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The Elusive World of Post Modern Rock
The Elusive World of Post Modern Rock preface Lately I notice how many guest that Music Banter has, it always astonishes that sometimes the number can peak anywhere from 500 to 600 guests. I remember being one of them. Out on the web looking for something anything to satisfy my curiosity for new music. The impetus for this journal is just that to write something for the searcher, the outsider looking in hoping to discover something new. I know I am not a presenter of music which should be listen to as if my opinion is more important to others. And I honestly don't feel up to the task to be a music critic. Think of me more as a curator of a museum, where instead of the spaces on the walls are filled with painting, it's a journal filled with albums and artist I like that I feel lucky to stumble upon. |
Albums
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Glad to see you've started a journal. I have subscribed and am excited to see what you write.
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Chapter One The Aesthetics Art of a Space Museum http://www.chicagoreader.com/binary/...pacemuseum.jpg Solid Space – Space Museum (1982)
Personnel: Matthew Vosburgh, Dan Goldstein My top three tracks would be: 10th Planet Destination Moon Darkness in My Soul ... no wait they are all my favorites. Maf and Dan were childhood friends. When they were about 14 y/o they formed a four piece band Exhibit A and while they were working on the song Platform 6 they decided to continue separately as a duo. I listen to Exhibit A, and there is a definitely a more serious approach to the work they did on Space Museum. Since Maf had to bus it to Dan house he said they preferred lighter battery equipment. All the music and vocals are from Dan and Maf, with the exception of Jon Winegum playing a sax(?) with the use of echo or reverb on the song New Statue. The sounds found on this albums are ambrosial; the music is atmospherically and ethereal. It is one of my favorite albums and in my humble opinion it is a must hear. And I recall Mundo saying it was one of his favorite albums. |
Interesting!
I think your journal will certainly be one I follow. I like the word play you use while writing, creates imagery and has a way of illustrating well, what you're wanting to get across to those reading. Also like the music you've posted here. Choice stuff! |
Solid Space – Space Museum
A few words about the songs: Afghan Dance, The Guest and Earthshock are well placed instrumental. The down lyrics of A Darkness In My Soul is counterbalanced with an up-beat rhythm of Radio France. And that song leads into my favorite track, Tenth Planet. An homage to Doctor Who serial with the same title and which introduced the Cyberman. Though the Cyberman on the album cover were of a later design the original Cyberman of Tenth Planet, by I digress. Please Don't Fade Away does have a Pink Floyd flair without being a tiresome reproduction of Floyd. I don't know if they were influenced by them, it's reminiscent of them cause of the acoustic guitar paired with an analog synth. I really don't like comparing groups too much, I like to think each (of my favorite) bands as their own source of creativity, not as imitators. And this band was very creative. The last title sums up my sentiment for their music "Please Don't Fade Away."I hope their music will be remember. Quote:
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Thanks for the support. |
Chapter Two song from the heart http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG...er=allrovi.com
1. Burning Hearts – I Lost My Color Vision 7. Burning Hearts - A Peasant's Dream The music is indie & Synth Pop with ambient textures. Jessika sings with a soft and sincere voice in an unassuming way, which blends well with the music. I listened to the songs few times before I actually paid attention to the lyrics. Once I did I found the lyrics to be intelligent and introspective. There seems to be a reoccurring examples of flora and fauna scattered throughout the album tying their songs together. They are found in few of the songs titles, others found within the lines of the songs. (And this imagery also carries over to the cover art work of their latest album Extinctions.) It seems they've taken a few hooks from the 80s. The one note which starts opening track reminds me of the introduction of Soft Cell's Tainted Love, but just a single note of it. I Walked Among The Trees has a wobbly riff that reminds me of Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie. Sea Birds has synth generated effect of seagulls, very much like Talk Talk - It's My Life. |
Chapter Three "Hep Cats Lost in Space" http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...thoblivion.jpg Crystal Stilts – In Love With Oblivion
Crystal Stilts – Flying Into The Sun Crystal Stilts – Precarious Stair Crystal Stilts – Silver Sun Crystal Stilts are rooted heavily in the sounds of the 60s with jangly Folk Rock, Psychedelia, Garage Rock, Surf, and R&B/Motown drum beats, the twangy guitar of Speghetti Westerns. Borrowing also from adjacent decades as well, with the moodiness of post-Punk, chords from Power Pop of the 70s and the occasional sound effects from Sci-fi/Space flicks of the 50s. The singer slips in between styles of Ian Curtis and Jim Morrison, but only does so in half measure, and it's not so evident because the vocals are drench in reverb. The guitar player uses a Gretsch with a Boss RE-20 Space Echo creating spaceship take-off and landing sounds effects. The keyboard player looks like he plays a home-made circuit bent organ providing MFOS-like sound FXs. It is easy to get lost in sound and become oblivious with with the outside world. As they travel through sonic space and harken back to a time musicians played actual instruments and not push buttons on launchpads. |
Welcome to Journaltown. I have subscribed and look forward to seeing what you post up here. I am definitely curious about that Solid Space album, as it's got Cybermen on it.
