Metallers start getting familiar, comfortable with Ethnic infusions in the 90s with the colorful sounds built in the Metal genre by Sepultura. More recently, System Of A Down introduced Oriental and Arab flavored shades into Metal and conquered the whole world with their music. Somewhere between the Thrash/Death gravity of Sepultura and the modern intensity of System Of A Down and revealing the beauty and mystic flavor of Arab music, the Paris, France, based Acyl delivered a brilliant debut album. One of the best and most exciting Metal albums of 2012.
On the other hand, this is not only an excellent Progressive/Experimental Metal album, but also a genuine, deeply spiritual journey. And the use of the word “genuine” wasn’t random or accidental. Read more Acyl – Algebra (2012)
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Artifex – Suspension of Disbelief (2013)
If there is a space between King Crimson and Marilyn Manson, that space definitively it’s filled with the Italian Artifex. With roots back to the Psychedelic/Progressive Rock of the 70s and 80s, but with gloomy resonances of the Industrial Rock and Industrial Metal of the 90s, Artifex are building a brand new world out of Hard Rock bricks and modern sounds, electronic layers, but not at least, strong emotions.
Antonio “Mircea” Olivo (voice/guitar/electronics) founded Artifex in 1997, in Bologna, Italy, wanting “to recall that “verve” which had the great bands of the 70s, developing their sound in a modern key through the “balance” between analog and digital.”. The line-up was completed by Francesco Paonessa (drums & machines) and Davide Schipani (bass guitar, synth). By now the band released four self-produced CDs: “Tristis” (1997), “In-Side” (2001), “Artifex” (2003), and an EP entitled “Redux” in 2009.
“Suspension of Disbelief” will be released on 27th January 2013 and it’s a concept album based on the MAN’s emotions, an intermittent and laborious back to basics made of suspension and disbelief as well.
The album also have two special guests: Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson on drums featuring on “Witness of Transition” and Fabrice Quagliotti from Rockets on keyboards and backing vocals featuring on “Electric Lights”. Read more Artifex – Suspension of Disbelief (2013)
Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso UFO – Son Of A Bitches Brew (2012)
Heavy Psychedelia this time merged with Electric Jazz with consistent Miles Davis aroma. References to key recordings or artists/bands of Rock/Metal/Psychedelic or Jazz were always incorporated in their works, but never so directly referential as this time. You need balls, or talent, or both to enter the musical world previously build by Davis, John McLaughlin, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin, and the list is extremely long and filled only with valuable artist. But these Japanese sonic samurais, got balls, got talent, but also the healthy craziness necessary for genuine creation.
“Son Of Bitches A Brew” – with it’s a clear reference to Frank Zappa as well – will not be an easy walk through some sunny sound fields, AMT are delivering extremely dense and vivid incursions into the outer limits of the known musical universe, they not only merging genres, but radically different layers and sounds mostly in the same song their building.
With Kawabata Makoto raging on his guitar, Shimura Koki smashing to pieces his drum kit, Tsuyama Atsushi grinding the bass, Higashi Hiroshi turning his synthesizers inside-out, while Tsuyama Atsushi replacing Wayne Shorter on saxophone, this trip can’t be nothing but dangerously wonderful. Read more Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso UFO – Son Of A Bitches Brew (2012)
Inflatable Best Friend – DMT Bike Ride (2013)
Noisy and raw garage punk(rock) rides twisted into some weird psychedelic trips and flavored with lo-fi, drone contortions – this is the menu on the debut album by this Michigan based and DIY devoted band. Not for those who are in the search of the perfect crystal sound and are only comfortable with the polished and mainly over-produced, but tasteless, and inconsistent fancy products of the almighty digital era. No, these guys will take you back to their garage, will tear the walls down at the house party in some suburb or in the basement of some filthy and obscure club. This taste like life, sounds messy and full of trouble as reality, wear perfectly with cheap beer, sleepless nights and lost memories.
With roots back to The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed (“Circus Dog”), but with the fury and energy of Sonic Youth (“I Wanna Ride a Sabertooth”), Inflatable Best Friend will shake you up and grind you down, and rock you into weird, vivid dreams only to crash you down again. This is legal, but dangerous stuff. Read more Inflatable Best Friend – DMT Bike Ride (2013)
Matryoshka – Laideronnette (2012)
Very chill, very trippy, sounds like shattered from a dream and feels like heroin. Rhyming was unintentional and regarding the heroin, I never experienced it, so, probably my perception it’s at least false. And then again this music it’s smooth, floating, heaven-like. I’ve never been in heaven as well, so, I might be wrong again. The music it’s beautiful. We all have a different perception of beauty, but this is really nice. Quite cinematic, smoothly layered and smartly chilled, merging Trip Hop with Dream Pop, and Glitchy IDM with classic music, the Japanese Matryoshka creates a very comfortable and restorative ambiance with their minimalist, but nicely flowing music. The duo it’s made of Sen responsible with the instrumentals while Calu it’s the female vocalist. She’s angel-like singing reminds me mostly of Julee Cruise (probably best known for “Falling”, the theme song for the cult U.S. television series Twin Peaks). They are based in Tokyo, Japan, and this album was released on 12-12-2012 by Virgin Babylon Records, perhaps this is their second album, but my Japanese it’s pretty rusty and I did not manged to dig out any further useful information about them. Read more Matryoshka – Laideronnette (2012)
Blackburner – Drop Bass Not Bombs (2012)
Dubstep and Glitch music it’s what was the Punk in the late 70’s and the Grunge in the 90’s – the fuel of a new generation, the dynamite in the hand of a furious, disoriented, sidelined and with no future generation. Considering all the social, economical and political tensions and conflicts in our late society, Dubstep works both as catalyst and discharger.
