Although I listen and I really enjoy lot of Jazz music, I’m the first to admit, I’m not an “expert”, and by the way, generally speaking I’m not an “expert” and anyone who claims he (she) is one, he (she) is a pretender (and liar). Gee! 🙂
Now let’s get back to Galactic.
Originally formed in 1994 as an octet, under the name Galactic Prophylactic, they delivering a mixture of electric Rock, Funk, Blues and Jazz. I get to listen them because behind the drum kit it’s Stanton Moore, who played in Corrosion Of Conformity, knowned him from Garage A Trois, the Stanton Moore Trio, Midnite Disturbers, played with jazz-funk keyboardist Robert Walter, with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Boots Riley of the Coup on the project Street Sweeper Social Club, with Dragon Smoke and MG5. Read more Galactic – Carnivale Electricos (2012)
fusion
Skafandr – Glaz (2012)
Labeled “dub metal” and delivered directly from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, “Glaz” it’s an absolutely refrashing mixture of metal and dub, one of the most efficient and criminal combination of this genres far as I heard. We’ve got 10 perfectly groovy and killer tracks.Evgenii Rybnikov – guitar, Igor Rusinovich – guitar, Yuri Vitel – bass-guitar, and Kirill Soloviev – drums find not only the perfect balance between styles, but actually write a couple of great songs, which, we have to admit it, it’s kind of rare thing in the nowadays excessively patternized music… industry. In other words, Skafandr have soul. Read more Skafandr – Glaz (2012)
Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes (2012)
Some conservative death metal fans definitively hated “Illud Divinum Insanus”, the last year released Morbid Angel album because Mr. Vincent and his band mates delivered also some industrial and modern metal sounds and fans considered this an act of betray. Those fans definitively should stay away from this double remix album set to be released on 28th February. Although, “Illud Divinum Insanus” made it to my favorite 150 albums of 2011, so I was quite excited about this remix project.
On this compilation featuring 39 artists and they pushing the butchery even further, twisting Morbid Angel into the more noisier, electronic, but quite sick area of music. From contorted industrial remixes to wobbling dubstep out-takes, “Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes” it’s definitively the ultimate trip to hell and back. Read more Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes (2012)
Thomas O’Brien – Drum RemiXes
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtWBe5bwdJA&w=540&h=304]
Read more Thomas O’Brien – Drum RemiXes
Jennifer Lo-Fi – Noia (2011)
“Troffea” starts as an indie fueled jazz song, complex rhythmic constructions, powerful vocals and smooth guitar works build up an interesting, but dizzy song. Jennifer Lo-Fi? Inspired and catchy name for a newcomer band.
“Neveo” follows in a more conventional manner, if we can admit as conventional a mixture of power pop and indie rock aromas and psychedelic rock resonances with some tasty Brazilian spices. “Ovos” starts as a rock ballad with indie, blues and jazz infusions, they simply shifting from one thing to another, playing tight, energy full and from smooth and hypnotic themes they get violently hardcore. Impressive. And the best is yet to come. Read more Jennifer Lo-Fi – Noia (2011)
Dub Trio – IV (2011)
Their 2004 debut album “Exploring the Dangers of” was literally recorded as a live-dub experiment and the band managed to deliver their own unique interpretation of dub and push it further to the another level of an art form. DP – Dave Holmes (guitar & keyboards), Stu Brooks (bass & keyboards) and Joe Tomino (drums & Melodica) break down the walls between raggae, dub, electronica, rock, punk and heavy metal to bring to the surface their own powerful and breathing music.
Although I’m generally avoid any instrumental rock album because I consider them usually kind of meaningless and boring, Dub Trio have some kind of secret magic power, have that primal, ancient and natural force to keep your interest constantly high, to crush you down with their massive sound and expressive compositions. Read more Dub Trio – IV (2011)
Tom Waits – Bad As Me (2011)
It’s been seven years since “Real Gone” (2004) and ladies and gentlemen, Tom Waits are back and he’s brutally fresh. “Chicago” is a noisy opening track with garage rock pulse and horn-fueled cabaret rock after-taste and the whole album flows glowing and pumping, it’s like a radiography of Wait’s whole career and his best moments projected into the future. If “alternative” and “avant-garde” rock actually means something, then Tom Waits makes sense. Nowadays nothing means anything and nothing make sense, except commercials and music is nothing, but ultimately additional accessory to our iPods. And this is the world we use to say we’re against, but we’re accept it. Tom Waits said sometimes ago: “Apparently, the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad ideally, naked and purring on the hood of a new car”, and he added: “I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor.”
There’s no room for artificial intellectual bullshit, for faking alternatives. If you don’t actually feel it, better… “Get Lost”. 😀 Read more Tom Waits – Bad As Me (2011)
Sidilarsen – Machine Rouge (2011)
Compared to Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein and Noir Désir, Sidilarsen merged nu metal and industrial rock sounds to bring their own flavored fusion of electronic and metal/rock.
Founded in 1997 in Toulouse, France, the band released their full-length album debut, “Biotop”, in 2003. Their second album, “Eau” released in 2005 reach the French albums chart and was followed by the remix album “Réactivation Numérique” in 2006. “Une Nuit Pour Sept Jours”, the band’s third album was released in 2008 reaching number 140 on the French albums chart.
The 10 songs of their new album, “Machine Rouge” further down the sound weaves of dark electronica and cutting edge metal riffs and Sidilarsen delivered their best album up to date. Read more Sidilarsen – Machine Rouge (2011)
Trunks – On The Roof (2011)
“Hardfiscurry” is one of the most glowing and exciting record opener track I heard lately. It has an excellent and tensioned groove and something quite hypnotic which keeps you nailed for everything what’s coming up next. “Screaming Idiots” kicks out as a punk rock anthem, but the screaming saxophone reminds me of Morphine and shift the mood from Crass to Last Exit. Trunks is one of the best bands I had the pleasure to listen recently, they are alive and do not fit in into the trendy patterns. And each song is a different path into another universe.
As they say, they are not actually a band in the classic sense, but more a creative collective building music and gathering around the poetry of Jack Kerouac. Read more Trunks – On The Roof (2011)
Matt Stevens – Relic (2011)
I admit, I didn’t listen to Matt Stevens previous works and quite honestly, I’m kind of “scared” of instrumental rock music because generally speaking it’s quite predictable and boring. Obviously this is not a “politically (or ethically) correct” supposition, but still, don’t matter how sad it is, it’s still true. Well, Matt seems to be very determined to prove me otherwise and listen to “Relic”, his third and latest solo release, I had the surprise to discover that we think and feel in very similar ways about music even if we came from and we’re chosen to go down on different paths. And there’s another fact too: I hate guitar solos as well, because – again, generally speaking – they are nothing, but tasteless fill-ups and egocentric showing-ups. Last, but not at least, I defies genres. There’s nothing stupider than imprisoning yourself in some particular box. And Matt Stevens defies genres as well, his music is colorful, borderless and ageless, breathing and very alive, spacy and intense, subtle and powerful. The bottom line is that Matt delivering music and not only some “musical product” or some “background noise for a few moments of our life”. Matt plays straight from his heart to our soul. Matt’s play seems effortless and joyful, playful and still profound, very expressive. Much more, you can download even for free – “name your price” – “Relic” from Matt’s Bandcamp page, Read more Matt Stevens – Relic (2011)
