New Releases 8/28 - Flobots, Pandora Celtica, Shine

Flobots

The Circle In The Square

Label: Shanachie
Released: 8/28 2012
Genre: Hip Hop, Punk, Rap Rock

Flobots eschew traditional hip hop beats for punk, reggae, and rock rhythms. The lyrics are pure MC, with the exception of some chorus lines at least. And they make it work so much better than many acts that mix rapping and rock guitar.

The album is very politically and socially charged. The opening half is an unrelenting attack on the political condition, and what's been done about it, and socially conscious lyrics don't stop coming. In fact, there's very little else to this album beyond that. They manage to do it a little more tastefully than others, bringing up as much positive energy as negative insights. It's not just how bad things have gotten, it's how good we can make them. Which is a nice change, and brings the hip-hop back full circle to the socially aware lyrics that have been mostly missing for a long time now.

The one really non-political track, The Rose And The Thistle, is by far the best cut on the album. It's standard love song, without sounding creepy or stalkerish, with a chorus line that is superbly sung. While this is an album full of catchy lyrics, anthem shout outs and head bopping rhythms, it's that track that manages to ground it, pull it together and make it pop a little louder.

Pandora Celtica

Faerie Revel

Label: Self-Released (http://www.pandoraceltica.com)
Released: August 2012
Genre: A Cappella, Folk

Their fifth full length album, and they've come a long way. The production quality here is excellent. But the most striking part is that the group is growing in style, flair, and ability. The harmony here is the best I've heard them at on a recording.

The album is a combination of original songs and some rather good covers - Merle Travis' 16 Tons and Bob Dylan's Scarlet Town. Thus adding to my standing argument Bob Dylan is best done by other artists. The most unique song is either genius or proof they actually hate music (I'm still trying to decide) - an amazingly harmonic mash up of The Proclaimer's I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Chumbawumba's Tubthumping. An amazing trick, that, and very interesting to parse the lyrics together like that. Pretty much worth the price of entry for that alone, but there are 14 tracks total and none feel like a miss.

Shine

Broken Hours

Label: Self-Released (http://shinepop.bandcamp.com/)
Released: 6/21 2012
Genre: Synth-Pop, Electro

I'm not even honestly sure how I found this group, but it was hanging around my download folder waiting for me to notice it. Finally putting it on, I found a decent (not good, but decent), collection of harmless synth-pop. It occupies an emotional neutral zone.

The music is pretty simple, the lyrics not overly adventurous. But overall, it doesn't falter either. One of those albums that falls into the large middle ground of 'not bad'. The group formed in 2006, and have been performing since, but this is their first really effort at a release. It hints at some promising stuff in the future, as they're a technically competent duo with some good ideas. What they lack is a little bit of uniqueness, a punch that catapults them into something bigger, and more recognizable.

Week Of 7/3 - Symphonic Metal, A Capella, Hip-Hop, Clasical (Modern)

Late this week, due to a number of factors, partially just got overly busy and behind. Without any more fanfare:

New & Recent Releases:

Delain
We Are The Others
Label: Sesnory (Laser's Edge)
Released: 7/3 2012
Genre: Metal, Symphonic Metal

Symphonic Metal likes to the toe the line between the heavy thrash/death metal sounds and light classical sounds. Both Classical and Metal can be extremely hard sounding, between the crunch of guitars and the power of a good string section the blending is basically made for each other. Yet, most symphonic metal bands like to waffle back and forth, which is why I don't listen to much of it. Delain found a nice middle ground here, it doesn't swoop back and forth between the two, it blends them into a pretty cool middle ground - guitars and violins I'd guess (though the symphonic part is entirely electronic, organic sound though. Charlotte's voice is good, she doesn't soar into highs that usually make me roll my eyes - a rock voice instead of operatic one. And they very sparingly use male death-metal singing, another bonus. So, solid album, solid sounding band, good composition, and very listenable. I recommend it for rock and metal fans alike.

