Black Space Riders “Amoretum Vol. 1” Album Review + Stream + Videos + Lyrics

Written by

BLACK SPACE RIDERS

AMORETUM Vol.1 – Vinyl // CD // DD

Self Released – January 26, 2018

Reviewed By Terry “The Ancient One” Cuyler

***The Riders Mount Up Again***

 

Line Up:
JE (VOX, Guitars)
SLI (Guitars)
MEI (Bass)
C.RIP (Drums)
SEB (VOX)

Previous Releases:
2010 – S/T Black Space Riders,
2012 – Lights In the New Black,
2014 – D:REI,
2015 – Refugeeum
2016 – Beyond Refugeem

Musical Influences:
Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, The Chameleons, David Bowie, Bauhaus, Tom Waits, Slayer, Motorpsycho

Hello once again friends, this is The Ancient One and today I’d like to tell you about some out of this world music by a Quintet of space rockers from Münster, Germany called the Black Space Riders. In 2008 founding members JE, SLI, SAQ and C.RIP sought to give the music world music that could truly be called PSYCHEDELIC SPACE ROCK and created what they call a “NEW WAVE of HEAVY PSYCHEDELIC SPACE ROCK”. After listening to their current Album AMORETUM Vol. 1 released January 26th, 2018 and  with their past releases I gotta say the band and their style of rock are aptly named.

What I enjoy most about the music is the detached far away sound. To create their take on the psychedelic space rock sound Black Space Riders seems to have combined desert rock, electronic music, a bit of 80’s new wave and some Post Punk with powerful vocals with anthem-like lyrics on the 2 most recent albums. If I were to compare them to anyone I’d say that I’m often reminded of Pink Floyd, and David Bowie with a harder edge.

Live Band Pic

When I first gave AMORETUM Vol. 1 a spin I was really not impressed with the first song however what followed changed my mind as I quickly realized Lovely Lovelie was a cornerstone for the rest of the album to be built on to give the listener a good starting point. It’s also a play on words.  Lovely Lovelie – Lovely Love Lie get it. I didn’t because maybe I am a Doofus. Also its not a single song in a collection of songs that are put together simply because the sound fits with the occasional filler song to make the album longer. Rather its part of an album with a theme created by Black Space Riders. Although theme albums are nothing new to me, Black Space Riders may quite possibly have delivered a Magnum Opus with this one!

Refusing to be swallowed by the darkness AMORETUM  Vol. 1 is the  follow up to their July 2015 album “REFUGEEUM” that came out when it seemed the world had gone mad with fear and hate in Europe. Continuing to rage against that darkness  with in us all Black Space Riders have mounted up and released AMORETUM  Vol. 1 which is about conflict and seeks to inspire us to overcome our dark side. Specifically the conflicts between fear, hate, and rejection, darkness on the one hand, and love, empathy, and care light on the other. This album and band seem to be very relevant with acute razor-like lyrics that seek for positivity and rejecting hate…universally!!  The superb musicianship by these veteran rockers shine with each new release and is again evident with Amoretum Vol. 1

Rather than bore you all to death with a track by track description of all the songs I am going to provide you links to my favorites on YouTube and  Bandcamp and let you decide for yourselves.

 

Track Listing with Lyrics

 

LOVELY LOVELIE

Get back to your beds, hide in your hole

You lovers collapse while facing your fall

A paradise will no longer exist,

peace and love can no longer resist

Erupting fear breaking the wall

Lovely lovelie

Our garden, destroyed, taken by storm

We‘re bringing the harm, the hideous swarm

A love so deep, now determined to die,

wrapped and muffled by hate

Get back to your beds, here comes the storm

Lovely lovelie

Get back to your beds, hide in your hole

A love so deep, now determined to fall

Get back to your beds, facing your fall

Erupting fear tearing down every wall

Get back to your beds, hide in your …

Lovely lovelie

Lovely, lovely lie …

Another Sort of Homecoming

The times were terrifying

and coldness wrapped me up

I‘d been sent to see, to seek, to save

A long way to the top

How they turned their lives

into a mellow mass:

how they shed their feelings and their souls

forgot about the past

So, day by day

I denied my moaning heart

and repelled temptation, brave and strong,

to join and fall apart

Now it‘s time to change

My longing growing strong

Leave this place and coming home again

is what I really want

GO! Time to return to my ground

GO! I have to leave these souls I found

GO! Time to rest under the shield

GO! Energy!

Another sort of coming home

 

Live Band Pic 2

SOUL SHELTER (Inside Of Me)

Bringing back the sunshine

Remembering the light

A place attacked from outside

I keep this place inside

Inside of me, inside of me

Garden of completeness

A warm and tender light

A place attacked by darkness

Don‘t hide this place inside

Soul Shelter – Inside of me, inside of me

Soul Shelter – Inside of me, inside of you

Silent is the inside

All quiet now and clear

Knocking from the outside:

denial, hate and fear

Soul Shelter – Inside of me, inside of me

Soul Shelter – Inside of me, inside of you

 

MOVEMENTS

Just a glimpse of something lost,

flickering in my mind

Like a memory from the past, echoing

Ground control, lost control, no control

In a place where I belonged:

echoes from the past

In a time I called my home, wandering

Ground control, lost control, no control

How I missed the ones I loved,

moments passing by

Still I‘m waiting for the call, remembering

Ground control, lost control, no control

Movements

Comes a time, comes a time of reunion

Comes a place, comes a place of communion

Comes a time, comes a time of affection

Comes a place, comes a place of attraction

Comes a time, comes a time when we meet again

Comes a place, comes a place where we meet again

Comes a time, comes a time when we love again

Comes a place, comes a place where we live again

Stop and rest – consider and remember

Stop the quest – rethink and now remember

Rest, remain – and realize amazing

grace, retain – the echoes of your living

Go and see – now realize the beauty

Go and turn – now realize the grace

Go, return – get hold of all the beauty

Go and feel – compassion to embrace

Movements

Comes a time, comes a time when we meet again

Comes a time of reunion

Comes a place, comes a place where we meet again

Comes a place of communion

Comes a time, comes a time when we love again

Comes a time of affection

Comes a place, comes a place where we live again

Comes a place of attraction

Realize the grace

Realize the beauty now

Echoes from the past

Passion to embrace

Movements

 