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That Crystal Stilts album sounds fantastic. I'll be sure to check it out.
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Chapter Four Floating Clouds http://music.geocities.jp/pgic_band/image/jyake.jpg Plastic Girl in Closet - Cocoro
Pretty Little Bag Rabbit House Plastic Girl in Closet seems like an unusual name for a band, it reminds me of a Japanese movie I saw once, I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK. The music: Shoegaze/ Dream Pop with male/female harmonies, more a sub-due style than other vocal groups of the 60s. The bass player, Ayako Sugai's bass drives the songs along, and provides vocals too. Yuta Ogawa is solid Rock drummer. Yuji and Kenji sound apt at noise and shoegazing. And can be Weezer-like at times. Rabbit House followed by Pretty Little Bag are my favorite. Stomping And Swingin' is a little taxing from repetitiveness. The video for Pretty Little Bag is Beatlesque - it's of them playing on a roof-top. |
Chapter Five lasting impressions of life, death and art http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG...er=allrovi.com U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
"We were looking for something that was a bit more serious, more arty." - Adam Clayton. album name The name of the album comes from the name of the exhibition members of U2 saw at the Chicago Peace Museum during the War Tour. the producer The album marked a change of direction, a search for an different sound. With this they employed Brian Eno, the Edge was a fan of his work. Eno is known experimental, and ambient music. Eno was a former member of Roxy Music. Brian Ferry who was lead singer and leader envision the band as a collage of different musical styles, played at once. And even the band image consist of a collage of different fashion statements. It was Eno who portrayed a futuristic alien clad in sci-fi outfit and accessorized with feathers, providing space age sound effects on his EMS VCS. Acquiring it was happenstance for Eno. The eccentric artist Andy Warhol gave it to Eno after he saw the neglected contraption, inquired about it.recorded at The songs were recorded at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland. Recording in castles is nothing new to Rock bands. Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire, England was used for quit a few band. It is the architect of Slane with large rooms and high ceilings lend the natural spacious sound to the recordings. They started in the hall and later switched to the library.gear The Edge used an aged white Les Paul Custom and a Telecaster, and his main squeeze, a black 70s Stratocaster through a Vox AC30 amplifier. He also employs the use of a slide and e-Bow. Adam played a maple neck Jazz bass. And Larry's drum kit expanded at this point and uses Timbales in lieu of mounted toms and has a floor tom to the left of his snare. While Bono does crazy 80s dancing as he sings.impressions The title of the songs seem to have strong ties to American history and culture. The songs come from what Bono saw, read and experienced in America during the War Tour. It is a lovely and moody album. The music is subtle, atmospheric, with a melancholy tone. |
Chapter Six "French Films from Finland" https://s25.postimg.org/5lvmvsqe7/original.jpg French Films – Imaginary Future
Imagine your dreams coming true and Joy Division and the Beach Boys joined forces. And you accidentally played their music back at twice the speed it was recorded at, like playing a LP on the 45 setting. Well it probably would sound like French Films. French Films – Imaginary Future playlist |
Chapter Seven "Fictional Romance" http://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000003...op.jpg?30a2558 Betty And The Werewolves - Teatime Favourites
Betty And The Werewolves formed in 2008. The band comes from London, England. Their sound is a mixture of 80s and 90s indie Pop, with Cow-Punk drums, reverby Surf guitars, a Casiotone MT-45 keyboard and interplay of soft vocals. It's a dynamic album with each song it's own style. My favorite songs on the album are Paper Thin, David Cassidy and Hyacinth Girl. There were only two promotional videos I found on YouTube. A tape deck provides a frame for the video in Euston Station. And Paper Thin is filmed in a library and n a park with the band and friends, and opens with a dedication to their favorite writers, I assume. David Cassidy was a single but I didn't see a promotional video for it. Betty And The Werewolves - Euston Station Betty And The Werewolves - Paper Thin |
Subbed, really interesting journal!
