EarthBound, known in Japan as Mother, is a role-playing video game series created by Shigesato Itoi for Nintendo. The series started in 1989 with the Japan-only release of Mother (planned to be released in North America as “Earth Bound”) for the Famicom, and was then followed up by a sequel, released in North America as EarthBound for the Super NES in 1995, and followed up again 12 years later with the Japan only release of Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance in 2006. Itoi stated in an interview that the name “Mother” was greatly influenced by the John Lennon song “Mother”.
About the EarthBound trio it was damn difficult to dig out useful informations, although I find them on Facebook, Bandcamp, Soundcloud and YouTube. It seems they are an Australian band and probably “The Tales of EarthBound” it’s their debut album, as they declare, “a conceptual journey through a mystical musical land called Cleftopia.” Actually, this is a simultaneously familiar and refreshing adventure around several very famous and recognizable rock themes with a great combination of rock, funk, jazz and blues elements. Incredible talented musicians, great instrumentalists. All of them.
Joe Jeremiah – Keys, Jon “Oshy” Ooi – Drums and Jonathan “Menjeed” Mengede – Bass manage to twist in and out and back again some great themes and tied up together several different songs and at the bottom line it’s sound brand new, fresh and their own. Some things were out of my knowledge, I wasn’t able to identify precisely the source, but almost every passage sounded familiar. I’m still thinking of “Simple Bloom” and its tango flavoured aroma. Read more EarthBound – The Tales of EarthBound (2013)
Reviews
Jimi Hendrix – People, Hell and Angels (2013)
Although Hendrix died pretty young, at age 27, on September 18, 1970) and he only released three studio albums (the 1967’s “Are You Experienced”, the 1967’s “Axis: Bold as Love” and his seminal 1968’s “Electric Ladyland”), he managed the unequalable performance to release 12 posthumous albums. Not bad for a dead guy and those who are still earning big bucks by exploited his inheritance.
But while the so-called tasteless whatever called music these days it’s not even boring anymore, but directly annoying, listening Hendrix again made me feel better and enjoying turning the levels up on my loudspeaker. And honestly, it’s been a while since I actually enjoyed something released nowadays…
The tracks featured on “People, Hell & Angels” are previously unreleased recordings of songs that Jimi Hendrix and fellow band members – mainly the Band of Gypsys lineup featuring Billy Cox and Buddy Miles – were working on as the follow-up to “Electric Ladyland”, tentatively titled “First Rays of the New Rising Sun”. The majority of the recordings are drawn from sessions in 1968 and ’69 at the Record Plant Studios in New York, with a few inclusions from Hendrix’s brief residencies at Sound Centre, the Hit Factory, and his own Electric Lady Studios.
According to Eddie Kramer, the engineer who recorded most of Hendrix’s music during his lifetime, this will be the last Hendrix album to feature unreleased studio material. Kramer said that several as-yet-unreleased live recordings would be available in the coming years. I’m pretty sure, the greed will bring to the surface a few more “lost” recordings and we will have at least a couple of new recordings in the following years, but if those recordings will be just as good as this one, I do not mind! Read more Jimi Hendrix – People, Hell and Angels (2013)
I Used To Be A Sparrow – You Are An Empty Artist (2013)
From Västerås, Sweden, I Used To Be A Sparrow are back with their second full-length album and they gonna take you in their clear-obscure dream world made up of indie rock shreddings, shoegazer flavoured epic and bitter-sweet escapades and dream-pop hooks. Scandinavian quality, hypnotic and melodious, simple and smart, soulful, but simultaneously efficient.
The duo of Dick Pettersson and Andrea Caccese find their own path drawing inspiration from quite different bands such as Explosions in The Sky, Minus The Bear, Mew, Pedro The Lion, Last Days of April, Kent, Coldplay, Radiohead, The Ataris, The Beatles, Angels and Airwaves, Thrice, Anberlin, Tom Waits, Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fifghters, The Chariot, Kent; Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Built to Spill, This will destroy you; …And you will know us by the trail of death, Japandroids, Minor Threat, The Replacements, Slipknot, And you will know us by the trail of death, Lucero, Ramones, Bon Iver, Tallhart, The Gaslight Anthem, etc. Read more I Used To Be A Sparrow – You Are An Empty Artist (2013)
Terra Tenebrosa – The Purging (2013)
Dark metal could not get darker and further into the hidden and tenebrous conscience and sub-conscience of the sick and twisted human soul and mind.
“The Purging” continues where the critically acclaimed and Manifest Award nominated debut album, “The Tunnels” left off in 2011. Eventually this is going more wicked and gloomy that its predecessor.
Terra Tenebrosa it’s definitively one of the most experimental and most bold metal acts of Sweden, but also one of the most interesting avant-garde acts that pushing the envelope and widening the horizon. Not an easy listening, not really friendly and definitively not for everybody, but once you get into the atmosphere of it, reveals unexpected dimensions and colors. Read more Terra Tenebrosa – The Purging (2013)
Miranda – Asylum: Brain Check After Dinner (2013)
If you’re into the wildest Sonic Youth like rock experiments and generally, into borderless, adventurous, noisy and raw, garage rooted rock with additional contorted electronic layers, Miranda is exactly the kind of “girl” you’re looking for. Really “kinky” stuff for your ears.