COME AND FOLLOW

Follow me, take my hand

Don‘t look back, just trust my way

Follow me, leave this place

I will take you far away

Watch my shades: familiar shape

with sweetest taste of the unknown

Bite into tender doom

Worship and adore my throne

Beautiful but treacherous

Rotten to the bone

Serpentine but sensual

A queen of hearts dethroned

Now you love, now you know:

adoration brings the light

Idolize, now you‘re lost

I take you to the other side

Beautiful but treacherous

Rotten to the bone

Serpentine but sensual

A queen of hearts dethroned

Come on follow me into the darkness

Come and follow me, follow my love

Come on follow me, beauty is transforming

Come on follow me into the dark

 

FRIENDS ARE FALLING 

Open your arms after closing your thinking for ages

Missing the trust that you lost on your way to the stars

Fighting the hating has taught you to hate for ages

Remind you your mission was based on a vision of love

Open your mind to the memory of love and affection

Missing your friends who vanished while you‘ve been

away

Yearning for turning to someone so close and familiar

Remind you your mission was based on a vision of faith

Falling, friends are falling

Falling and lost in a vision of trust

Falling but lost in my vision of trust

Open your heart to some gratitude,

kindness and friendship

Empathy melting the ice that‘s enclosing your soul

Yearning for turning to someone so close and devoted

Remind you your mission was based on a vision of trust

Falling, friends are falling

Falling and lost in a vision of trust

A vision of love and a vision of trust

Open your heart after closing your spirit for ages

Missing the feelings you lost on your way to the stars

Fighting the hating has taught you to hate for ages

Remind you your mission was based on a vision of love

Falling, friends are falling

Falling but lost in a vision of trust

My vision of faith and my vision of trust

Falling but lost in my vision of trust

Falling for ages, falling from the stars

 

FIRE! FIRE! (Death Of A Giant)

Facing the past, deeply crooked for ages

Annual rings of a life, witnessing hope

Murder and death, lovers and birth, closely entwined

The battle of darkness and light, observer of life

Here on the hill, bound in hostile surroundings

Cracks in the bleeding wood: scars and remains

Here all alone, shelter and symbol of freedom:

a giant, so massive and old: gentle but strong

Tearing down to the ground

Burning heat, smoking coal

Fire! Fire!

Burning down to the ground

Timber heart, holy wood

Fire! Fire!

Facing the day, changing the soul of perception

Father of life, father of fire and death

Cold is the night , warm is the shine of the torch

Now and forever: deep is the heart of the flame

Tearing down to the ground

Burning heat, smoking coal

Fire! Fire!

Burning down to the ground

Timber heart, holy wood

Fire! Fire!

 

FELLOW PEACEMAKERS

 Will she find, will she find, will she find?

Withered blossoms falling down to earth

All she left alone

Nothing else than footprints of the years

before they reached her home

Will she find, will she find, will she find?

Looking back: she missed her final choice

Mandatory hate

Where’s the place? Now listening to her heart

Hope it‘s not too late

Start a new world, so far up above

Waiting to return

Gathering the troops of heart and soul

Sowing seeds of love

And she will find her way!

Will she find, will she find, will she find?

Will she find, will she find, will she find:

fellow peacemakers?

She will find, she will find, she will find:

fellow peacemakers!

We will find, we will find, we will find:

fellow peacemakers!

Black Space Riders Live

Live Band Pic 3

Wolf Parade “Cry, Cry, Cry” Album Review + Stream…

Written by

Wolf Parade

Cry, Cry, Cry – Vinyl // CD // Cassette Tape // DD

Sub Pop Records – released October 6, 2017

Reviewed by Zachary “+Norway+” Turner

Lineup:
Arlen Thompson – Drums
Dante DeCaro – Bass
Dan Boeckner – Guitar, Vocals
Spencer Krug – Keyboard, vocals

 

Previous Releases:
(2003) Self-released:  4 Song EP
(2004) Self-released: 6 Song EP
(2005) Sub Pop Records: Self Titled EP
(2005) Sup Pop: Apologies to the Queen Mary
(2008) Sup Pop: At Mount Zoomer 
(2010) Sub Pop:  Expo 86
(2016) Sub Pop: Apologies To the Queen Mary – Reissue // Deluxe Edition

 

Tracklist:
Lazarus Online 03:25
You’re Dreaming 03:39
Valley Boy 03:38
Incantation 04:22
Flies on the Sun 03:42
Baby Blue 06:00
Weaponized 06:39
Who Are Ya 03:43
Am I an Alien Here 03:36
Artificial Life 03:48
King of Piss and Paper 04:47

 

 

A Little History and Review:

Wolf Parade are an Indie Rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They formed in April of 2003 by Spencer Krug and original was a two piece with Dan Boeckner and a drum machine. Later Arlen Thompson joined and “the newly formed trio rehearsed as a full band only the day before their first show. During the tour, Wolf Parade recorded and released their self-titled debut EP.” In September, Hadji Bakara joined as the keyboardist. A year later “the band traveled to Portland, Oregon to record with Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock. Brock had recently signed the band to Sub Pop when he was an A&R man for the label at the time.”  There is surprise that Wolf Parade’s early work is heavily influenced by Isaac and the crew over at Modest Mouse.  The similarities still exist with “Cry, Cry, Cry” to a lesser extent as each band stands firmly on their own footing well enough!!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This is Wolf Parade’s first release in seven years. In 2011 the band announced they were going into an indefinite hiatus, but in early 2016 they were back together and expecting to record another album. (More info on the Bandcamp page for the album)

At moments it sounds like Spencer sounds like Singer/Songwriter Pete Yorn. The music itself is very 90’s Indie Rock with 80’s influenced synth parts. Kind of like the early era of The Flaming Lips and the aforementioned Modest Mouse.

