“Badass” reminds me instantly of “American Badass” by Kid Rock, well, one of his better moments in deed, but somehow it sounds pretty strange from Saliva this hardcore/hip hop approach, on the other hand, “Badass” is much better than they radio friendly ballad like tunes such as “Never Should’ve Let You Go” for instance. And “Under Your Skin”, the band’s seventh studio album it’s pretty colorful, if not quiet eclectic, there’s something for everybody, maybe they try a little bit to hard to satisfy a too large audience. Or the media. But – really – Billboard it’s not everything.
Still, Josey Scott and his band mates managed to write a few good new themes and songs. “Burn It Up” it’s another piece with hardcore roots and rapping leads shifted with clean choruses, it have burning grooves and heavy guitars. Read more Saliva – Under Your Skin (2011)
post rock
TV On The Radio – Nine Types Of Light (2011)
Scheduled for release on April 12, “Nine Types of Light”, the upcoming fourth studio album by TV on the Radio consist of 10 brand new songs and the same kind of smooth, soft, tasty, very discrete, but still touching type of minimalist electronic indie construction with a charming romantic accent, but also including funk and rock, post-rock elements in a very colorful blending. If you knew and love them, you know what I’m talking about. The second track, “Keep Your Heart” instantly reminds me of “China Girl”, the song co-written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their years in Berlin, first appearing on Pop’s album “The Idiot” (1977) and rerecorded and released by Bowie on his album “Let’s Dance” (1983). But Bowie is not a news in TV On The Radio’s world. Their second studio album, “Return to Cookie Mountain”, received critical acclaim, and on the album features guest appearances from David Bowie, Celebration, Dragons of Zynth, Martin Perna and Stuart D. Bogie of Antibalas, Blonde Redhead and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner. Also, during their US tour, the band performed a few covers with Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. Read more TV On The Radio – Nine Types Of Light (2011)
The View – Bread And Circuses (2011)
Look at this cover! If this is not “The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle”, I don’t know what it is. And The View are kind of back to ’78, not quit to Sex Pistols, but to The Who. Brits are obsessed by a few bands (and brands) such as The Beatles, The Clash and The Who. While nobody really succeed to become the next Beatles, many still trying to rebuild at least partially the sound – and fame – of The Clash or The Who. What can I say? “Lily, oh Lily….” 😀 Kind of “talking ’bout my generation…”
The View are a Scottish band formed in 2005, consist of Kyle Falconer – rhythm guitar, piano, occasionally bass, lead vocals, harmonica, Kieren Webster – bass, occasionally guitar, backing and occasionally lead vocals, Pete Reilly – lead guitar, Steven Morrison – drums and percussion and the only touring member, Darren Rennie – keyboards. Read more The View – Bread And Circuses (2011)
Aiden – Disguises (2011)
Beavis and Butt-head were sitting on they famous couch and watching a video on the almighty eMpTyV. Actually it was an old Black Sabbath clip. “Paranoid” if I remember it right. They joking about “this is Ozzy’s son” and stuffs like that. Beavis said “they rocks! they are Americans!”, but Butt-head screamed back: “No dumbass, they are from Seattle!”
Well, it was two decades ago, but I remember it now because the new Aiden material starts like a Black Sabbath album from the 70s and continue with a great Iron Maiden riff and well, these guys are from Seattle. For real.
America is a nation of immigrants and I believe the power of America comes directly from this multicultural composition. When a British band try to copy the American sound usually they ending up being nothing but a pale imitation, but when American bands try to sound British, well, sometimes they do a better job than the originals. Read more Aiden – Disguises (2011)
David Bowie – Toy – Unreleased Album from 2001 (2011)
In a world divided by zeros and ones, leaking out to the internet of most of the musical – and not only – products it’s not quit a surprise anymore. I already saw on the web materials scheduled to be released in May, June or even further. Instead hunting down bloggers and deleting blogs, feds and net-cops should concentrate on those guys who actually are stilling these stuffs from the studios or leaking them out from the offices of the record labels. On the other hand it’s quit funny, sometimes the artist is the primal source of the leak, it became some kind of “unconventional” promotional concept this kind of leaks. Anyway, I don’t know the source of this leak, but Sunday afternoon, March 20, 2011, a 256 kbps quality torrent of the full-length album was leaked online. The torrent is quite easy to find and meanwhile the album it’s all over on the file sharing sites as well. “Toy” consisting of 14 tracks recorded by David Bowie at the turn of the century and planned to released for a mid-2001 date. Due to problems with Virgin, Bowie’s record label at the time, it never saw the light of day. Read more David Bowie – Toy – Unreleased Album from 2001 (2011)
Current 93 – HoneySuckle Aeons (2011)
