibach – Spectre (2014)

Laibach – Spectre (2014) There are very few artists (bands) who still manage to surprise me these days. The 2006’s “Volk” was a peerless release, it’s quite impossible to overtake that album and Laibach definitively had a hard time to figure out what they should do next. True, meanwhile they released in 2008 “Laibachkunstderfuge” – a concept album, the laibachian interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “The Art of Fugue” (Lai-Bach-Kunst-Der-Fuge) – and in 2012 the original soundtrack for the movie “Iron Sky”. Also they released a mind blowing live album “Monumental Retro-Avant-Garde – Live at London Tate Modern 14 April 2012” and a consistent retrospective entitled “An Introduction To… Laibach”. While “Laibachkunstderfuge” was a quite exclusivist, unfriendly album in the manner of the early Laibach albums (Nova Akropola, Opus Dei, Macbeth, etc) the “Iron Sky” soundtrack consist of 40 tracks and 80 minutes of music.
Now, listening “Spectre” I’m both excited and pleased, Laibach is the same creative, groundbreaking art collective and they prove once again that there is music outside the mainstream and the “box”. Read more Laibach – Spectre (2014)

Mehliana (Mark Guiliana and Brad Mehldau) – Taming the Dragon (2014)

Mark Guiliana & Brad Mehldau – Mehliana – Taming the Dragon (2014)

Mark Guiliana & Brad Mehldau – Mehliana – Taming the Dragon (2014) “Taming the Dragon” it’s the debut album from the electric duo Mehliana made of Brad Mehldau (synthesizers, Fender Rhodes and piano) and Mark Guiliana (drums and electronics). Because the dense electronics this have a powerful jazz-rock sound, but it’s a vividly groovy, experimental and breath taking experience throughout with space-rock inspired soundscapes and exciting jazz improvisations. There is an extremely refreshing balance between all the flavors, sounds, elements and moods of the album. Mark Guiliana delivered some extremely tasty drums while Brad Mehldau added dimensions and colors. A perfect mixture of passion, energy and experimentation with tasty melodies, meditative searching and emotions.
Mark Guiliana (born 1980, Florham Park, New Jersey, United States) is an American drummer, composer, and leader of the band Beat Music. He is known for his playing with Brad Mehldau, Meshell Ndegeocello, Gretchen Parlato, Jason Lindner, Lionel Loueke, Avishai Cohen (bassist), Avishai Cohen (trumpeter), Dhafer Youssef, Tigran Hamasyan, Matisyahu, European Read more Mehliana (Mark Guiliana and Brad Mehldau) – Taming the Dragon (2014)

Skip the Use – Little Armageddon (2014)

Skip the Use – Little Armageddon (2014)

Skip the Use – Little Armageddon (2014) While I’m drowning in a sea of absolutely boring music day after day, this pretty British sounding French band made my day and Monday. It’s a cool mixture of reggae, funk, punk-rock and accidentally some electronica. Smooth, groovy and nicely done. And genuine in a world of fake and plastic. Simply it feels right. Maybe it’s not revolutionary, it will not turn your world (and pity life) upside down, but it will keep you going. And although by default I would reject any mixture of punk with pop, this “Little Armageddon” sounds more convincing then most of the modern American self-declared punk products.
Mat Bastard (vocals), Yan Stefani (guitar), Jay Gimenez (bass), Lio Raepsaet (keyboards) and Manamax Catteloin (drums) at their third album just simply nailed it. Read more Skip the Use – Little Armageddon (2014)

Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014)

Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014)

Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014) Label Cynic as a metal band it’s at least ignorance. They grew out of that box pretty quickly and although they merged technical death metal and influences with jazz and progressive rock elements, their music was always something special and different. “Kindly Bent to Free Us”, their third full-length album, it’s a flawless mixture of modern sound and classic, progressive rock flavor with some jazzy reflections. Have some sort of King Crimson and Pink Floyd type of timeless and shiny (brilliant 🙂 ) feel.
The current line-up consist of veterans Paul Masvidal – vocals & guitars, Sean Reinert – drums & percussion and longtime, mainly studio collaborator Sean Malone – fretless bass, chapman stick.
Engineering by Jason Donaghy (Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe 2), mixed by R. Walt Vincent (Pete Yorn, Liz Phair, Tommy Keene and Jonathan Elias’ The Prayer Cycle), mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Adrenaline Mob, Sepultura, Halford, Armored Saint, Cathedral , etc), featuring the art work of Robert Venosa (among other works, the pre-sketches and conceptual design for the movie Dune), “Kindly Bent to Free Us” it’s a psychedelic sci-fi trip. Read more Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014)