The sound is warm when the synths are present otherwise it sounds like garage rock with an indie flavor. The instrumentation varies as the songs progress, there are elements of many sub-genres like post punk, garage rock, indie rock, some pop and others. That is why there are such a strange mix of influences/sounds kind of like… There are also influences R.E.M. or even The Violent Femmes. At moments they sound kind of like Ours or even a more poppy Muse. The album almost sounds like it belongs in a 90s coming of age film (calling Molly Ringwald!)

Track-by-Track:

Lazarus Online – As an opening track it introduction to what part of the album has in store. The vocal style is introduced and he doesn’t stray too far from it throughout the album. There are some synths and keyboard parts but they do not dominate much. It is mostly a new Radio Rock track.

You’re Dreaming – This track introduces the other part of what you will hear, upbeat repetitive synth parts and almost Pop sounding tracks. The music is very patterned; there are some vocals then the synth comes back and then vocals again. The way the vocals are processed makes it seem very dream like. It isn’t a bad thing, it just makes the song seem like it does come from a different place.

Valley Boy – This is a track that has a wall of sound with the vocals almost inaudible when the other’s instruments are playing. But there are parts where there is no music and brief moments of only vocals which is helpful. Going back to that “sounds like it’s from a movie” thing, this sounds like it would go after a scene of a friend moving away and then coming back and talking to someone they left behind.

Incantation – This song’s style goes back to what the first song set up. It has a sing along feel, not like a kid’s song, but one you sing to in the car when it comes on the radio. It is a night driving song. (Mainly because it has a distant feel and keeps focus but also distracts a little bit.)

Flies on the Sun – This song almost sounds like a Fuel song. It is a slow, get your lighters out type of song. It sounds like a song that would play after an emotional fight in this imaginary film that happened in my head while I listened to the album.

Baby Blue – After the almost Foreplay (an intro by Boston) sounding intro we go back to the Pete Yorn and Fuel sounding song that is the majority of the album. This track also adds a faster paced back end that is almost like Incantation.

Weaponized – This track is the closest to the first track. It also has an almost dance beat to the drumming until halfway through when it turns to just voice and piano. Then it slowly builds back up to the dancing beat.

Who Are Ya – Who Are Ya is a strange song compared to the rest of this album. It has a very familiar sound that I can’t place for the life of me… At the end it has almost Emerson Lake and Palmer feeling keyboard parts at the end.

Am I an Alien Here – This song sounds like the sequel to Valley Boy and You’re Dreaming in the nonexistent movie for this in my head. It sounds like an almost triumphant song but has a blueness to it that keeps it from feeling happy. Much like the I in the song itself I guess.

Artificial Life – Is the most Post-Punk sounding song on this album. There are synths and repeating rhythms. The vocals are delivered in faster motion, than most of the other’s songs. It also sounds like the first track of the album.

King of Piss and Paper – This song feels like it is a continuation, or a part two, of Am I an Alien Here. They both have a similar sonic feel. This song is slightly darker in the lyrics but lighter in the instruments.

Band Live

Final Thoughts:
Reading over the review makes it seem like I did not like the album, but I did I really enjoy how they combine classic rock sounds with newer more modern rock. This is a good and solid album you should definitely take a listen if the comparisons I made interest you, definitely pick this one up or take a listen HERE.

Additional Links:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/WolfParadeMusic/about/?ref=page_internal

http://www.wolfparade.com/

https://wolfparade.bandcamp.com/album/cry-cry-cry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Parade

Our Ceasing Voice “Free Like Tonight” Album Review + Stream + Music Video…

Written by

Our Ceasing Voice

Free Like Tonight – Limited Vinyl // CD // DD

Self Released: August 25, 2017

Reviewed by Andy “Dinger” Beresky

 

Austrian Ambient / Alt. Rockers Our Ceasing Voice have been at it awhile, though this is my first encounter with them.  Folks are always surprised when I haven’t heard of this band or that band, especially if it’s something that is well within the realm of what I usually find myself listening to.  The fact of the matter is just that there’s a whole slew of music out there, and there’s simply no way for me to keep up with it all.  Nearly everyone these days is in a band, or two, or three, or five.  With that kind of saturation, it’s easy for even really good bands to slip through the cracks.  That’s the case with Our Ceasing Voice, and I’m honestly surprised that these cats don’t have a bit more exposure.  Their sound is both unique and accessible, though perhaps the vocals are a bit of an acquired taste.  Also, Free Like Tonight was only released about a month ago, so this album hasn’t really had enough time to get out there and reach a wider audience. In truth, I’m not sure how their back catalog compares to their latest, so this album is my only point of reference.

When talking about this album, I think that it’s important to write about the vocals first and foremost, as they’re the center point; they’re what stands out and drives the music.  It’s the kind of style that’s going to be polarizing: a deep and tortured baritone, goth-inspired and pain-strickenly emotional.  For me personally, they work and totally make the album, and I can see how others may be turned off by them, especially as they veer towards the melodramatic more often than not.  Still, vocalist Dominik Dorfler delivers his poetic lyrics with both poise and power.

The songs themselves are fairly simple in structure and instrumentation.  They’re focused on texture and atmosphere rather than any form of musical pyrotechnics – layers of reverberated piano, subtle guitar parts echoed for emphasis, and airy washes of synthesizers float in and out of the mix, laying a backdrop for the vocals, and minimalist drums form the bedrock and foundation underneath.  It’s tough for me to tell if there’s an actual bass guitar playing, or if the low end is simply carried by the guitars and synths; if there is bass, once again, it’s subtle.  There’s no bassist credited on the album, so there very well may not be one.