Murs w/ Foundation
Yumiko: Curse Of The Merch Girl
Label: self-released (http://www.devilsdue.net/yumiko/)
Released: July / Late June 2012
Genre: Hip-Hop

The album is a tag along to go with the 124 page graphic novel, and aren't available separately to my knowledge. Which isn't so bad, the graphic novel is decent enough, and helps explain the story in the songs in more detail. The concept is pretty simple: jilted love. The execution, musically, is pretty standard hip-hop fair, some of the language was a little more vulgar than I go in for, but not overly so.  It's a solid piece of production, and some pretty decent story telling through music.

Adding To The Archives:

The Bobs
I Brow Club
Label: Rounder Records
Released: 1997
Genre: A Capella, Pop

The Bobs have always been an interesting group to me. I think they're usually at their best doing A Cappella covers honestly, the I Brow Club confirms that a little bit. Not quite funny enough to get a chuckle, not quite serious enough for me to enjoy the harmonies. It's kind of musical humor gone wrong honestly. They certainly have some serious talent, always have. It just feels like they kind of ran out of ideas here. They have many better albums to choose from.

The Bobs
Plugged
Label: Rounder Records
Released: 1995
Genre: A Capella

Speaking of better albums, there's the previous release from them, Plugged. Which does include some accompaniment (in the form of toy drums) and voice effects (to get 'guitar' sounds). But the song selection is much better. This one sounds like a solid extension of the album before that, without retreading ground. This one is a genuinely fun album, and I definitely recommend finding it and picking it up if you like A Capella groups, or even if you don't this is a good place to start with on that front.

Hans Zimmer
Inception musical score
Label: Reprise Records
Released: 2010
Genre: modern classical, classical

Hans Zimmer knows soundscapes, and Inception is a movie built of big expansive ideas, and the music follows suit. I don't normally go in for musical scores to movies, if I want something ambient I know plenty of musicians who create ambient works not attached to specific imagery. But, we found this one on sale, and the sounds in the movie really are amazing. The soundtrack stands on its own quite nicely, everything here builds or works with tension of some kind. If you're a table top gamer (RPGs) then this is a great collection of sound to have on hand. It's good enough to put on and just listen through as well.

Next Week:
More classical (Beethoven), new music from Serj Tankian and Ego Likeness, and an old BT single I found in a bin looking for a home (ah, that old school rave music...)

Week OF 6/12 - Punk, A Cappella, Trip Hop, soundtracks

Many soundtracks are hard to classify properly, it can switch genres from song to song. You can do one of two things in a digital playlist, make the genre 'Soundtrack' (the more common option) or properly classify each song (what I do). This week is both Kill Bill soundtracks, along with a modern Torch Songs compilation I found crate digging at a tent-sale, and some other fun items....

New Releases:
Bouncing Souls
Comet
Label: Rise Records / Chunksaah Records
Released: 6/12 2012
Genre: Punk

Bouncing Souls are one of those bands I've always meant to buy an album from, but have never done so... for whatever reasons (or no reason, just is). So I changed that with their latest release. I'm a moderate fan of them, I've been kind of following them since the late 90s or so, enjoying what songs I do come across. Comet is pretty much exactly what I expected from this group, solid east coast punk - plenty of attitude, good melody. While nothing on the album makes me stand up and take notice in a "this is pure awesome" kind of way, I don't want to skip any tracks either. Good, solid, all around punk rock. I think I'll go pick up their back catalog now.

Adding To The Collection:

Pandora Celtica
On Thin Ice
Label: self-released
Released: 2010
Genre: A Cappella, Christmas

Christmas in June! The bonus here is that they don't just do the same 10 songs that are always done for a holiday album. Some strange bits like Santa Claus Got Eaten By The Kraken find their way in. An absolutely awesome cover of Hazy Shade Of Winter is here, turns out the song did need an a cappella version done. Along with some other Christmasy songs, or wintery as the case may be, good album to toss into the holiday pile to keep the mix actually mixed.