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Chapter Eight "Omaha" - Peyton Manning http://www.soundsbetterwithreverb.co...nd-400x400.jpg Conduits - Conduits
So I always wanted to post a band that I just found, something out of the blue, not necessarily a new release but brand new to me. Well this is the band found tonight, and wanted to add them to this journal.There was very little information I could find out about them. There were very few things I could find out about them. They released a debut album in 2012, then toured Europe. The band is from Omaha. And I saw on [soundsbetterwithreverb.com] they are comprised of members from Cursive, The Golden Age, The Good Life, Eagle Seagull, Son Ambulance and Neva Dinova. Top Of The Hill uses tremolo with the usual echo drenched guitar which I think is quite effective for the into to the album. The Wonder has two halves, the first part of the song last till ~2:35, ten slowly builds up again. The song structure make me think of think of them as a Progressive Shoegaze band, no intention to coin a new genre or mislabel them. They are described as Shoegaze and Indie Rock. I am content to think of them as a Shoegaze band capable creating solid song structures with ambience. Conduits - Top Of The Hill Conduits - The Wonder |
Chapter Nine Nothing Gold Can Stay Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. -Robert Frost http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG...er=allrovi.com First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
Johanna and Klara Söderberg are Folk duo from Sweden. Klara was inspired to pick up the guitar because she wanted to play Bright Eyes songs. They recorded "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" by Fleet Foxes. Robin Pecknold noticed it and posted it on band's webpage. That help further the duo's popularity. When they met up with Mike Mogis at Austin City Limits. He came to their show. Ask them if he could produce their next album, and they said "sure." He was the producer of The Lion's Roar and Stay Gold. Klara Söderberg impressions One of first videos I saw of them was Play with Fire by The Rolling Stones. And the first things that hooked me in was Klara Söderberg guitar playing. She is good at finger-picking, and her roll patterns always add a soft folksy feel to the song. I really enjoyed their harmony as well, and their vocal style makes seem older than they are, and so authentic it seem as if they recorded decades ago, or time traveled from to the present. Beside all their talent, I love them for fact they said that they like to sing songs that are sad. video The video is a live studio performance for their song from Stay Gold. The video was published on Dec 2, 2014, but was broadcaster earlier (~ Nov 15th). If there is anything to point out in the video is the instruments used. The large snare with a wooden rim provides more of a field drum sound, instead of a typical snap of a snare. The drummer uses mallets to soften the cymbal crashes and when used on the toms, it gives a lower sound reminiscent of a bodhran. Klara uses a smaller acoustic guitar, more of a pallor size, which are smaller than Folk guitar or Country Jumbo guitars. A distant pedal steel adds a nice Country flavor to the more tradition Folk songs. Johanna rounds it providing all the other instrument sounds heard on the record with her keyboard/synth. First Aid Kit - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) |
I still remember you introducing me to First Aid Kit back in February. I've loved them since.
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Yeah, definitely subbed.