Now, as much as I like this album, it’s not without faults, like most albums.  While I can appreciate the shifts in dynamics that break up monotony within the songs themselves, on a whole, there’s not a lot of diversity within the album.  Every song is extremely similar, and the tempos are all in the same ballpark.  There’s not a whole lot to differentiate them, and perhaps that’s why these guys have kept a relatively low profile.  This isn’t a deal breaker for me, and it shows a clear area for growth.  Moving forward, if they incorporated something different every third song or so, or even used some interludes to break things up a bit, I think that they could have a lot of success with future albums.  Their basic formula is solid – they just need a little bit of tweaking so that their albums really stand out and don’t start to feel tedious or repetitious halfway through.

Band Pic

I can see fans of ambient music, post-rock and goth rock getting into Our Ceasing Voice.  The vocals make their music fairly unique without being wildly experimental, and what they do, they do extremely well.  As I’ve noted above, I’m more concerned with what they don’t do.  Namely, they do need to fix things up a bit.  It’s tough for me to even identify a standout track because….well, they’re all pretty good, and they’re all pretty similar.

A band like this has all kinds of options – add some more experimental elements  and really abstract sounds, rev up the tempos for a tune or two, add some vocal harmonies, get some guest musicians.  Hell, even add some more traditional rock elements like a fitting guitar solo, adding more hooks in the vocals and instrumentation, or just some bridges.  Getting a bassist may help with this by beefing up the rhythms and offering opportunities for interplay between the bass and drums.  Like I’ve stated over and over – Our Ceasing Voice have developed a unique sound, and they’ve got a ton of potential.  If they can carry that approach over to the treatment of individual songs, so that each song on an album stands as its own individual statement, then I think they’ll really start to go places.

Our Ceasing Voice at The Great Wall of China during their last Tour!Our Ceasing Voice at The Great Wall in China!!

Zuul “Zuul” Album Review + Tour Schedule + Stream…

Written by

ZUUL

Zuul  – Vinyl // CD-R // DD

Sump Pump Records – Release Date: September 8th, 2017

Reviewed by Ric “Suisyko” Dorr

 

Location:
Iowa City, Iowa

Lineup:
JL BOLINGER – GUITAR/VOCALS
IAN KOEHLER – GUITAR
DENNY RICHARDS – BASS
ALEX WATTS – DRUMS

Review:
Was sent this record to review, never heard of the band, had heard of the Tyrannosaurid Theropod Dinosaur that had been found in 2014 in Montana and had only recently been named and described this year, and by looking at the cover art, I gathered the name was probably more akin to the demon and demi-god Zuul the Gatekeeper of Gozer, from the Ghostbusters movie that, coincidentally enough, was a facet in the name of the aforementioned wicked lizard.

 

 

Eight songs making up this 32 minute romp of all things rage/punk/screamo complete with surf-punk kitsch in the guitar lines and an hyper-fuzzed bass line, enough cymbal crash to simulate roaring waves and a sneer-filled growling vocal line to rival even the fiercest on delivery.

ZUUL’s debut on vinyl for the first time, includes poster of the album artwork, lyric poster and an additional live album on the download code (w/vinyl version only).

From opener ‘747’ to ‘Punk Funk’, any pretense is wasted as these are full speed ahead through ‘What If’. ‘Middle Child’ is a slower tempo’d rocker that even the purest would have to appreciate in it’s heavy handed arrangement to keep your head moving. And then there’s ‘I Don’t Drive’ that comes out of the gate with a soft-touched clean guitar that breaks into over distorted squeals at the chorus break where the plush returns to envelop the ardent among before the clean returns to circle again.

‘Jimmy Buffet Killed Iowa City’ has a staggered intro that takes a hold as the winding guitar returns weaving circles around from all directions leading to the demanding vocal line that forces you to listen in a riotous cadence that shifts on a dime and again and again to almost a dizzying proportion that flows perfectly into ‘Greg Hall’ with it’s Spaghetti Western intro before full on shrieking rage comes back through the mic.

Live Band Shot

 

Final track ‘untitled’, may be the one that doesn’t seem to fit until you listen to the lyric that flows with a voice that is almost impossible to believe is the same guy that you have just spent 7 previous songs with. Even the first guitar notes are clean and slightly warbled, showing a completely different side for this band on what I have to assume is a first release from as I could not find anything online besides the album listing and release party info on their labels webpage. This song shows ability typically not associated with a band that is seemingly pissed off all the time to deliver on any level imaginable.

Great outing from the Midwest and shows great promise in MY opinion. I have a feeling that in a live format they could rip your face off or get you pumped up and screaming at the very least. Get the album, play it to no end and share it to any set of ears you can, catch them live if they come anywhere close and keep it LOUD!!

Dead Acid People “Mocker Fuzzers” Album Review + Stream…

Written by

DEAD ACID PEOPLE 

Mocker Fuzzers – Vinyl // CD // DD

Self Released – Released May 28, 2016

Album Reviewed by Ric “Suisyko” Dorr

 

Born – 2014

LOCATION – Paris, France

Dead Acid People is a stoner rock band formed in 2014. In February, Guillaume (d) had posted an announcement to recruit musicians and Stéphane (g) responds to the call, and after a conclusive test, proposes to Alain (b), his friend, to join them. The trio works assiduously to consolidate the basis of a blend of rock embodying the sounds from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, all the while injecting their own flavor into these dynamics, and by the end of the year, the group decides to recruit a singer. Several unsuccessful attempts later, in August 2015, with the arrival of Mathieu (v), the “training” is finally complete.

Pro Band Pic_2

 

Fast Forward to March 2016 and we are presented with 35 minutes of this hybrid-stoner/punk meshing that contains 8 tracks that run the rails from the opening progression of ‘Ashes’ that has a single bass progression for two measures before being joined by the six-string as the drumline fast-fades in and we’re off and running with Guillaume, Stéphane and Alainshowing time spent honing their edge as a unit over the last almost two years and when Mathieu’e voice enters at 40 seconds with the words “Everything can burn, everyone must die, everyone, until the crimson sky” the stage is set for the tale of darkness, full of hooks and distortion and a vocal clarity lacking in a lot of first-time releases any more; no pro-tools sounding anything here.