Kill Bill
Volume 1
Label: Maverick / A Band Apart
Released: 2004
Genre: soundtrack


Installment one of the movie soundtrack. Opening with Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) is a good choice I think, for the movie and soundtrack. There are some soundscore pieces here as well as songs from the movie. Along with some parts not in the movie like Ode To Oren Ishii which, well, should have been left off. There's all kinds of great mood pieces on here, as Tarantino really does have an ear for action and understands tension. Good movie, good soundtrack.

Kill Bill
Volume 2
Label: Maverick / A Band Apart
Released: 2004
Genre: soundtrack

Installment two... just as epic as the first. A few more audio bits from the movie, which is a few more than it needed. But it's also got Ennio Morricone on it, which means that track alone is worth the price of entry. Same deal as the first volume, soundscore pieces make the album. Another RZA track - this time hidden at the end of the album - really needed to be left off, especially as it completely ruins the outro beauty of the final song. There isn't as much to the second volume, but it's a perfect compliment to the first, and they should have just come together in one package.

Torch
A Six Degrees Collection Of Modern Torch Songs
Label: Six Degrees
Released: 2003
Genre: Trip Hop, Downtempo

I'm wasn't completely sure what I'd get when I saw the title of this one digging through boxes of used CDs during a local record store tent sale, and for a dollar I was completely willing to take the chance. Sadly, this is now out of print, but it's a good testament to early 2000s trip-hop. They all fall, more or less, into proper torch style, and include some choices I would't have thought would make torch songs. dZihan & Kamien, Snooze, and a remix by Nitin Sawhney. Though the last two are known for their downtempo mixes so that's not a total surprise.  It's a good collection, light, and full of unrequited love. If you run across it I recommend picking it up.

Next Week:
Several downtempo albums, some new Army Of The Universe, and Ayria, and a few other things I've found hiding in my stack of goodies pulled at random.

Week of 5/22 - Industrial, EBM, Downtempo, A Cappella

This week is coming around both sides of the spectrum - some very hard industrial and classic EBM sounds, and some very downtempo and A Cappella albums...

New & Recent Releases:

KMFDM
Amnesia
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: 5/22 2012
Genre: Industrial Rock, Industrial

Another year, another KMFDM remix single. This one, unlike some in the past, is closer to a single with only three remixes, an album track, and an unreleased track. Sascha himself takes a crack at the title track, rolling out the old "black man, white man, yellow man, rip the system" line from way way back in history. He does nothing for the track honestly, maybe makes it a little more old-school KMFDM if anything. Morlocks take a kick at Krank, putting their own unique twist on the track, making it a little bigger. And Rotersand takes Come On - Go Off and turn it into a massive monster of a club track. Those two mixes alone are worth the price of entry. The unreleased I (heart) You is, or I feel like it is, leftover from WTF?! that got cut from the album. A creepy little stalker song, honestly. Five tracks, a good size for KMFDM to work with, a good single that works well and KMFDM fans will be happy with it.


Angelspit
Sweet Chemical Boy
Label: self-released (http://www.angelspit.net)
Released: May 2012
Genre: Industrial, Electro

The album version (not appearing here) of Defibrillator is an oddly cheery little piece of dark work from Angelspit - one of my favorite electro-industrial-punk bands. They put out a contest for remixes of the song and put this 11-track free download remix album out for fans. Now this is exactly what a remix album should be, some of these are completely reconstructed mixes. While not every mix that deviates too far from the original is good (actually, there's a good bet it isn't) anyone who can be really clever with it can go miles. Notably two mixes from Haru Yasumi go that extra mile to really make interesting break downs, one involves a piano. It gets turned into a bit-core song, a club hit, and some interesting takes on the song. As a band that prides itself on deconstructing, and then reconstructing into something new, they pulled out a collection of remixes that fit that ethos nicely. Eleven songs in a row is a bit tedious, so this is best tossed into a big play list.