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First Aid Kit do a decent cover version the song, America by Simon & Garfunkel, found on Bookends. And this is the Play with Fire video, I mentioned above, it has a intro in Svensk. First Aid Kit - America (Cover) First Aid Kit - Play With Fire (Rolling Stones) |
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Deep Time - Gilligan Deep Time - Clouds "Deep time" is a geological term. I'm guessing "deep" come from law of superposition. The further down the layers of dirt and rocks are, the older it is. Basically the deeper you dig the further back in time you go. Which applied to indie, or alternative Rock the name would be fitting for this band since they go back time to the formative years of that genre. Their sound are like a missing puzzle piece that fits perfectly between Art Punk, and post-Punk bands of the 70s. What I enjoy about the band is that they're not reproducing another post-Punk band signature sound.There are obvious comparison to other bands like Delta 5, and Kleenex/Lilliput etc. I've seen in a Pitchfork review. Sgt Sierra and reminds me of their take on Wall of Voodoo. Same with Colemanbut slow-down and a bit of Talking Heads thrown in too. The last track, Horse, sounds like Andy Gill made a guess appearance. Some bands you hear you wondering if they're trying to be another band, especially with bands who want to sound like Joy Division (not that I dislike bands like that). It's also refreshing that they don't go that Joy Division route and draw inspiration from other bands. Despite the comparisons and similarities, I don't get with Deep Time. I feel they are just being themselves. |
Belgrado http://i.imgur.com/aLZuuvD.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/deLYFX9.jpg?1 tracklist No Exit Clockwise In My Head No Answer Those Times Dead Generation Lies Zapomnijmy Koszmar Visions Of Massacre Belgrado – Siglo XXl http://images.shazam.com/coverart/t2...32058_s400.jpg tracklist Sombra De La Cruz Pałac Kultury Jeszcze Raz Świat Jest Nasz Siglo XXI Nie Wake Up Iluzja Progress The End Automatyczny Świat members: Renzo - guitar Fergu - bass Jonathan - drum Patrycja - vocals Belgrado - Jeszcze Raz (Videoclip) If I'm From Barcelona are from Jönköping, Sweden, then where do you expect Begrado to be from? (Knowing that Belgrade is the capital of Serbia.) If you guessed Barcelona, Spain ...then you're right. Belgrado are described as Post-Punk, but there are elements of Punk, Goth, and Bat Cave in their sound. Their style has a lot of similarities between late70s/early80s bands like Bauhuas, Romeo Void, Xmal Deutschland (even early U2) and also with more current Post-Punk revival bands like Soviet Soviet, and Human Tetris. Belgrado play faster some bands and that energy keeps interest in the band going. Jeszcze Raz was the first song I heard by them and it was an oh-yeah-moment I knew I had to look into more of their material. |
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Balkans https://wearethelastbeatniks.files.w...ns-balkans.jpg bandmembers: Stanley Vergilis Brett Miller Woodbury Shortridge Frankie Broyles tracklist:
Balkans - Full Concert - 05/19/11 - Paste Magazine Offices (OFFICIAL) setlist: 0:00:00 - I Can't Compete 0:02:59 - Edita V 0:05:53 - Georganne 0:10:37 - C++ 0:13:19 - Black Swan instruments: Brett Miller - gruitar (Gibson Sonex 180) Frankie Broyles - vocal, guitar (Fender Jaguar) Woody Shortridge - bass (Fender Musicmaster) Stanley Vergilis - drums (Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz) So what do they sound like? Take the sound of The Strokes and inject the raw frantic energy of The Hives and you'll have Balkans. Balkans were a short lived band, only released one album. They toured with names like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Atlas Sound (Bradford Cox). In fact after the breakup, Frankie Broyles joined Bradford Cox in Deerhunter, for their 2013 album Monomania. That's before Bradford was hospitalized after being hit by a car in December 2014. Woody and Frankie were childhood friend, played together since third grade. Stanley joined up with them in middle school. Woody saw Stanley playing drumming on his desk and invited him over to play drums at his [Stan's] house. There were a band without a bass player for the most part of high school till they met Brett, who later switched to guitar. Frankie was into Radiohead, and Brett was into Punk bands like Rancid. They would win battle of the bands in HS. When they won battle of the bands they were given GutiarCenter gift-certificates instead of a cash prize (fearing the band would blow it on drugs). So the band bought an eight track recorder, and used it to recorded all their song. sound They use a two guitar match-up of Gibson/Fender like a few bands do e.g. The Knack. The bass is a Musicmaster bass which is generally preferred by guitarist for the short scale (length). They have deeper sound, because thicker strings can be used on short-scale that a regular scale. The drummer is playing a bop drum set and the kick-drum is 14" and has a high pitch thud, which can be noticed on the album. for? If you like bands like The Strokes and The Hives, or like Deerhunter and like to explore the member's side projects, or previous bands this is one to consider. |