‘Sell Me To The Dust’ hits harder from the first and the staccato drumline is the perfect cadence for the body of, where ‘Happiness’ comes out with bass solo with the minor cymbal-kiss before the rest of the band join in and then we hear “Looking for some happiness, acting like I’m someone else” in a somber almost-monotone before the power chords jump back out and your head is moving again.

Live Band Shot

‘Blood Red Tide’ is another bass-opened track but is faster and fuller and including  some cowbell that fits right in as “Now we dance together, now we dance forever, me myself and I,  we all die under a blood-red tide” before settling into a medium tempo for the first section. ‘Burn Out’ opens with a staggering guitar-swagger before the thunder returns to pummel everything in it’s wake, especially pounding mid-track, before the spaced out solo takes over before that opening stagger hits again to lead through to the end.

‘Let’s Go’ and Burning Man’ each open with a drumline hitting hard before that defining punch in the face from the rest of the band that allows the eerily clear vocal line to deliver the tale of each that keeps you locked down, drinking each nuance in. Standout track for ME, absolutely has to be closer ‘Weird Jimmy’, a rocker with an edge that simply stated “This is a story of Crazy Jimmy. This is the story of a weirdy man” that slams and jams with the power of time shift and winding guitar notes to satiate the masses including a chugging solo that is short enough to not dull the senses but season to taste.

Well worth your time if you don’t have it already, share it with every set of ears you encounter and support them live if they come near you!!

Screamfeeder “Pop Guilt” Album Review + Stream…

Written by

Screamfeeder

Pop Guilt – Vinyl // CD // DD

Rogue Wave Records – June 23rd 2017

Reviewed by Andy “Dinger” Beresky

 

Believe it or not, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I don’t particularly like reviewing stoner rock and doom metal.  Not all the time anyways.  The less I listen to that kind of material, the better, because it just makes it more memorable when I do reach for my old Kyuss albums.

That’s really the crux of the issue for me – those Kyuss albums are indeed old.  It’s hard to believe that I bought Blues For The Red Sun 25 years ago, based solely on an offhand comment that Nirvana’s Krist Novoselik made praising the band in an interview.  It’s even harder to believe that 25 years later, there are still bands that go out of there way to sound like Kyuss.  I can remember thinking that was cool around 1999-2000, when there were only a handful of bands going for that sort of sound, and it was truly exciting every time a new one popped up.  Ah, the Golden Age, it’ll never be the same….Okay, it’s 2017 now, and frankly, I can’t keep up with all the stoner/doom bands coming out, nor do I want to.  It’s like glam rock from the 80’s – there was only so much we could take of it before it was just formulaic, cliche, and ultimately passe.  It’s also simply a case of “too much of a good thing” at this point for me personally.  I like to be a LOT more selective and diverse about what I listen to nowadays.  I’m sure some of you have seen me go off on similar rants in other reviews, so I’ll cut this one short today.

Pro Band Shot

With that all being said, I still have quite the insatiable curiosity when it comes to new music, and I do love writing these here reviews.  So when Taste Nation LLC founder Matthew Thomas ran the idea of reviewing a band named Screamfeeder by me, at first I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.  That name could really suggest anything, any genre.  I listened to about 30 seconds of the first track, “Half Lies”, and immediately told him “I’ll take it!!  This sounds very 90’s indie guitar rock.”  Matthew was kind enough to inform me that this was probably because they were an indie guitar rock band from the 90’s, and they were from Australia, so lo and behold – here we are!!  I’m very fortunate that Matthew puts up with my nonsense, and seems to have good instincts about just how finicky I really am, and that we’ve also got a terrific writing staff here at Taste Nation who are passionate enough to compensate for my disillusionment with certain styles.

I’d heard through the grapevine that Ripple Music owner Todd Severin was going to be starting up a second label, one that focused more on indie rock and shoegaze, and I was really excited to hear this news.  Actually, I’m pretty sure that Todd and I discussed this briefly at one point, in full disclosure.  I listened to a lot of that stuff in the 90’s.  I was a huge fan of Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, The Pixies, The Replacements, The Breeders, Guided By Voices, The Posies and Sugar.  There was something special about these bands that could write a totally sugar-coated melody, and just juxtapose it with over amplified guitar, brash fuzz, and abrasive noise.  I mention this because A) this Screamfeeder album is the first release from Todd’s new label, Rogue Waves, and B) they are definitely cut from the same mold as those bands I so adored in my youth, while they don’t directly sound like any of them.

Screamfeeder formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1991.  They’re were originally a three piece, though their current lineup is composed of Tim Steward on guitar and vocals, Kellie Lloyd on bass and vocals, Dean Shwereb on drums and Darek Mudge on second guitar.  This is the first  that I’ve ever heard of them, which is a real crying shame, because they’ve got quite the back catalog going for them and I would have eaten this up back in the day.  Well….I guess that gives me something to do with all my copious amounts of free time.  Tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1992!

Pop Guilt proper is 13 songs, which is a very lucky number, because that’s how many people were seated at the last supper, and it’s also the name of the LP that Fugazi released which combined their first two EP’s.  However, I’ve got two bonus tracks (NOT on the Fugazi record) included in my promo package, which is pretty sweet, especially considering that they’re both just as good as any of the album tracks.  This really isn’t surprising, considering there isn’t a clunker to be found on here, so I’m really not sure what these cats are feeling so guilty about.  My favorite of the bunch is “Got A Feeling.” It’s a driving number written around an upbeat two chord progression which reminds me of Pearl Jam’s “State Of Love And Trust”,  which is my favorite PJ song. (don’t worry haters, they otherwise sound nothing like Pearl Jam whatsoever, and Tim doesn’t sing like Eddie Vedder at all)  Another track that I really love is “Alone In A Crowd”.  It features a more jagged, abrasive main guitar riff, though once Kelly’s dreamy vocals drift in and the beautiful swirls of layered guitars take over, it’s overwhelming. “Sonic Souvenirs” starts off eerily reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr’s MTV classic,  “Out There”, with its blown-out lead guitars and fragments of distorted chords before Kelly’s distinctive vocal style sets the tone. “Karen Trust Me” has a really strange, off kilter ending that even gets a bit on the heavy side.  “I May Have Some Regrets” is the best song that Paul Westerberg never wrote. “Sciatic Heart”, the closing track, is also an early favorite, due to the quirky lyrics and Kelly’s more energetic vocal delivery.  Really, the whole album is ear candy, with no two tracks sounding the same.  Every track stands on its own and has something unique to offer.  I’m not sure who’s written what, though it seems like I generally like the tunes that Kelly sings just a little bit better.