Wind Down
Label: EMI Special Markets / Starbucks
Released: Spring 2012
Genre: Downtempo, Ambient, Trip-Hop

A mix the wife picked up somewhen along the way, a collection of light ambient and trip-hop songs from a fairly wide selection. Frou Frou, Alif Tree, Ennio Morricone, Groove Armada, Minus 8, Tosca, Slackwax, Thievery Corporation, Moby, Boozoo Bajou, Moodorama, Propellerheads. With the exception of the Moby track (Natural Blues), they went out of the way to go a little further and a little deeper into these artists. Coming out with, as the title and back blurb promise, a softer, slower, collection of songs that fit well together for an album to wind down to. There's nothing exclusive here though, so if you're into the style of music already, chances are you could put together something similar if not exactly this.

Adding To The Collection:

Nitzer Ebb
Industrial Complex
Label: Alpha Matrix
Released: 2010
Genre: EBM, Industrial

After fifteen years Nitzer Ebb put out a new studio album (Body Of Work, which I had picked up immediately was really a big best-of). I saw this come out, and skipped it for a while, finally I really did have to go and see if Nitzer Ebb had anything else to say. They do, Industrial Complex feels like it picks up right where Big Hit left off, actually it goes a little further and feels like it bridges the gap between Ebbhead and Big Hit. The more complex song writing with the occasional foray into that heavy-beat hard-rhythm from their very early stuff.

Pandora Celtica
Out Of The Box!
Label: self-released (http://www.pandoraceltica.com)
Released: 2010
Genre: A Cappella

Two versions of this album were actually loaded up this week. The normal and Special Edition. More tales of the wee folk and faerie and all that, some sea chanties, and tavern tunes. The regular album is good, keeps things moving, the group here has some amazing chemistry together. No one steps on each other, all five harmonize excellently. The special edition has a few extra tracks, and lots of banter, I think many of the tracks are either unmixed versions or outtakes. It's actually the less interesting of the two - get the regular edition unless you like recording room banter. I always like to see how an independent bands sounds on a recording, sometimes these things are done in a bedroom and you can hear traffic in the background. This wasn't, mixed clear, produced cleanly, and let's the bands voices come across beautifully. The only A Cappella group I follow with any seriousness.

Bonus Track:
Army Of The Universe
I (Heart) You (Remix)
Free from KMFDM.net
Along with the five track single, one more remix was dropped. Don't know if it was intended for the album and missed a deadline, or if this was an after the fact remix, but it's officially endorsed by KMFDM and given away on their website. It's a nice big remix of the new I (heart) You song. Everything AOU does makes me fall in love with them more. Get the single, get the remix, and buy the studio album from both bands.

Next Week:
The Shins, I explore the other half of the Broken Bells duo and his rock band. The Rough guide to Celtic Women with a bonus album. The new issue of two previously Japanese only singles from Burial. And the soundtrack to Diablo 3. Listen Hard!

Week of 4/17 - Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Gothic Rock, Trip-Hop, A Cappella

This week I rock out in various levels of loudness...

New and Recent Releases:

Hydrogyn
Private Sessions
Label: Rapid Fire Global Music
Released: 4/17 2012
Genre: Hard Rock

Latest release from the mid-west hard rockers, this album isn't quite a hard as some previous efforts, there's less thrash elements in it. Which isn't to say it's gone soft rock, it's still a solid piece of hard rock, almost metal in some cases. Julie's voice continues to be top-notch in the genre, very few singers match her pure-rock voice. Definitely a vocalist that comfortable in the genre, keeping it all on track. The special bonus-release comes with a hidden cover of Heaven's On Fire, a great cover that shows Hydrogyn have the ability to keep true to a cover and still add their own signature. I love the energy in their songs, definitely one of the better hard-rock acts (with male or female vocals) on the scene today. A pure no-holds-barred take on rock'n'roll.

