Although this might seems a supergroup incorporating Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Beck and R.E.M. drummer Joey Waronker and Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco – “Amok” it’s definitively a quite strange journey into the wilderness of minimal electronic and glitchy electronica and feels like the follow up of “The Eraser”, Yorke’s 2006’s debut solo album. On the other hand, this is not so different from the latest Radiohead sonic experiment, the 2011 “The King of Limbs” as well.
While the rhythmic build up of the album it’s quite similar throughout, Yorke’s ghostly falsetto singing haunting feverishly from song to song. It’s nice to know that Flea contributed to this, but do not expect to hear his presence, and except some rare jazzy flavoured moments, “Amok” it’s more about how it feels, then how it sounds. Read more Atoms For Peace – Amok (2013)
alternative rock
Amerakin Overdose – Amerakin Overdose (2012)
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Amerakin Overdose it’s a more metal then industrial, heavy sextette. Strong riffs, subtle electronic layers, furious vocals filled with consistent message and all the shock rock weaponry turn this project into a deadly machinery. Reminded me of Bile (and their killer “I Reject”), but also their style and sound can be associated with the music of Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Static X, Killswitch Engage, Schnitt Acht, Filter, Cop Shoot Cop, 16 Volt, Marilyn Manson, etc, a powerful, groovy mixture of groove metal strength, modern beats and industrial rock intensity.
Amerakin Overdose has been forged from six very unique individuals. Cody Perez (lead singer), “The Brick” (drums) Freeman Manfree (Guitar),“The Human” (Keyboards /Sequencing ), Enygma ( hype and shenanigans) each member embodies and personifies an element of modern Amerakin culture , power, corporate greed, pride, death, war, sex, money etc…. While the whole planet has overdosed on Amerakin culture and been consumed by double speak and cross talk , western society has lost all hope and embraced the living dead mentality. Amerakin Overdose urges you to “free your mind and see what’s inside” scare yourself to death and be reborn a free soul. Read more Amerakin Overdose – Amerakin Overdose (2012)
Zeromancer – Bye-Bye Borderline (2013)
“Auf Wiedersehen Boy”, the opening track of Zeromancer’s new album, sounds just like a “Mechanical Animals”/”The Golden Age of Grotesque” type of Marilyn Manson anthem. The following “Bye-Bye Borderline” sounds more like a wicked mixture of David Bowie and Muse with a twist of Linkin Park in the chorus.
Smooth electronic layers, solid rock riffs, goth and gloomy vibe, cyber pop flavored melodies and powerful vocal hooks are all vital parts of the Zeromancer’s arsenal.
From the third “Lcyd”, I can distinctly hear a powerful H.I.M. influence running through the vein of their songs merged with a subtle A-HA flavour. But Zeromancer pushed their sound in a fuhrer dark direction and added a more industrial/electronic taste to it. “Bye-Bye Borderline” it’s a strong and balanced mixture of industrial rock and goth vibe, of Northern gloom and charming melodies, of electric rock and electronic pop. Read more Zeromancer – Bye-Bye Borderline (2013)
The Raygun Girls – The Raygun Girls (2013)
“The Time is Now” sounds like a furious Kiss track on steroids, and the New York based The Raygun Girls with their 5th studio are definitively willing to conquer the universe, or at least grinding their audience into the ground. Their music it’s a vivid mixture of hard rock, heavy metal, industrial, goth and punk rock, mainly reminding me of Danzig, while they compare their sound to bands such as Lacuna Coil, Rob Zombie, Killing Joke and Evanescence.
The brand new self-titled album it’s both an ode to the Apocalypse, and a call to Revolution, while the aliens are coming to take over our world.
With contribution from Peter Watkinson of death metal band Abomnium doing lead guitar on two songs, and some original photography work from Oliver Wasow, as well as lyrics from Paul F. Ferguson and Jacinda Espinosa, “The Raygun Girls” it’s the result of 10 years of songwriting, lyric writing, and road experience, and the 11 songs delivering the very essence of this band: powerful, raw, without compromises, loud rock & roll!! Read more The Raygun Girls – The Raygun Girls (2013)
Eels – Wonderful, Glorious (2013)
Honestly, I’m glad that the melancholy and platitudes fueled concept trilogy of “Hombre Lobo” (2009), “End Times” (2010) and “Tomorrow Morning” (2010) it’s closed and hopefully Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E. Other, moved over. Those country-blues flavored, mostly boring and tasteless, self-pity ballads, frankly, were a great disappointment. Sentiments? Well, I have sympathy for those stories of desire, loss, and redemption, but can not shed a tear. Got my own s*it to bear. And nobody shed a tear for me, not even giving a s*it.
