April seems to be a very popular name among artist: a couple of bands running using this simple name which make pretty hard to identify one of them, make the difference. After some hard digging I find on MySpace the profile of this French duo, from there I’ve get to their official site and Facebook profile. I thought “Ten Stones” is their actual album, but I was wrong, it was released back in 2009. Merging classic music elements with electronic layers and samplers, combining pop, rock, indie and trip hop elements, JiBé (music, voice) and Flora (voice) delivered their own flavored music. Read more April – Ten Stones (2009)
indie rock
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)
Florence and The Machine – Ceremonials (2011)
Florence Leontine Mary Welch came to the surface as a possible new Janis Joplin or Deborah Harry (of Blondie) back in 2009 and her debut album entitled “Lungs” was extremely appreciated by the media and the critics. But “Lungs” also was a commercial success, the album held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK Albums Chart and reached the top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks. The album has been in the top forty in the United Kingdom for sixty-five consecutive weeks, making it one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010.
“Lungs” won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 BRIT Awards; at the 53rd Grammy Awards, Florence and the Machine was nominated for Best New Artist and the band performed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.
And here we go, Florence is back with her Machine to put us through the new ceremonials. Read more Florence and The Machine – Ceremonials (2011)
Puscifer – Conditions Of My Parole (2011)
I wonder if Keenan and his bodies will ever again find the resources to put together another Tool album? When back in ’95 Keenan describes Puscifer as a series of musical ideas he did not have an opportunity to explore with Tool or A Perfect Circle, but “Telling Ghosts”, “Toma” and few other moments, for instance, might quite fit onto a Tool album. Although “Conditions Of My Parole”, is a quite colorful trip between Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer and a few other influences from Radiohead to The Smashing Pumpkins, juggling between trip hop and industrial metal, defines genres, merging sounds and delivering – once again – something quite different and unique.
This time Keenan and his long list of contributors including Mat Mitchell, Tim Alexander, Jonny Polonski, Danny Lohner, Josh Eustis, Gil & Rani Sharone, Jeff Freidl, Matt McJunkins, Lustmord, Laura Milligan, Carina Round, Jackie Harris, Paul Greenberg, Micah Player, Juliette Commagere, Mike King, Ainjel Emme, Meats Meier, Evil Joe Baressi, Trey Gunn, Milla Jovovich, Lisa Germano, Tim Cadiente, Ford Englerth, Jeffrey Brooks, Micah, Eddie McClintock, Joe Nagy, Satan’s Muse, and more, delivered a quite dark and tensioned album. Read more Puscifer – Conditions Of My Parole (2011)
dEUS – Keep You Close (2011)
(Ain’t) “Living in a movie, but a franchise” – sing Tom Barman on the brand new dEUS album and once again, I’m thrilled by this Belgian band while I love them since I heard for the very first time “Suds & Soda” back in 1994. This music is not so complicated, but subtle and smoothly sophisticated, maybe they lost something from the biting wildness of their first period, but dEUS remains really alternative, truly indie – although singed to multinationals, and the same original outfit. Juggling between – and through – twisted blues, free jazz skronk, post-grunge dissonances and gloomy art rock explorations, dEUS delivered an unique blend of music. Perhaps “Vantage Point” back in 2008 was their smoothest release up to date, but still they have the magic power to hypnotize us.
Read more dEUS – Keep You Close (2011)
The Libertines – The Libertines (2004)
Coming on the second wave in the early 2000s of garage rock and post-punk revival bands along Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, The Editors and Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines delivered in 2004 their second, self-titled album which instantly reached #1 in the UK and it sold 72,189 copies in its first week. The album is included in the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” and in 2006, NME placed the album 47 in a list of the greatest British albums ever. For a band released up to date only two albums, not a bad performance at all.
The Libertines were formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Bar̢t (vocals/lead guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/rhythm guitar) and both of their full-length LPs were produced by Mick Jones, of the legendary British punk band The Clash. Read more The Libertines РThe Libertines (2004)
Prince Edward Island – This Day Is A Good Enough Day (2011)
I actually missed something like this. Joyful, but acid and fun by dry humour, sounds mainly like drinking sing-a-longs, but catchy enough, simple, straight, not bloody indie rock, not again metalcore, harsh as the Scottish whiskey and smooth like a summer night, sunny as a child play, Prince Edward Island long awaited debut album “This day is a good enough day” coming through Crocfingers Record on Monday the 29th August. But till then, you can fully enjoy the whole material on their Soundcloud page. And enjoy it’s exactly how it feels. Reminds me a little bit of Eels and some good old days. When I gave up fooling myself and waiting for some better days – on a day like this with all the stock markets falling like dominoes one after another, this day and this album is more than good enough. Read more Prince Edward Island – This Day Is A Good Enough Day (2011)
Screaming Trees – Last Words, The Final Recordings (2011)
This album should be released eleven years ago, but in 2000 not one record label was interested in Screaming Trees. Nowadays the world – and economy – falling apart, everything worth a try, the record labels would release even their neighbor grandma’s singing in the bath if there’s the smallest chance to cash-in a few cents. Don’t ask me what happened with the idea that music should be fun and joy… But back in 2000 Screaming Trees was fired by the industry, now they thought it’s time to deliver to their fans their last songs and it’s quite alright.
Back then, Mark Lanegan joined Queens of the Stone Age, Barrett Martin has been a touring member for several bands and worked with Stone Temple Pilots and R.E.M. along others and Gary Lee Conner started the bands The Purple Outside and Amanita Caterpillar in which he is the vocalist.
“Last Word” the eight album by Screaming Trees, released on August 2, 2011. Read more Screaming Trees – Last Words, The Final Recordings (2011)
O.A.R. – King (2011)
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)
My TV is Dead – Freedomatic (2009)
One more exciting band from Belgium after Thot , I, the Phoenix , Black Spires , Nox etc. And well, all these bands – and few others – are interesting in different ways, they are all “digging” in different directions.
The duo consist of Amaury Massion – vocals and guitar, and Joel Grignard – guitar, bass and keyboards start the project at Berlin during a week of performances at the famous Tacheles and by this debut album entitled “Freedomatic” they taking the world one by one, country by country, front by front, releasing it till now in Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and France. Read more My TV is Dead – Freedomatic (2009)