Model Citizen http://i.imgur.com/l5QvpEv.jpg?1Model Citizen – Shift The Blame tracklist: 1. Shift The Blame (0:00) 2. Animal Instincts (1:50) 3. I Am Honest (4:15) 4. You Are What You Wear (6:20) Model Citizens at Max's Kansas City (1979) - Paul Tschinkel's InnerTube Suburban Lawns Suburban Lawns – Suburban Lawnshttp://i.imgur.com/gK0fLUK.png?1 tracklist: Flying Saucer Safari 2:12 Pioneers 2:05 Not Allowed 2:16 Gossip 2:29 Intellectual Rock 2:05 Protection 1:54 Anything 1:38 Janitor 2:30 Computer Date 1:06 Mom And Dad And God 1:56 Unable 1:31 When In The World 2:48 Green Eyes 2:53 Jam The Controls 1:06 Suburban Lawns -- Janitor Lora Logic http://i.imgur.com/XBbicSC.jpg?2 Lora Logic – Pedigree Charm tracklist: Brute Fury 4:00 Horrible Party 3:50 Stop Halt 5:00 Wonderful Offer 4:30 Martian Man 4:20 Hiss And Shake 5:30 Pedigree Charm 4:00 Rat Allé 3:45 Crystal Gazing 4:55 x ray spex - up yours, bondage - early live - Laura Logic I couldn't find a video of Lora Logic playing songs off her solo album, so I choose to include a video of her playing with X Ray Specs. She played saxophone on the album, but at some point early on left (was fired from) the band. She formed Essential Logic, when the band dissolved she went on to finish the album Pedigree Charm as a solo artist. She was a member in Red Crayola, and she recorded with The Raincoats, Boy George, among others. My favorite track off the album is Martian Man, it a bit ethereal, dream-like. LORA LOGIC martian man 1982 (When I make an entry, first I listen to the albums, find pics and videos I want to post, by the time I do all that I have spent all my free time and I never get around to more important part the review. So I have a choice, save the work I did on my computer and eventually forget about it, or post what I did so far. Hopefully I'll get around to explain my picks.) |
Middle Class - Homeland http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrfzTYfR4K...s-homeland.jpg band:Middle Class album title: Homeland year of release: 1982 band members: Jeff Atta - vocals, synthesizers Mike Atta - guitar Mike Patton- bass Bruce Atta - drums from: Santa Ana, California tracklist: 00:00 The Call 04:09 A Skeleton At The Feast 08:23 Out Of My Hands 11:59 Listen 15:04 Shaken 17:55 Mosque 20:39 Restless Young Men 23:24 Ritual And Deceit 26:52 Everything I was stoked when I first found this album on YouTube. Going from one track to the next I knew I found a hidden gem. The album is impressive as it is relentless. By maintaining energy and a sense of urgency throughout I'm sure it keeps you invested from beginning to end. The music epitomizes all that's best of Post-Punk. If colored glass could be bits of sound then it's a mosaic that would made of pieces from Joy Division, Gang of Four, Modern English, REM, and even Sonic Youth (or vice a versa). However as for the last two bands, I am not too certain who influenced, because they were Middle Class contemporaries. It would be interesting though to know if there were any bands that looked to them as an influence. I suspect they could be had been an influence to Post-Punk revival bands. Because Middle Class approach seems to be that more of a band from 2010s. Maybe their music is just timeless. |
Kosmonautentraum http://i.imgur.com/IJFq8F0.jpg?2 band: Kosmonautentraum album: Juri Gagarin released: 1982 language: German personnel: E. K. T. - Drums, Synthesizer, Mellotron, Guitar, Voice [Effects], Percussion Kai May - Guitar, Harp, Electric Piano, Percussion, Effects [Wasserspiele] Süsskind - Bass, Synthesizer, Piano, Trumpet, Melodica, Xylophone, Percussion, Pedalboard Bass Ziggy XY - Vocals, Synthesizer, Melodica, Lyrics information from Discogs tracklist:
Schattenboxen - An intro consists of a bass, snare and xylophones. Behind that is what sounds like spaceships taking off. It seems only natural to me to link xylophones and spaceships together from watching Looney Tunes and hearing Raymond Scott tune Powerhouse be the score some character in space. Halfway through it sounds like a singer struggling to breathe. It ends with a classic 50s sci-fi sound effect of a spaceship taking off. Juri Gagarin It begins with a piano that fades, and then slowly makes a reprise with a ever increasing sound of a bass drum, thumping like a heartbeat. Then a soupy high hat underscores the vocals which sounds from distant, as if Juri Gagarin is singing to himself in his spacecraft, and then there are massive sounding synths switching back and forth from the left channel to the right, giving the impression of the spacecraft in orbit. Du Bist Nicht Gut - The rhythm guitar and the bass sounds very similar to Boogie Oogie Oogie (1978) by A Taste of Honey. I believe it is safe to say that Kosmonautentraum was part of the Neue Deutsche Welle. It is place in music history of Germany is after 70s German Rock, which had moved away from Rock and Roll and R&B music idioms. NDW is also inspired by British New Wave and Post-Punk which to some accounts was inspired by 70s German Rock. Not knowing very much about the band influences, it seems Kosmonautentraum gives a nod to Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft. But they do more than than DAF, or Post-Punk bands, at times Kosmonautentraum can be abstract. I don't know how venturesome the lyrics are, tbh I don't understand them since it's sung in German. But by the delivery there is a bit of personal revelation emotionally. He reveals his mood by the expression of voice. There are times he seems calm, and other times there he seems stressed. In some cases almost to the point of desperation, as if he is struggling to maintain his sanity like at the end of the songJuri Gagarin and in Epilog. Considering title as the theme of the album, one can assume the singer is exploring the emotional state of a person. Using the cosmonaut in his spacecraft as a metaphor for a person being alone. There different different experiences for being alone. There are times when one finds solace in being alone. Other times where there's that sad feeling of loneliness, and at worst a person anguishing in isolation. |
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Soviet Soviet https://s25.postimg.org/uc7hawd27/t9...32370_s400.jpg band: Soviet Soviet from: Pesaro , Italy album title: Fate released: 2013 band members:
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The album opens with drum rolls on hi-hat which immediately brings to mind the drum style Stephen Morris, and from that brief moment you can assume their influence and know where they are going. The bass has that liquidy chorus sound of Hooky. The sound of the singer's voice lies somewhere between Stan Ridgway and John Lydon. The band is mercurial switching between Post-Punk a la Joy Division and suddenly segueing into soaring Shoegazing echo-y strumming. It's a pretty fast pace and solid album. ... and the band is from Italy and not from Russia, an important distinction to be made considering the name. Soviet Soviet - Ecstasy |
exlovers https://s25.postimg.org/9z3bc7pcv/936.jpg band: exlovers (also stylized as ex lovers, ExLovers) from: London, England album title: Moth released: 2012 members:
exlovers - You Forget So Easily Dream Pop meets Cuddlecore, fall in love, & then become exlovers. Last.fm says they draw upon their influences such as The Cure, Teenage Fan Club, My Bloody Valentine, and Elliot Smith. Not sure if that is true, or an opinion of the last.fm reviewer - interesting though cause you can hear some of that in thier songs. You can also hear the guitar playing similar to Johnny Marr from The Smiths, and the singer has that soft voice like Dustin Reske from Rocketship. |
Afternoon Naps https://s25.postimg.org/f7p7c3hjz/naps_album.jpgband name: Afternoon Naps album title: Parade tracklist:
I really like this album, it's one of my favorites. The best way to describe their sound is a mix of My Favorite and The Smiths, with a good dose of 60s Pop sensibilty. Plum City Fight Song - A nice bright sounding gutiar, "string" sound from organ, and light touches of a xylophone are the backdrop for a sincerely sung lyrics. The opening track is a bit low key, but that quickly changes with the next song. Beach Bums - Starts off like Mystery Achievement then it settles into more of a 60s Pop song, it has a Motown beat to it. The Day We Started - Has a Housemartin meets Betty And The Werewolves feel. Mitten Fingers - The in and out swell of the synthesize reminds me of the in-between part of songs on "A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness" album. The chorus definitely very similar to My Favorite. Seasons May Change - has the feel of Love Is All Around by The Troggs The Fall Companion has those clear clean Peter Buck arpeggios. Catholic School Starts right off with a Carl Wilson 12 String riff, then it settles into a Johnny and the Hurricanes solo, especially the organ solo. The "I hate school" lines is a bit cheesy, but humorous. Discoverse - The title is Disco + verse, and the song does have a Disco sound, but it's blend with Electroclash. Bubblegum 45 The song has a Sunshine Pop sound overall, especially the "bah bah bah" intro, and the flute solo. But the rhythm guitar tends be more like The Smiths and the drum is doing a break beat with a shuffle feel. Digitally Altered Sunset a mellow ending to a pretty much up-beat album. |