Live Band Shot

If you’re like me and missed out on these guys and gal the first time around, do yourself a favor and check out Pop Guilt if my description sounds at all intriguing.  It’s such a fun listen, and I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those classic summertime records for me, the kind of record that reminds me of cruising around the back-roads with the windows down, meeting up with my friends, lying around soaking up the summer sun and sensing the sweet smell of the newly mowed grass with just nothing particular to do whatsoever but enjoy each other’s company and whatever happened to be playing on the stereo at the time; that magical time in one’s life when we were all still so bright eyed and bushy tailed; every crush is just like first love and every new record just like heaven in our ears.  That’s the kind of mood this music puts me in, and it’s not just nostalgia.  This is something special, a bygone relic from a lost age, fully actualized in our present day.

NARCS “A Thinking Animal” – Album Review & Stream…

Written by

NARCS

A Thinking Animal – Vinyl // CD // DD // Merch

Clue Records – July 8th, 2016

Reviewed by Andy “Dinger” Beresky

 

It may come as a surprise to some people given my pedigree, but I’ve got a real soft spot for the guitar driven indie/alternative rock of the 90’s.  My favorite band and biggest influence in high school was The Smashing Pumpkins. When you really think about it, it’s not that surprising at all.  Growing up in Western Mass, some of our most prominent local bands were The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, and Sebadoh.  Also, growing up in a small town with no music scene whatsoever, none of us realized that it wasn’t cool to like both Metallica and R.E.M.  Our musical tastes were allowed to develop organically, outside of the confines of the types of local scenes that often promote purism, elitism, and insularity, a hive mind whose tastes are established by a few strong personalities within the group who have a strong influence over what’s defined as “cool”, and what’s musical taboo.

What I liked about these indie bands were that they were distinctively guitar-centric bands, and they were distinctively rock bands, with an emphasis on distortion, volume, big rhythm sections to back up the guitars, and elements of anger mixed with other various emotions within the songwriting.  Which transitions us right into NARCS, the little Leeds U.K. band that could.  Wow, that was a rather short tangent for me, I may have to drudge up another one later in the review!!  The first sentence of this paragraph accurately describes their sound, though I’d obviously like to get into it a lot more.  I’m not much of a fan of one sentence reviews, although I do believe the review I wrote for Metallica’s new record was right on the money, and distinctively wrapped up everything I had to say on the matter in a single sentence: “Wow, Metallica tries really, really hard….”  I’m just quoting it here for posterity, and to also start my second tangent, which is basically to say that more and more, I’m realizing I don’t want to fall into any kind of formula when I review records.  I used to talk a little about each individual song, because a lot of other reviews do that and it seems impressive.  It also makes the reviews lengthy, and maybe too much so for a society that’s been conditioned to have such short attention spans.  I’m largely going to start avoiding this practice, because it is formulaic, and it’s redundant.  Plenty of other reviewers do it, and I’ve said time and time again that their opinions are just as valid as my own.  Read their reviews.  I’m not taking it totally off the books, as it may make sense at times, just like my Metallica review makes perfect sense for me in the context of that record.

 

Pro Band Shot

 

What I’d like to really get into during this review is a point of contention: I do read other reviews because I’m insatiable curious about the thoughts and opinions of others, and what keeps reoccurring is this tendency to refer to NARCS as a grunge band.  And I don’t really like that, perhaps because for me, grunge pretty much died with the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind.  Seriously, from my perspective that’s the nail in grunge’s coffin.  To me, grunge was the sound of early Soundgarden, Melvins, Green River, Mudhoney, and TAD. These bands initially recorded their records loudly and cheaply, often with Jack Endino, and often releasing them with Sub Pop.  They tended to mix elements of punk and metal in a way that differed vastly from crossover thrash. These records came out in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and yes, I’d include Nirvana’s Bleach as a prime example of an actual grunge record.  Later on, the term became applied to just about ANY band that came out of Seattle in the record industry’s attempt to figure out what in the fuck had actually happened with Nevermind, to replicate that magical yet allusive formula, and most of the aforementioned bands got major label contracts and mainstream-ized their sounds.  Of course, this also led labels to sign just about any band with “alternative”/underground credibility, which led to the term “grunge” also being applied to bands like The Meat Puppets, Cell, The Screaming Trees, and Nudeswirl.  I can accept that, and in this terms, I can also accept that NARCS are a “grunge” band.  They’re loud, swanky, aggressive, quirky, catchy, noisy, and draw from a wide variety of influences.  However, another part of me thinks that it’s really a disservice and a bit lazy to call them a “grunge” band.  They certainly draw influence from almost all of the bands that I’ve listed, and their sound is extremely 90’s centric.  With that being said, I can hear also hear elements of The Jesus Lizard, Unwound, and Fugazi in certain songs, and none of those bands fit very neatly into the grunge category.  There’s also a lot of shoegazing going on in terms of the production and the way that the guitars are layered.  Some of the stereo panning is quite lovely.

The vocals are also quite lovely and subdued at times, though at other times, they’re snarling, over-the-top blasts of bile and vinegar.  For me, they’re one of the high points, and frontman Wilko (not to be confused with the critically acclaimed band that I do not really care for) is to be commended for his performances.  The juxtaposition of his soft, lulling indie adulation and roaring punk sneer is one of the  main things that makes this record sound so vital and so immediate, and his performances always mirror the instrumentation. Wilko should also be commended for the passion of his lyrics, and their political relevancy.  England needs more bands like this right now, hell….we all need more bands like this right now.