Primal Rock Rebellion
Awoken Broken
Label: Spinefarm Records
Released: 4/17 2012 (US) (March 2012 in Europe)
Genre: Heavy Metal

I actually had this one for a little bit, picking it up upon release in Europe direct from What Records, but held onto it waiting for the US debut. Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith (one of my favorite bands ever) and Bassist/Vocalist Mikee Goodman of Sikth (a band I don't like at all) teamed up to produce this... And I can't tell if it's genius or trash, or maybe a little of both. The music is awesome, Adrian and Mikee make an awesome team with their respective instruments. From that point of view the album is a monster of ingenuity and power. It's Mikee's vocals that drive me a little crazy. He's actually a pretty good singer - he just can't settle on a style, either singing, screaming, shouting, growling, or whatever, every song changes up way too often. Which is what eventually drags this album down a little bit into the mud. Were it not for that, this would easily be one of the better modern metal albums I've heard.

Hydrogen Skyline
Echoes In Retrospect
Label: self-released (www.hydrogenskyline.com)
Released: Early 2012
Genre: Gothic Rock, Ethereal

Debut full album from the Colorado based group, it's very light and airy, almost. They don't forget the importance of a good fuzzy guitar in rock, but it's definitely the lighter side of Gothic Rock, less punk-rock loud and more Bauhaus ephemeral. Like taking the best of the 80s batcave scene and mixing it with the best of the 90s electronic-goth scene. Like the single, I'm deeply reminded of Sky Cries Mary, which is a nice thing, rarely does anyone capture that mix of heavy and soft like Hydrogen Skyline have here. Warning though, if you listen to this while tired the lead vocals will put you right to sleep, her voice is smooth and clear, making it over the music without shouting at you. I definitely hope they continue down this road in the future.

Adding To The Collection:

Hungry Lucy
To Kill A King
Label: Alfa-Matrix
Released: 2005
Genre: Trip-Hop, Darkwave

Most of my exposure to Hungry Lucy was off this album, so I figured I'd start here now that I've gotten around to actually adding albums to my collection (also conveniently their debut album). I am not disappointed with a full album of listening, very dark and sensual. Crista Belle's vocal style manages to be clear and loud while still feeling soft and intimate - a testament to production quality as well as her singing. Blending late 90s Trip-Hop styles with Goth/Darkwave environments has created an amazing collection of songs. The album itself tells a, more or less, complete narrative story, and blends so well that I'll often forget to differentiate songs while listening.

Pandora Celtica
Dog Party (In The Key Of Swinging Cats)
Label: self-released (www.pandoraceltica.com)
Released: 2009
Genre: A Cappella

The debut release from PC, you can tell that by the time they got into a studio they'd be singing together a decent amount of time. A collection of sea chanties and battle songs, not a surprising move there. One thing I really like about Pandora Celtica is the harmony. No one voice runs away with a song, leaving the others to the background. Too many A Cappella groups feel the need for a lead-vocal and the vocal-band behind them. A good group is a fully harmonized collection - and that's what this group is. The subject matter, though, is a bit specialized to filking, theme parties and conventions, which is not a bad thing at all. It's just not an album to just put on in the background, unless you're into into that, then it is.

Next Week:
I've loaded up a massive 61-track compilation in the genre of "kitchen sink" (little bit of everything), as such I've only added the weeks new release - some very... well, different hip-hop, and an Industrial EP from last month I almost forgot I downloaded.

Week Of 4/3 - Bassa Nova, Industrial, EBM, Modern Classical, Gothic Rock, A Cappella

Tried to get in a decent mix this week, finding some off the path stuff...

New Releases:
Céu
Caravana Sereia Bloom
Label: Six Degrees Records
Released: 4/3 2012
Genre: Bassa Nova, Pop

Céu does has a nice, smooth, and quiet voice, very jazz in style, and nicely un-american in sensibility. The Bassanova rhythms with a pop-music overlay is a nice combination. The album itself is, as I found out, really good on a warm spring morning, driving around, or walking. Relaxing, soft without being too slow or quiet. The native Brazilian music is not, to my happiness, not even remotely tinged with any kind of standard US overproduction, I hope she stays on the Six Degrees label and keeps her music decidedly Brazilian. The Bossa Nova sound does have some minor pop-style undercurrents, but are closer to a Latin-Jazz sound than a pop-music sound overall. Overall, good, relaxing music to sit back and enjoy.