Tour de Force
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The Ruling Class 7" A. Umbrella Folds B. Shame or Pride SULK Gracelesshttps://s16.postimg.org/4hs8m28id/61...d968851570.jpg tracklist:
No Illusions https://s16.postimg.org/eme67pwk5/su...ns_400x400.jpg tracklist:
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promotional videos: SULK - Flowers from Graceless track 2 SULK - The Big Blue from Graceless track 4 SULK - Wishes from Graceless track 7 SULK - Black Infinity (Upside Down) from No Illusions first track I am always looking for a band on YouTube, sampling songs, until I come across something I like. If I am lucky the band not only has one good song got my attention but the album have a bunch of half decent songs. Sometimes it seems hard to find a band that I like everything they do, and sometimes it they seems easy to find once I find them. When I do I feel lucky to stumble across a band like that. I feel like I hit pay dirt. When I think about what it is about them I like it is that they are stone throw away from a band I like. They are like a bunch of roses where being roses they are just like any other but have their own unique color. They the take two styles and blend them in their own. They make something that sounds not only familiar but something one can draw a direct link to other bands. They have something fresh and exciting to offer. The history of band that assumed the mantle for Brit Pop starts in Norrköping, Sweden with the guitar player & song writer Tomas Kubowicz. He got hooked on music through his friends He said "The Stone Roses was kind of an introduction - I never had any high thoughts of their debut album when I first listened to it, but when I picked up the album again a couple years later and had a listen, it totally exploded. It's a masterpiece. I've never left them since."* He moved to Stockholm where he met the bass player, Anton Lindberg. The both of them headed to London, in 2006. They bucked the music scene which was mostly Post-Punk and Libertine-esque bands. They found a drummer Alfonso Tammaro. The trio caught the attention of Mark Wallis and had the opportunity to record with him. He worked with the like s of Travis, The Smiths, U2, Talking Heads, The LA’s and The Go-Betweens.** I'm sure of details with the original line up of The Ruling Class, but it seems the only surving member was the originator of the band, Tomas Kubowicz. He brought Jon Sutcliffe on vocals and brought in the rhythm guitar player Andrew Needle Somewhere along the line there was in personnel change for bass and drums, with Jakub Starzyński (bass) and Lewis Jones (drums). Without saying first impressions are the most lasting, and the first songs I heard by The Ruling Class & Sulk are my favorites. Listening to Flowers you can immediately hear a connection to the song Waterfall by the Stone Roses, but at faster pace, with the funky/psychedelic bass playing in the style of Debbie Googe and the soft creaminess of a delivery reminiscent of The Charolettes. They one of my favorite bands, and I hope if you check them out they that type of band you are exactly looking for... references: shelflife records: the ruling class tour de force Mark Wallis - record producer - remixer - engineer |
Voxtrot Raised By Wolves http://i.imgur.com/DXwgKIB.jpg?2 released: July 25th, 2005 tracklist:
Voxtrot https://s25.postimg.org/6e7fszktb/t4...33800_s400.jpg (Voxtrot can be found on Spotify) chronology: ...catalog spot:debut released: 2007 members:
found on: spotify tracklist:
Voxtrot - The Start of Something Raised By Wolves track 2 Voxtrot - Ghost Voxtrot track 3 Voxtrot was an indie band started by Ramesh Srivastava. They're from Austin, Texas. The started around 2003 and have disbanded in 2010. The first song I heard by them was "The Start of Something" from the EP Raised By Wolves. The song has a a Motown sound via The Smiths, and even the vocal style pays homage to Morrissey. I am especially fond of Ghost, it features a piano. It also has a nice string accompaniment. There is a nice bass and drum interplay that almost Prog Rock-ish, or a slow down Shoegaze bass & drum pattern. Ramesh puts a lot of effort in crafting his lyrics and as much effort in delivering them. I think he is a talent shouldn't be over-look and I think both songs are worth checking out. |