Live Band Shot

Despite that no two songs sound all that much alike, there’s a strange coherency to the record, largely in part due to how eerily the guitars, vocals, bass and drums are always clearly on the same page stylistically.  It’s rather magical to listen to.  At 11 songs in 43 minutes, NARCS don’t overstay their welcome, and it’s the perfect length for vinyl.  I feel like the supremacy of the CD in the 90’s often led to albums that were overlong, had filler, weird “hidden” tracks that were ultimately annoying, etc.  You’re not going to find any of that on A Thinking Animal, just another demonstration that these definitely were using their heads when they made this record.  It’s aptly named.  Do yourself a favor and check out the single “Pigs”, which I’m sure is up on YouTube.  It’s a pretty accessible place to start.  If you really want to hear something wild, see if you can find some of the more acetic tracks like “Mile Die” or “Empathy The Dog.”  Everything is on YouTube these days, so you can make up your mind if this is an album that’s worth your continued attentions beyond reading this review.  For me, I’m kind of kicking myself that I didn’t hear this last year when it came out, though they were largely off my radar.  I’m seeing an extremely bright future for these Leeds lads, as long as they can keep thinking like animals.

New Album Review – Gold “Optimist”

Written by

GOLD

Optimist – Released January 5th, 2017

Available in Vinyl // CD // DD // Merch 

Van Records Ván Records (world excl. N-America) | Profound Lore Records (N-America)

 

Created 2011

Band Members – Milena Eva – vocals / Thomas Sciarone – guitar / Kamiel Top – guitar /

Jaka Bolic – guitar / Tim Meijer – bass / Igor Wouters – drums

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

The first minute and  a half is nothing but guitar chords setting a tone of dissonance before Milena’s voice enters with her signature clarity and grabs your attention beckoning “Remember…” and the journey of this, the third full length release from GOLD, is underway. ‘You Too Must Die’ establishes the pace and as lead off, it is plush in the mix and makes you thirsty for more. ‘Summer Thunder’ uses the same extended intro of a minute before Milena states “There is nothing I would rather do…” and the galloping drumline pulling the rest of the band forward into this composition that perfectly suits the title conveying that very thunder through your veins until the sudden end. ‘White Noise’ enters with a cacophony of twisting notes and the body comes in with a more even pace, yet one that still compels you to keep up to the end. ‘Teenage Lust’ fades in slow and mysterious sounding, much like the subject does for the entire 5 minutes plus, no drum line is needed for the tale there in, while ‘No Shadow’  hits with a driving beat, quickly joined by thick base before the guitars join with punch that beckons you to keep chasing along with them.

 

Live Band Shot

 

‘I Do My Own Stunts’ begins with a fury and there is nothing holding back here with the masterful fills and the edges of three guitars chugging on in sonic syncopation. ‘Be Good’ hits with Milena’s command “Stick to your guns…” and we’re off for what is, to this point, the fastest song on this record and is as lush as can be until the sudden stop-ending. ‘Come With Me’ is as quick-paced with the noodling guitars intersecting with a fury of quick-picking that accents the solo perfectly, the rest never missing a beat.

Final track ‘Tear’ begins with a melancholy dirge of notes that summon the dark clouds to return to bring the cover to consume the tears that flow from Milena’s lips into our ears and is the one that stands out as the go-back-to track to take it in again.

 

Pro Band Shot

 

Front to back, a stronger album than the previous two and shows that with maturation comes growth both lyrically and musically and each song delivers with a different flavor than the one previous. This could be the one that breaks GOLD out into the rest of the world and is well worth checking out. NOT metal by any stretch and they refuse to classify their own music… no need for all of the micro-genre’s so prevalent these days and that is indeed refreshing. Something NEW & DIFFERENT, as it is supposed to be. For the masses…

Link:

Words by Ric “Suisyko” Dorr

New Album Review – Super Snake “Leap of Love”

Written by

SUPER SNAKE

Leap Of Love – CD / DD

Self Released – Release Date:  February 14, 2017

 

Band Members:

Pete August: Guitar
Vinnie Fiore: Drums
Jerry Jones: Vocals
Joe Laga: Guitar
Jesse Marianni: Bass, Keys

Hometown; New Jersey

Super Snake were Born in 2012 and were baptized in the waters of psyched-out post-whatever!!  “Rock ‘n’ Roll Mind Control via a mouthful of psychedelics washed down with ten beers while listening to Black Sabbath and the dirtier parts of Sonic Youth. ”

 

Band in a car

 

This being the first full length release, opener and title track ‘Leap Of Love’ sets a pace for the album that those unaware of SUPER SNAKE will have a quick idea of what they are in for with this album. Super Snake has certain flavor the band describes as “…a Ouija board chopped up into little pieces, made into kindling, stuffed into your pipe.”  This is pretty much what you get, from the first line about how ‘Sometimes they never get your name right…’ and PUNCH the double guitar assault hits and bowl is lit as the first break shifts to a dream/nightmare state as you follow the mix of cascading sounds swirling over each other until that double-six hits again. ‘Lie4U’ is the perfect 21st century anti-love song ripping forth with lyrics steeped in questioning and declaration like ‘I’d lie for you, even if you wouldn’t’ and a ghostly-mixed vocal rolling left and right as the solos whip back and forth to the end. ‘Hot Pavement’ begins with a measure of high bends and the rest hit after a measure, slower paced than we have been so far but still rolling along making your head bounce in time where ‘Spirit Cave’ has a 70’s wah-pedal rolling along with a stoner’s wet-dream of flow-along on this air stream vapor feel through the seven and a half minute ride along this tale of two. No break between, ‘Lavish Sum Of Dread’ comes in with a drum line filling the air as the perfect pace for this tale of a ‘Sunday thrill for one’ as described in what has become comfortable this voice that never quite fades out as it shifts speed and pitch. Standout ‘Sister Margaret’ wastes no time in the perfect headbanger 4/4 time signature with the mystic-sounding keys lilting between the melodies that keep winding around as so much smoke in a room surrounding the bodies bouncing along. ‘Dreamcoated’ give a quick four-click heads-up before it’s sonic blast rips the paint off the walls, ‘Too Late Who Cares’ instead is a full-on SONIC YOUTH/UNDERNEATH WHAT recipe of swirling lights melting into the walls and it makes sense. ‘Get Lost Be Mine’ has a blues-fueled bounce while ‘Cecelia’ reeks of Mississippi mud with the chugging single guitar jag. ‘Big Seize’ has a cleaner guitar tone that we tend to hear a lot out of New jersey but with a punch that is often lacking for whatever reason, switching to pure crunch across all strings as we slide onto a stellar solo that bridges the mid section across to the screams that come in and grab the frontal cortex while the drummer kicks into overdrive and everything is back to swirling together.  Next enters ‘Take My Breath’ kicks in in true psychedelic bliss, clouds of varying colors circling like so much bong smoke to the end showing a band that is ready to make a stand and have accomplished their goal with this record.