The downside – and the death – of becoming mainstream and fancy for the Dubstep it’s the same as for the other genres: it’s become patterned, predictable, and boring while everybody sound the same. Bass drops, wobbling and contorted sounds, but without any particular content are flooding the already saturated market and pretty soon the kids will start digging for something else, something different, something which once again, will break the line. Unfortunately very few products are actually worth to listen nowadays and pretty soon this will bury alive the genre. Read more Blackburner – Drop Bass Not Bombs (2012)
John Zorn – A Vision in Blakelight (2012)
Gathering – once again – a quite selective collective of musicians: Cyro Baptista – Percussion; Joey Baron – Drums; Trevor Dunn – Bass; Carol Emanuel – Harp; John Medeski – Piano and Organ; and Kenny Wollesen – Vibes and Bells; “A Vision in Blakelight” it’s probably one of the most soft, most beautiful and chilled releases of Zorn in years.
Inspired by the spiritual mythology of William Blake, Zorn continue his endless exploration of the mystical work by all the means of the 21st century’s Jazz and contemporary music. This time Zorn is less noisy, less tumultuous and experimental, but further more sensitive and meditative, creating a cinematic groove smoothly flavored by Jazzy rides and the fluorescent play of these extraordinary artist collective. “An Island in the Moon” it’s a pearl, are breathing through standard already. Read more John Zorn – A Vision in Blakelight (2012)
c.db.sn – …At The End Of It All Remixed (2012)
“Emotion driven electronic music” – this is the essence of what Chase Dobson (aka c.dobson or c.db.sn) delivers and this brand new collection of twisted in and out remixes delivered by Tineidae, Architect, Larvae, Sean Byrd, Worms Of The Earth, Displacer, Access To Arasaka, Consolectrl, Anklebiter, and Erode it’s an extraordinary opportunity do dive into this mysteries flavored spaces filled with subtle grooves and smartly arranged layers of sounds and noises.
And what you people like even more then anything else, it’s a (half-way-through) free stuff, “name your price” means you can give even zero and grab it, but you should consider that artists need and deserve all of our support and music it’s not a free background noise or residue for our iPods and mp3 players. Read more c.db.sn – …At The End Of It All Remixed (2012)
Rabih Abou-Khalil – Hungry People (2012)
Jazz, Oriental vibe and an excellent sense of humor. “Music is all about enjoyment and that comes easiest when you laugh” says Rabih Abou-Khalil. Speaking of his new album and his band, Abou-Khalil said: “We’ve been playing together for nearly 16 years now. We know each other very well so, as you will hear, the band is very tight indeed.” This is also a quite multicultural project as well. Abou-Khalil – who plays oud – grew up in Beirut and moved to Munich, Germany during the civil war in 1978. Saxophonist Gavino Murgia are from Sardinian and sometimes he provide also vocals – for instance listen into “Bankers’ Banquet”. Frenchman Michel Godard is a phenomenal player of the tuba and its ancestor, the serpent, but he also plays bass. Luciano Biondini is a virtuoso Italian accordionist. Jarrod Cagwin sre form Iowa, USA, he is equally masterful with sticks and bare hands, and using both, western drum-kit and to Arabic frame drums.
Their music uses elements from Arab music traditions, together with many Jazz, Rock and classical references, particularly to the school of Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry, but also other influences include Frank Zappa, Bela Bartok, and such unexpected musicians as the Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener from Trinidad.
Since ’81 Rabih Abou-Khalil released over 20 albums and contributed to many more.
“Hungry People” it’s a direct reference to the “Arab Spring”. Read more Rabih Abou-Khalil – Hungry People (2012)
Green Day -Tre! (2012)
Why I bother to write about this? Well, probably because I get into this trilogy and after two bitter pills, the deadly strike it’s unavoidable. While “¡Uno!” was not so convincing, and “¡Dos!” was even worst, “¡Tré!” it’s definitively the most forgettable Green Day release ever. And one by one, even some of their most devoted fans are starting to give voice to their disappointment. Honestly, really don’t get it why Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool and Jason White get so stubbornly ambitious to release a trilogy while they hardly had enough songs for a barley mediocre simple album? And who actually expecting stupid (piano) ballads from – even a Pop – Punk band? And after all, who needs a soft and sweet Green Day these days anyway? Not even my 5 year old son. He prefers Rammstein.
Green Day announced that ¡Tré!’s released date had been pushed forward to December 11, along with the cancellation of the rest of the year’s tour and a postponement of their early 2013 arena tour dates. They also announced that Armstrong will probably hit the rehab while he’s seeking treatment for his serious alcohol issues. Read more Green Day -Tre! (2012)
