Let’s say this from the beginning: this is not “something” easy to digest to the Billboard like music consumers. Actually, Tera Melos after finished tracking for “Patagonian Rats”, they previous record released in 2010, at the hangar in Sacramento, had some additional studio time and decided to record a live, improvised piece for… fun. “Echo On The Hills Of Knebworth” is a 51 minutes track, a stream of conscious, weird, messed up playing, freakout, improvised piece.
Tera Melos have developed a cult-like fan base around the United States. The band was formed in 2004 in Sacramento, California, after the breakup of Nick Reinhart and Nathan Latona’s former band No Regard. They teamed up with Jeff Worms and Vince Rogers. Jeff Worms, left the band in 2007 and as a trio they embarked on their first national tour with The Fall of Troy, Portugal. The Man and Damiera. Read more Tera Melos – Echo On The Hills Of Knebworth (2011)
post rock
Sixx: A.M. – This Is Gonna Hurt (2011)
“If you don’t deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it’s gonna hurt.” – said Nikki Sixx and mainly this is the essence of this new album. Actually this is “an original soundtrack” to accompanied the book, part photo chronicle and part journal, a follow up to his New York Times bestseller, “The Heroin Diariesâ€, released on April 12th. This Is Gonna Hurt†chronicles Sixx’s experience, from references to his early years filled with toxic waste to his success with Mötley Crüe, his death from an over-dose and rebirth to his addictions to music, photography, and love along with the journey of photographing these images over the past couple of years.
The album debut at #1 in the Billboard’s “Hard Rock Chart”, and also charted on Billboard 200 on #10, #5 Rock Albums, #9 Digital Albums, #3 Independent Album and #16 Tastemaker Album. Another success story. Read more Sixx: A.M. – This Is Gonna Hurt (2011)
Schedule Of No Plan – Oh, These Indistinct Years of You (2011)
This is the second EP made by Nick Steinborn from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and you can get both of them from his Bandcamp page. Just as he says, he “decided to write an album for the ..RPM Challenge”. Well, this is an interesting trip into the instrumental/experimental, math rock/post rock area of the music and Nick actually done a pretty good job, he wrote and recorded a couple of interesting themes and maybe the time is right to step forward and transform this solo project into a real band. As I said, these songs are a solid starting point to take off, the four new tracks sounds clean, congealed, gloomy ambiental layers and textures are overlapping some good guitar riffs, dark and heavy passages or subtle, smooth melodies. Dark, but sparking, this is a nice, refreshing trip. Read more Schedule Of No Plan – Oh, These Indistinct Years of You (2011)
Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs (2011)
Fans of Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder probably salivating in anticipation of Vedder’s second solo album. I admit, I lost my appetite for Pearl Jam and Mr. Vedder gradually, last time I found something valuable to notice on “Vitalogy” and well, it was long-long time ago, back in 1994. On the other hand, “Into the Wild” released in 2007 it wasn’t that bad, but still, “Backspacer” erased definitively any expectations from this guys forever. There will be no more “Ten”, and nothing like Temple of the Dog for example. Featuring a number of original and cover songs that Vedder penned and first played live, but never released on record, “Ukulele Songs” includes a uke version of Pearl Jam’s 2002 track “Can’t Keep”, guest appearance by vocalists Glen Hansard on the Everly Brothers cover “Sleepless Nights” and Cat Power on “Tonight You Belong To Me.” Actually, I think when Mr. Vedder take a look in the mirror he probably see Neil Yong. It’s cool, what can I say, but well, untrue. Read more Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs (2011)
Valerian Swing – A Sailor Lost Around The Earth (2011)
This is a soulful, explosive, flowing, ever-changing, complex and elaborate instrumental album. I actually hesitate to say instrumental rock album because Valerian Swing are far beyond any particular label and box, this is metal, rock, even jazz sometimes, eventually contemporary heavy music. Many times technicality kill the soul of the music, but this is not the case of Valerian Swing, extremely complex themes, impressive breaks, twists and turns make their music dynamic, but without loosing anything from its sensivity and expression. Incredible depths, incisive riffs, colorful lyricism, different moods and tones are revealed by this extremely young, but very talented trio from Correggio, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Formed in 2002 by Stefano Villani, David Ferretti and Alan Ferioli, only one year later including of Johnatan and Davide on vocals they recorded their first five track EP which gained excellent reviews and it was followed by explosive live shows around northern Italy, sharing the stage with established Italian underground bands. Read more Valerian Swing – A Sailor Lost Around The Earth (2011)
Atlantis – Mistress of Ghosts (2011)
I still don’t get it, how it comes that some guys seems to be pretty creatives, but when it comes to choose a band name, something I believe it’s pretty important by the way, they just fuck it up or simply shitting on their self? “Atlantis” is a name used by probably half of the planet for different products, including band names. And it was already a rock band in the 70s using this name in Germany. Gilson Heitinga started writing songs under the name “Atlantis” in the winter of 2005/2006. While choosing a name he wasn’t really inspired, the songs he wrote are pretty interesting. Otherwise the name actually fits the music. Releasing the debut “Carpe Omnium” in 2007 and on the good tradition of Trent Reznor, formed a live band including Sander Bolk, Carlo Leijtens, Gido Leijtens and Marijn Slot. Singed for the Nottingham based label, Field Records and “Mistress of Ghosts” is Gilson’s second full-length album.