Labeled apocalyptic folk, experimental music, dark ambient, neofolk, even post-industrial and musical influences include religious chants, traditional folk music, but also some progressive bands such as Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Current 93 it’s hell of a trip musically and literally. David Michael Bunting aka David Tibet renamed “Tibet” by Genesis P-Orridge are what we usually called a weirdo. He took off from preoccupation with mysticism, mostly influenced by the works of Aleister Crowley and ended up stating that he now identifies himself as a Christian. Kind of backward trip of Crowley. 😀 Still, he kept in he’s project name the number “93”, number of great significance in Thelema, the religious philosophy founded by Crowley. (The central philosophy of Thelema is in two phrases from Liber AL: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” and “Love is the law, love under will.” The two primary terms in these statements are “Will” and “Love”, respectively. In the Greek language, they are Thelema (Will) and Agape (Love). Using the Greek technique of isopsephy, which applies a numerical value to letters, the letters of both of these words when added together equal 93). Read more Current 93 – HoneySuckle Aeons (2011)
Flaming Lips and Neon Indian (2011)
“Is David Bowie Dead?” (or “dying” – it’s still unclear…) it’s a huge song. It’s so David Bowie. 6 minutes and 45 seconds of pure stardust. I can play this single track for a whole day. At least. Maybe even backward. The over 8 minutes of “Alan’s Theremin” is more Neon Indian than Flaming Lips, it sounds like a psychedelic puzzle torn off from the 70s and striped to the bones now days. It’s like a carousel, floats and waving around. “You Don’t Respond” returns with a twisted guitar riff and gloomy electronics and sounds exactly like a broken answering machine. Finally “Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth Part 2” seems like a rehearsal recording, kind of “work in progress” stuff. And that’s all, this is the long expected collaborative project of Flaming Lips with Neon Indian, this 12″ EP. Read more Flaming Lips and Neon Indian (2011)
Boris – New Album (2011)
It’s pretty strange listening with one ear the loudspeaker and the new album by Boris and with one eye looking over the shoulder to the tv set, watching what’s going on in Japan, especially at the Fukushima Daiichi site. Boris planning to release three new albums this year, “New Album” was released on March 16, 2011, on CD through Tearbridge – an imprint of major label Avex, and on double LP through Daymare. The album is not planned to be released outside of Japan and the CD and LP feature different versions of several tracks. “Heavy Rocks” and “Attention Please” are expected to be released in April and on the same day. And all this after in January we had a nice piece of work, the collaboration between Boris with Merzbow and the brilliant album “Klatter”.
The fifteenth studio album by Boris contains 10 brand new songs and this Japanese guys know how to rock. Read more Boris – New Album (2011)
Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
A nice piece of post-rock/noise album from Belgium. Steak Number Eight was formed back in 2007 and won the local rock contest Westtalent. Only a few months later they became the youngest winners ever of the biggest Belgian rock contest, Humo’s Rock Rally (former winners: Deus, Goose, etc). After that they released their first demo album entitled “When The Candle Dies Out†in self-production. They played at the biggest Belgian festivals, a.o. Graspop Metal Meeting, Dour, Marktrock and also supported bands like Pelican, Torche, Deftones, etc. Planned to be released in the winter of 2010, “All in Chaos” is the new material of the band consist in 10 brand new contorted songs, and the album is produced by Matt Bayles (Isis, Neurosis, etc).
Brent Vanneste – vocals and guitar, Joris Casier – drums, Jesse Surmont – bass, and Cis Deman – guitar claim their roots in the sound of bands such Neurosis, Tool, Deftones, Pelican and Isis, and they managed to blend smoothly the dark and gloomy post-rock/noise elements – mostly very heavy and slow stuffs – with a few nice harmonies and calm moments. Read more Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
Julian Cope – The JEHOVACOAT Demos (2011)
Cope is one of the few – if not quit the only – British guy who took the path of Krautrock and 
mainly he’s “to blame” for popularizing this gender in UK not only by playing it, but also by his book “Krautrocksampler” (1995). I discovered Cope through his most popular album, “Peggy Suicide” (1991) with a major delay. But Cope is also famous for his prominent role in the Margaret Thatcher Poll Tax Riots, and not at least for his permanent struggle with the Record companies and the music industry, with those he referred to as “greedheads”.
“The JEHOVACOAT Demos”consist of 15 previously unreleased tracks and 5 previously unpublished poems from the Archdrude, all written and recorded throughout 1993 in direct response to having been dropped by Island Records. In the mid-1990s, Cope signed with Rick Rubin’s Def American label, releasing “Autogeddon” (1994) and “20 Mothers” (1995), but he was dropped by the label when he refused to visit the USA. So Cope released the next album, “Interpreter” through Echo Records (1996). Read more Julian Cope – The JEHOVACOAT Demos (2011)