Super Snake in a live setting would have to be insane if they can deliver the intensity of each song on this record and I have no doubt that they can and MORE… buy the album, support the live venues and let’s get these guys to your town and mine!!

Links:

 

https://supersnakerock.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/supersnakerock/

Words by Ric “Suisyko” Dorr

Album Review – Sorority Noise “Joy, Departed”

Written by

Sorority Noise

Joy, Departed

Topshelf Records – Vinyl / CD / Cassette / DD

When I saw Sharon Van Etten play to perhaps 30,000 souls at a festival in Kentucky, she unabashedly announced from the stage that she is very serious about her feelings.  That’s one of the many things that enamors her to me, though the list goes on and on. I’d like to take this time to unabashedly announce that she’s my celebrity crush.  Perhaps if I write a review that’s intriguing and interesting enough, she’ll one day become aware of my precarious existence and think to herself, “Hey, that guy is pretty cool for a supposed critic.  Andy Dingus Beresky seems like a guy who gets things done.  I wonder what makes him tick.  I wonder if he’d be interested in knowing what makes me tick.”

Of course, it’ll never work out between us, as she lives in Manhattan, and I’m motherfriggin’ country mouse as it comes.  Last time I was in Manhattan I had a full-fledged meltdown when I was stuck on the subway in the dark for an hour.  This ended with me sitting down and crying on a crowded subway car one fine May morning, and this did elicit an unexpected outpouring of empathy from the normally stoic New Yorkers who shared in my plight, though seemed so utterly unphased by the incident.  When I finally emerged from that underground nightmare, I’d missed my bus and chose to alleviate my woes with an expensive beer and cheap sushi at 10AM.  All’s well that ends well, I suppose, and maybe someday, my morning will end with Miss Van Etten and I sharing AM beers and sushi while we stare longingly into each other’s eyes.  I wonder if she even likes sushi??  Wow. I’m suddenly acutely aware that I’ve derailed this review from the very get-go.  That’s a new one even by my own admittedly low standards.

 

Great Band Shot

 

I bring this all up simply because Sorority Noise also strike me as being very serious about their feelings.  Actually, I’ll recant that statement ever so slightly, as I’m sure there’s a bit of tongue in cheekiness to Sorority Noise’s lyrical approach.  I mean, the first lines sung on the album are “Let me be the drug, that you use to fall in love, the heroin that keeps you warm enough” from the aptly titled lead track, ‘Blissth.’  Sure, that’s kind of sweet and romantic from a somewhat somber and morbid perspective, so I can relate to the underlying sentiment.  Still, it’s too over the top to be totally serious.

Sorority Noise is a four piece outfit from Hartford, Connecticut. They name check a bunch of bands that I’ve never heard as influences, such as Roswell Kid, Pinegrove, Modern Baseball, and Led Zeppelin.  Oh wait…I HAVE heard Led Zeppelin a couple times, and the two sound nothing alike.  The most obvious analogy to me is Weezer, who are a pretty straight forward rock band with obvious indie influence and emo appeal, though the big sound and clean production of their albums obviously sets them apart from the aesthetic of the original “emotional hardcore” bands that were in full bloom during the early to mid-90’s.  Sorority Noise may not sound exactly like Weezer – they’re far more dark, with a heavy emphasis on melancholia and moodiness.  However, they have a similar approach and appeal, in my mind.  They understand the emotional impact of indie/alternative rock, and are able to elevate it to anthemic heights by adding in the perfect amount of stadium-ready bombast.

Heck, these guys might not even like Weezer.  They might even hate them for all I know, and this paltry review may incite them to commit questionable acts of throwing star violence.  Sorority Noise have some similar elements: the big catchy choruses, the big crunchy guitars and the big rock solid rhythm section.  But there are a lot of reasons that my Weezer comparison is way, way off.  Overall, this record is much darker and bleaker, with a pervasive slacker/junky vibe to the lyrics, even in the moment when the music itself is all bittersweet pop and candy-coated melodies, such as on the self-explanatory song, “Using.”  The big difference is that Sorority Noise sound like they’re haunted. There are more atmospheric and orchestrated elements, and the dynamics are more stark.  They shift gears between minimalistic, downtempo indie to frenetically upbeat pop-punk with twin harmonized guitars, sometimes within the course of the same song.  At times, their lyrics go beyond simple self-deprecatory humor, and land firmly within the realm of the full-blown bummer.  This shouldn’t be much of a revelation, given the title of the album.

“Does hell taste as sweet as you thought, do you like what you bought?” This was the question I was left musing to myself after I’d finished the closing track “When I See You (Timberwolf)”.  I was starting to feel haunted as well, though it was that pleasant, warm, fun form of haunting, as if I’d transcended the gloom veil of the mundane, and for a brief instant tasted the highs of heaven and then drank the depths of hell before I took off my headphones, bundled up, and walked down the street for that next cup of afternoon coffee.

Reviewed by Andy “Dingus” Beresky