The Spider-Man comics were created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and published by Marvel Comics for the first time in 1962. As kid, I saw “The Amazing Spider-Man”, which aired in ’77-’78 and obviously Spidey was one of my heroes. Based on a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is the most expensive – $70 million and counting – Broadway production in history, a rock musical with music and lyrics by U2’s Bono and The Edge. Two Irish guys writing a rock musical for Broadway, it is something. While U2 fans waiting for the new album, we’ve got “Duals” and now this soundtrack. Bono said: “If we thought it would take this long, there is not a chance on earth we’d have done it.”
The musical get mixed, but mainly negative reviews. “Upon a preliminary viewing back in February, “Spider-Man” was a spectacular mess. The finished version is reasonably improved but somewhat less spectacular.” – Steven Suskin wrote in Variety. The Hollywood Reporter called the show a “bloated monster” while The New York Times branded it “a bore”. Peter Marks for The Washington Post said about the new show – “a definite upgrade” to its previous version, “this effects-driven musical is still situated a wide canyon’s distance from good”. The Associated Press summed up its opinion by saying: “It may not be the best thing in theater, but it is far from the worst show in Broadway history.” Read more Bono And The Edge – Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – OST (2011)
music
Queensryche – Dedicated To Chaos (2011)
I cut the crap and I’m gonna tell you directly what to aspect: if you’re looking for a quality and quite exciting hard rock album, “Dedicated To Chaos” might just fit your taste. Those who still waiting for what actually meant till ’88/’90 (the genius “Operation: Mindcrime” (1988), respectively “Empire” (1990), well, maybe it’s time to accept that “this” Queensrÿche is not “that” Queensrÿche anymore and probably they will never be again. On the other hand, while I was absolutely disappointed by their previous effort, the quite pale “American Soldier” released two years ago, “Dedicated To Chaos” is an absolutely fair material, a mixture of hard and heavy schemes with maximum taste and the unquestionable skill of writing and playing of these guys from Seattle. Because it’s almost impossible to avoid comparison, it’s somewhere between “Promised Land” (1994) and “Empire” (1990) with a taste of experimental sounds from “Tribe” (2003). And I must say: this is far the best Queensrÿche album for almost two decades. Read more Queensryche – Dedicated To Chaos (2011)
Father’s Day
It’s been a while since I managed to wrote something for this album. While I successfully managed to smash my photo camera, I returned to some old habits: my colors and brushes. And well, keeping this site running, eat up quite much of my time as well. On the other hand, actually I wrote a few themes and songs lately but none of them did fit right in the “concept” of this album – among others obviously – I’m working on. Well, I’m kind of busy guy, carefully I always keep my own agenda full. Being my own boss enforced full and merciless tyranny over myself. Still, no results for this ruthless exploitation, but the future – always – is wide open and really I don’t have any other choices.
Anyway, this one is quite simple, smooth – I guess -, well balanced and sort of happy, careless. I wish I could write more of this kind. Read more Father’s Day
Muslimgauze – Beirut Transister (2011)
Based in Britain, Muslimgauze present themselves as staunchly supportive of Palestinian Arabs, although their are vaguely defined politically and focusing to altering beats, pulses, and samples in every way possible, bringing to the surface hypnotizing Arab percussion and mysterious fragments of Arab chants mixed with minimalist electronica. I always loved the untainted Arab/Eastern music, I love the pulse of their rhythms and the sparking harmonies of their melodies. Muslimgauze focusing mainly on the rhythms, but they have hidden a few spicy melodies as well and this “ethnic/electronic” and “world beat” mixture they delivering sounds deeply authentic.
Having a quite impressive discography , since 1982 Muslimgauze released over 200 materials, albums and compilations included. Read more Muslimgauze – Beirut Transister (2011)
Fire! – Unreleased? (2011)
Pour les connaisseurs! Fire! are the trio compound of Mats Gustafsson (The Thing), Johan Berthling (Tape) and Andreas Werliin (Wildbirds & Peacedrums) and “Unreleased?” is their second full length album, but this time they bring into the supergroup one more individual: Jim O’Rourke. Mats Gustafsson is an improviser, free jazz saxophone player, in 2000 he put together the Swedish/Norway trio, The Thing with bass player Ingebrigt HÃ¥ker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. The Thing is one of the must “media unfriendly” band: no MySpace, no YouTube channel, they mainly sell their records at the gigs, lucky me, I saw them once live. Swedish trio Tape (@ MySpace ) was set up in 2000 by brothers Andreas and Johan Berthling with Tomas Hallonsten and they merging pop and experimentalism in minimalist manner using both, acoustic and digital instruments. Wildbirds & Peacedrums (@ MySpace) is an experimental band from Sweden consisting of two members, Mariam Wallentin and her husband Andreas Werliin, merging experimental rock with psychedelic folk. Jim O’Rourke (@ MySpace) maybe knowned for played bass guitar, guitar and synthesizer with Sonic Youth, in addition to recording and mixing duties with the group, he joined the band in 1999 and left in 2005. O’Rourke is long associated with the Chicago experimental and improv scene, he has collaborated with Thurston Moore, Derek Bailey, Mats Gustafsson, Mayo Thompson, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Merzbow, Nurse With Wound, Phill Niblock, Fennesz, Organum, Henry Kaiser, Flying Saucer Attack, also he was once a member of Illusion of Safety and Gastr Del Sol and also released many albums under his own name on a variety of labels exploring a range of electronic and avant-garde styles, exploring different genres from jazz, noise to electronica and rock music. Read more Fire! – Unreleased? (2011)
Planningtorock – W (2011)
Janine Rostron, Berlin based, London born, musician/conceptual-artist and record label owner, has been flirting with a wider audience via her LCD Soundsystem opening slot and become a frequent collaborator of The Knife. She’s back now with her second full-length album, “W” and her smooth, but gloomy explorations of tense rhythms and quite particular timbre keyboard, classic instruments and shady, electric and electrifying layers, floating vocals merged into her unique, sparkling sound.