This is a gloomy, contorted incursion in a world made of enigmatic noises, glowing textures, delicate sounds and expressive shades. Read more Atlantis – Mistress of Ghosts (2011)
Draconian Incubus – Undead (2011)
Resurrect Jim Morrison or take Ian Astbury, or Glenn Denzig and bring them to a rehearsal with Fields Of The Nephilim and the result may be pretty close to what Draconian Incubus produce. And this band from San José, Costa Rica sounds just great. I’m wondering how many people can show me at first where’s on the map Costa Rica… Gloomy, perhaps a little bit evil, but they rocking hard and Julio Salazar have guts and voice. J.C.Dijeres – guitars, Paola Cascante – drums and Jose Carfax – bass, obsessed by Aleister Crowley bring to life a dark universe. Recorded live sometime between March and April, 2011, they said “This is not an album, This is not an EP, This is not a single, This is Real Love, Hallelujah!” and well, you can get your share of this magic potion because the 6 track material is available for FREE DOWNLOAD on their Bandcamp page. Read more Draconian Incubus – Undead (2011)
My Morning Jacket – Circuital (2011)
It’s like swimming in circles of fuzzed guitars, trippy keyboard layers, twisted pop hooks and kind of familiar, country feeling. Soft electronica, scattered rock left-overs, indie experiments, pop like vocals, My Morning Jacket throw in their blender everything they can get their hands on and came out with a colorful, but slippery material. It’s like a jam of Simon And Garfunkel with The Flaming Lips suffering from massing hangover on a morning after. “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” for example it’s an absolutely minimal country song while “Holdin’ On to Black Metal” sounds like a hippie anthem from 69 with some vocals traceable back directly to The Beatles. It’s nice to get into this retro feeling, but honestly I don’t really see the reason for what use? For sure some fat-ass guys from Rolling Stone Magazine will be delighted and maybe get even a small hard-on, but still. And for those who weren’t born in the 70s maybe it’s sounds exciting, but it isn’t. Recycling it’s good, but not in all meaning. “Slow Slow Tune” it’s a nice song. Read more My Morning Jacket – Circuital (2011)
Brotherhood Of Sleep – Dark As Light (2011)
It’s not quite my favorite genre, but “Dark As Light” still stir up the interest, it’s a gloomy and dynamic travel into the psychedelic soaked heavy side of instrumental doom. It’s quite funny, a warm, glowing orange cover for this kind of pretty dark and – no better match right now in my mind – oppressive music.
The band was formed in Athens, Greece, in Autumn of 2006 by George G. – guitar (ex-Choir Macabre) and John K. – guitar (Afformance). Later they were joined by drummer Serafim G. (also of Uranium Cardinals) and without pre-set ideas on how or what to play they’ve started rehearsing giving birth to the first main riffs that would later on constitute the nucleus of what was next to come. They released their self-titled debut album in 2009 and “Dark As Light” is their second full-length album consist in four elaborated and extensive tracks – the shortest one have 11.32 minutes. Read more Brotherhood Of Sleep – Dark As Light (2011)
Powder! Go Away – Laika Still Wants Go Home (2011)
Laika was a space dog. Actually the first animal to orbit the Earth, as well as the first animal to die in orbit.
After the success of Sputnik 1, Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, wanted a spacecraft launched on November 7, 1957, the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. To meet the November deadline, a new craft would have to be built. Khrushchev specifically wanted his engineers to deliver a “space spectacular,” a mission that would repeat the triumph of Sputnik I, stunning the world with Soviet prowess. The planners settled on an orbital flight with a dog. Three dogs were trained for the Sputnik 2 flight: Albina, Mushka, and Laika.
Laika was found as a stray wandering the streets of Moscow. Soviet scientists chose to use Moscow strays since they assumed that such animals had already learned to endure conditions of extreme cold and hunger. Soviet space-life scientist Oleg Gazenko selected and trained Laika.
Before the launch, one of the scientists took Laika home to play with his children. In a book chronicling the story of Soviet space medicine, Dr. Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote, “I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live.” Read more Powder! Go Away – Laika Still Wants Go Home (2011)