Miranda is a three piece band from the south of Italy (calabria and Puglia), but they relocated in Florence, Italy, since 1999. Piero Carafa playes bass, Giuseppe Caputo guitar, voice, synth and sampler, while Nicola Villani drum, electr. drum and synth.
During the several years of activity they’ve run different musical directions. Miranda’s artistic vision has been described “radical and broadminded, disaggregated and oblique, their attitude mocking and alienated” (Blowup Magazine 2006).
They’ve released 2 albums on fromScratch (Inside the whale, 2003, and Rectal exploration 2006) and a split CD with the Canadian band Creeping Nobodies. Defined “one of the most interesting Italian underground bands” (Rumore Magazine, nov. ’07) they’re becoming a cult band of the no wave scene, thanks to their incendiary shows and to their personal and uncompromising research constantly carried on. Read more Miranda – Asylum: Brain Check After Dinner (2013)
David Bowie – The Next Day (2013)
Everybody’s praise Bowie and his brand new “The Next Day” album, which comes after a heart attack and a serious 10 years gap. The 66 year old Bowie announced the release of his new album at his 66 birthday.
True, between the fabulous 2003’s “Reality” and this brand new album we had “Toy”, in March 2011, Bowie’s previously unreleased album from 2001 (another 10 years gap fulfilled), which leaked onto the internet, containing material used for “Heathen” and most of its single B-sides, but, that was just a bitter-sweet delicatessen for inpatient fans and “pour le connaisseur”, isn’t it?
The cover for “The Next Day” was designed by Jonathan Barnbrook, and it plays on the iconic cover of 1977’s “Heroes” – witch was the second installment of his Berlin Trilogy with Brian Eno, while the cover photo was shot by Masayoshi Sukita. And somehow “The Next Day” it’s a trip back to Berlin, a journey in the search of lost (and eventually find) love, soul, spirit or anything else. Or a seek and hide with Mr. Death. But the first released single, “Where Are We Now?” take us back to Berlin literally and emotionally. So, Ziggy Stardust is back and he’s gonna eat your heart out! Read more David Bowie – The Next Day (2013)
Thot – Rhythm.Hope.Answers – single (2013)
Thot are back. “Rhythm.Hope.Answers.” it’s their brand new single, available even for free download (name your price), but any donation will be appreciate it and re-invested in the music production of their upcoming new album.
Grégoire Fray, the brain and conductor of this self-declared Vegetal Noise Machine are here to give us a wake-up call while this world seems to sink in its own filth and hypocrisy. Still, can turn around and look the other way, but that wont change a thing. And well, you will not be able to change the world if you refuse to make some changes in your life and you are not willing to get involved in the things that going around. Not your problem? Seriously? Read more Thot – Rhythm.Hope.Answers – single (2013)
Sky Burns Red – Who Are You, EP (2013)
Somewhere between the classy and powerful, genuine Brit rock of John Waite (The Babys/Bad English) and the groove oriented, grungier Indie rock in the vein of Kings of Leon or OK Go, it’s Sky Burns Red, a promising young band from U.K.
From the deepest depths of the Swindon music scene surfaces SkyBurnsRed, an eclectic rock band with a orchestral twist. Although guitar and violin would rarely associate under normal circumstances, the haunting tones of the classical instrument become electrified and entangled in the heavy rock foundations creating the bands striking sound. Read more Sky Burns Red – Who Are You, EP (2013)
Fragment – Temporary Enlightenment (2013)
Merging shoegaze flavoured gloominess and endless distorted guitar chords; slow pulsing electronic layers and bitter sweet clean vocals; cinematic tension and mechanical monotony; Thierry Arnal, the one-man army behind Fragment, is back with his new album entitled “Temporary Enlightenment”. This is a quite dizzy mixture of alternative rock and drone, post-modern psychedelia and slowcore, dream-pop and shoegaze, a bridge build of sound and noises, but on solid emotional pillars, between Sunn O)))) and Sigur Rós, between Pink Floyd and Candlemass, and everything ever-after and above.
Not an easy listening, not refreshing, probably not gonna make you feel better or released, but it’s gonna make you feel miserable and eventually make you cry, but that’s alright. Crying it’s not something you should be ashamed of. And “Temporary Enlightenment” have several quieter, less weighty and depressing moments as well (like the nice acoustic “From This Moment”), so, no need to be desperate, there is still a pale stain of hope. Read more Fragment – Temporary Enlightenment (2013)
ZEUS! – Opera (2013)
Luca Cavina (Calibro 35, Craxi, Incident on South Street) : distorted Bass and Vocals and Paolo Mongardi (Fuzz Orchestra, Ronin, FulKanelli, ex-Jennifer Gentle) : distorted Drums, started this project in October 2010, aiming at “using the minimum in order to get the maximum and is: not metal, not punk, not math, not noise, not prog, absolutely not jazz-core, neither post-whatever” – as they firmly declared.
Althrough this is a quite rough and tumultous adventure out of most people’s musical and lyrical comfort zone, this is definitively a genuine and creative act of art, something actually (and unfortunately) damn rare these days. Read more ZEUS! – Opera (2013)