Classically trained on the violin from the age of eight, Janine Rostron developed a passion for strings. That same passion can be heard in her infamous pizzicato bass styles with plucked string production blended perfectly with electric mix of barrelhouse boogie-woogie pianos, xylophone trills, honkytonk horn sleaze, bluesy growls and creepy coos. Read more Planningtorock – W (2011)
U.D.O. – Rev-Raptor (2011)
“Balls to the Wall” back in ’83 was a wall breaker, demolition metal anthem. Accept was the most powerful Teuton answer for the NWOBHM. Accept’s beginnings can be traced back to 1968, when Udo Dirkschneider and Michael Wagener formed a local band called Band X, which in 1976 changed its name to Accept. But Udo left Accept in 1987 and a large fan community followed him to U.D.O., proved to be continuously pure heavy metal without any Trend-Sound influences.
At the beginning of 90s, Accept and Dirkschneider met and spontaneously decided to relaunch the band with the core members Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider and Baltes.A new album, ” Objection Overruled” was released worldwide in 1993 followed by “Predator” in 1996, but the chemistry between Accept and Udo was again strained and Udo left once again. Later, asked if there will be another Accept album with him as vocalist, Dirkschneider replied: “That would be a problem. You know, it’s easy to play the old songs, because they already exist. Especially for me it was easier, because I still do those classics with U.D.O., but for some of the guys it was a bit harder. But everybody did a great job on stage. I understand that people want a new Accept album, but composing songs together would have been a disaster. That way we would destroy more than we would create. We have a good relationship now and it’s best to keep it that way.”
But fans have U.D.O. and Udo never disappointing his fans, “Rev-Raptor”, the 13th studio album of his band sounds just the same as his debut, “Animal House” 24 years ago. Read more U.D.O. – Rev-Raptor (2011)
Night Ranger – Somewhere In California (2011)
America’s 80s were characterized by PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) controversy, bands such Mötley Crüe were banned and constantly hunted. The crusade against rock were leaded by four women: Tipper Gore (wife of Senator and later Vice President Al Gore), Pam Howar (wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howar), Susan Garrett Winston (wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker) and Sally Nevius (wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius). When men are leaving for a war or they are too busy with politics, their wife becomes frustrated and get strange occupations… The most famous invention is the Parental Advisory sticker (“Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics”), knowned also as “The Tipper Sticker”. The PMRC also released the “Filthy Fifteen”, a list of the 15 songs they found most objectionable which contains artists and songs such as Prince “Darling Nikki”, Judas Priest “Eat Me Alive”, Mötley Crüe “Bastard”, AC/DC “Let Me Put My Love into You”, Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It”,Madonna “Dress You Up”, etc, but one of the albums to receive the “Parental Advisory” sticker was Frank Zappa’s Grammy-winning album “Jazz From Hell”, even though it is a collection of instrumental pieces and contains no lyrics at all while the sticker says “Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics” 😆 😆 😆 I’ve been a little bit off-topics, but I also remembered this verses by Ice-T: “Yo Tip, what’s the matter? You ain’t gettin’ no dick? You’re bitchin’ about rock’n’roll, that’s censorship, dumb bitch.”
Well, we forget “things” too easily and boys and girls, not history repeat itself, but the dumb repeat over and over the same mistakes. Back then the American Senate decided what we should and what we shouldn’t listen, now days the censorship moved forward and “War on Terror” seems a pretty goddamn good excuse to let the governments to decide what’s good or bad for us and taking control over our lives.
But in that decade, the more “reasonable” rock acts such Midnight Ranger (Foreigner, Styx, Bon Jovi and other “good boys”) flourished. They 1987’s album, “Big Life” sold around 800,000 copies. Read more Night Ranger – Somewhere In California (2011)
Engineer – Crooked Voices (2011)
Dirty and contorted, merging hardcore with sludge, twisted riffs and slow grinds with breathe acoustic relieves and blue collar breaks, Engineer bring to the surface a world of darkness and suffering, pour their pain on us and drown us under the weight of their sick songs.
From Syracuse, NY, Engineer are compound of three brothers and a brutal dude behind the drum kit: Bobby – vocals, Ryan – guitar, Brad – bass, respectively Mike Auclair – drums. Decibel Magazine ranked Engineer’s 2006 release “Reproach” one of the top 50 Best Albums of the Year and their noisy, deranged, modern metal have something unique and exciting. Read more Engineer – Crooked Voices (2011)
Pour Habit – Got Your Back (2011)
With their hybrid of technical punk and metal, Pour Habit are the right answer for those so-called new punk bands playing happy pop. Maybe heavy riffing won’t get you on the top of the Billboard but punk it’s not – and it shouldn’t be – about this.
Chuck Green – vocals, Eric Walsh – guitar/vocals, Matt Hawks – guitar, Steve Williams – bass/vocals and Colin Walsh – drums delivering fast, furious, but still melodic and catch punk rock with the heaviness and technicality of a speed metal band. Following and maintaining the tradition of Bad Brains and Suicidal Tendencies, Pour Habit are one of the most intense and explosive punk rock acts of the moment.
After self releasing their debut effort “Suiticide” in 2007, Fat Mike bring them in the court of Fat Wreck Chords and re-released the album in 2009. Read more Pour Habit – Got Your Back (2011)