I also can understand that there will be no more “Novocaine for the Soul” like, charming, energy full, indie rock anthems, but a little bit of life in some of the songs, here and there, still would be nice to hear.
And “Wonderful, Glorious” it’s at least a return to the sound and style of “Souljacker” (2001) and “Shootenanny!” (2003). We’ve got a couple of sensitive slow takes, a strange mixture of Cat Stevens with Tom Waits, but wearing the undeniable touch and taste of E. Other. On the other hand, we’ve got a few noisier, grungy, indie rock tracks as well. Some of them (“Open My Present” for instance) also reminding me of Tom Waits, eventually mixed with Tom Petty.
Good sign anyway is that the leading single it’s the heavily pounding “Peach Blossom” and not some of the depression bringer ballad. Read more Eels – Wonderful, Glorious (2013)
Tomahawk – Oddfellows (2013)
While the long awaited new Faith No More album still seems to be a dream away, Mike Patton and Duane Denison resurrected Tomahawk out of the blue and “Oddfellows”, the project’s fourth studio album will be released worldwide in January 2013 on Patton’s record label Ipecac Recordings.
Beside Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantômas, Lovage, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Peeping Tom, etc), ex-The Jesus Lizard guitar player Duane Denison, and ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier (currently playing with Battles), Trevor Dunn (ex-Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, etc) player taking the place of Melvins/Cows bass player Kevin Rutmanis.
The 13 brand new songs of “Oddfellows” shows a mature, but still adventurous, willing to explore rock band twisting in and out the borderline between avant-garde and post rock. This is a fever-burned, tensioned, sometimes contorted, sometimes surprisingly chilled and settle down mixture of music. There’s a subtle, but smartly balanced struggle between abstract trips and vivid rock rides with just the right amount of odd and genuine rock energy. “Oddfellows” it’s less furious, less noisier and industrial fueled then their self titled debut in 2001, and the follow up “Mit Gas” in 2003 (the 2007’s “Anonymous” was a different story!!), but still powerful and tensioned throughout. This is 100% Tomahawk with some solid hooks back to Faith No More and a gloomy twist of Peeping Tom flavor. Read more Tomahawk – Oddfellows (2013)
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)
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)
Steven Wilson – The Raven That Refused To Sing (and other stories) (2013)
Third and deadly? The restless guitarist of Porcupine Tree, and beside involved in a million and one projects and collaborations, plus full time mixer, remixer and producer, it’s back with his third solo album which will be released on 25th February 2013. Alan Parsons (best known for his work on Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon”) engineering the album and we’ve got a quite colorful and dynamic mixture of King Crimson, Rush and Jethro Tull. Probably not accidentally, currently Wilson is remixing the back catalogue of King Crimson from 1969–84 into MLP (Meridian Lossless Packaging) 5.1 and new stereo mixes, as well as remixing the back catalogue of Jethro Tull.
So, the presence of Theo Travis (flute and saxophone) it’s not really surprising. Travis has made ten albums as leader, composing and arranging most of the material; and he has also worked with Robert Fripp, Gong, The Tangent, Bill Nelson, Bass Communion, No-Man, David Sylvian, Harold Budd, John Foxx, Burnt Friedman and Dave, Richard Sinclair, and Porcupine Tree. But this is a full all star release featuring exclusively well respected and acclaimed musicians. Read more Steven Wilson – The Raven That Refused To Sing (and other stories) (2013)
Kursed – Miaow (2012)
Two years after its acclaimed debut effort “Like a coffee” released through M&O Music & Mosaic Music Distribution, Kursed returns with a new album entitled “Miaow” and filled-up with the same Brit indie rock and post-punk revival flavored music in the vein of Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, The Fratellis, Kaiser Chiefs, and blended with dirty American, blues rooted indie rock in the footsteps of The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Modest Mouse, The Killers, and Interpol.
This mixture of sounds and aromas might be odd or at least unusual for a French band, but Kursed proved that in music there is no boundaries, on the other hand they proved a vivid ability to turn those “foreign” genres into their own and finally giving to the music their own identity. Read more Kursed – Miaow (2012)