 Recently Released:

Everything Goes Cold
The Tyrant Sun
Label: Metropolis Records
Released: March 2012
Genre: Industrial, EBM

A mostly-remix EP from EGC, it's full of the kind of hard club-styled industrial that I enjoy. Aggressive, loud, and thumpy. At least one of the remixes is all dubstepped out with wobbly bass, but not so much that it loses the industrial style behind it. Their first release on Metropolis is an appropriately loud piece of work - definitely worth tracking down and forcing your favorite record store to order for you.

Unwoman
Infinitesimal
Label: Self-Released (www.unwoman.com)
Released: March 2012
Genre: Modern Classical, Ambient

This is a collection of very old work from around 1999, finally seeing the light of day - limited to 50 hard copies, it's primarily a digital release. The liner notes request to take the work seriously, as it was recorded with that intent. There's also an apology for the quality of some of the production, due to limited experience and equipment at the time. Honestly, there isn't that much to overlook and excuse, it has decent production quality - better than some music with more resources. Overall, it's a nice collection for fans to have of early work - the only song I actively don't like is Lament For Peter Pan which is an almost 13-minute epic piece of work that, quite honestly, horrible.But, against the backdrop of the rest of the works, it just quietly slips under the water and drowns in some really nice music. Best for fans or anyone whose interested in the journey a musician takes from early steps to a more practiced refinement.

Adding To The Collection:

Hydrogen Skyline
Index_Zero
Label: Self-Released (www.hydrogenskyline.com)
Released: 2011
Genre: Gothic Rock

So, I picked this up at Anomaly-Con, a local Steampunk convention here in Denver. It's only a 2-track single (I have the full album release that I'll be reviewing in the near future), so a good introduction to the band. Both tracks are on the less-rock, lighter side, of the gothic-rock coin - though I'm not sure the band fully intends to land in that genre. Still, it's good. They remind me a great deal of Sky Cries Mary, without being derivative, more a feeling of the same audio-space, which I enjoy. Slow rhythms, no one instrument - not even the vocals - really takes the front, all of it mixed together in an smooth ethereal sound.

Morlocks
The Outlaw Of Fives
Label: Non Aligned Media
Released: 2011
Genre: Industrial, Gothic Rock

This... well, this is this weeks gem. I'm actually having a hard time accurately describing the whole endeavor. Take elements of Gothic-rock, industrial, symphonic metal, synth-pop, and punk, then mix liberally in a blender, serve over ice. They like multiple change-ups during a song, and it manages to fit and work. It's all a little ridiculous too, and still it works. While I like them best on the really fast, energetic, tracks, the slower ones are interesting, making heavy use of harmony vocals and string elements. The album is a kind of epic on a scale you don't see very often, and manages to carry itself through with it all the way to the end. Absolutely worth tracking down and getting (the digital version is available on Amazon and iTunes, the CD copy is available easily through the KMFDM online store).

Pandora Celtica
F'n Sharp!
Label: Self-Released (www.pandoraceltica.com)
Released: 2010
Genre: A Cappella

Another band I picked up at Anomaly-Con - an a cappella group that, on this album, mostly sings chanties, though a few other songs mix in. They certainly sing well together, and harmonize nicely, nothing sounds out of place nor does one voice constantly rise above the rest. This is their second album and you can hear that the group here (this isn't the current line-up) works really well together. The one thing about many A Cappella groups I pick up is that there's always something that prevents me from just putting an album on all the way through - which I didn't find here. A good interesting find outside the norm of the general music collective.

Next Week:
The latest Bassnectar thumps my speakers. More industrial (isn't there always...). I discover a musical genre completely new to me - Fado, a native Portuguese style. And some ethereal gothic-rock stuff from a former KMFDM band member. Listen Hard!