The Symposium http://i.imgur.com/6fEWFMq.jpg?1 album title: Drugs released: Oct, 2014 tracklist:
http://i.imgur.com/XiVhuwA.jpg?1 album title: The Symposium released: April, 2017 tracklist:
The Symposium on Audiotree Live (Full Session) published on: Sep 7, 2016
The Symposium definitely have a Strokes influence, which the admit to during the Audiotree session. Even though Weezer wasn't brought up, there are a few songs that remind me of them like ACL, Red River, Song Love and Streets. The Physical Attractions has a Pinkerton vibe to it. Tony Stark's a song I have to play over and over again. It has nothing to do with Iron Man, it's more about advice for someone in love. Streems has such a catchy tune. It changes over rather abruptly to the outro. In between the songs on the album they have short instrumental interludes, and they're done throughout the album. I'm not totally convinced they are necessary. They border on being album filler, however there no songs that can be considered actual album filler. I really looking forward to hearing more from this band. The Symposium is my favorite album so far for 2017. I would recommend this band to any Weezer or Strokes fans, maybe Mrs. Tristan Rosenstock, (if he hasn't heard them already). |
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Girls at Our Best! https://s25.postimg.org/eqf8gy3of/ph...d_header-1.jpg https://i.imgur.com/LaurK2r.jpg?1 album title: Pleasure released: 1981 tracklist: 01 Getting Nowhere Fast 0:00 |||||||||| ||| || 02 Warm Girls 2:01 ||||||||||||| ||| | 03 Politics 6:06 |||||||||| || 04 It's Fashion 9:24 |||||||||| 05 Go for Gold 11:49 |||||||||| || 06 Pleasure 15:12 ||||||||||||| || 07 Too Big for Your Boots 18:01 |||||||||| 08 I'm Beautiful Now 20:51 ||||||||||||| || 09 Waterbed Babies 24:25 ||||||||||||| || 10 Fun-City Teenagers 27:49 ||||||||||||| 11 £600,000 30:41 ||||||||||||| 12 Heaven 33:30 ||||||||||||| 13 China Blue 37:19 ||||||||||||| 14 Fast Boyfriends 40:25 ||||||||||||| || 15 She Flipped 43:15 |||||||||| 16 Goodbye to That Jazz 46:42 |||||||||| 17 This Train 50:27 |||||||||| ||||||||||||| I thought I would experiment a little for this entry. Taking an idea I've seen on found on some tape decks and recording console, I am using green and red vertical bars to approximate in text the look of a LCD meters. I am rating how much "pleasure" I derive from the song. The green is good to really good, the red is like extra credit and this rating is only relative to the songs on the album. I gave every song ten green vbars, basically 5/5 rating. The red vbars gauges how each song compared to other songs on the album. This is a rough estimate, I could tweak them forever, depending on my mood. I thought it would be important to have a visual aid to show what I think of each song, and this is the best idea I've came up with, I hope it is easily understood and not confusing to anyone. Girls at Our Best! are one of the bands that had the distinguished honour of being recorded live for the John Peel Sessions on February 17th, 1981. They only put out one album. Knowing that leaves me wanting more. As for a debut album goes, I feel they knocked it out of the ballpark. They're from Leeds along with Gang of Four, Delta 5 and Soft Cell, who were also active at the same time. Discovering GaOB! was like finding another puzzle piece that fits perfectly to surroundings -- to what I already know and like about UK music at that period. They blend New Wave and Post Rock nicely. Their sound isn't as edgy as Gang of Four, but still have considerable amount of energy that make them a faster pace band than say The Jesus and Mary Chain. Warm Girls was the first song I heard and I played it dozens of times before I ever made a move to listen to their album. Fun-City Teenagers sound like a collaboration of Sunforest and the Housemartins, with the Ants singing background vocals. |
GARMARNA https://s25.postimg.org/ohn4kivq7/ga...-front-cmg.jpg band: Garmarna members:
album: Guds Spelemän tracklist:
Garmarna - Vänner och fränder Halling från Makedonien instrumental GJALLARHORN https://i.imgur.com/aTmo6n8.jpg?1 band: Gjallarhorn genres: Folk, Traditional, Neofolk, World music members:
album title: Ranarop tracklist:
Gjallarhorn - Konungadottrarna I really haven't spend much time investigating Scandinavian Folk music. I came across Gjallarhorn on a compilation CD. I loved them first time I ever heard them. The comp contained the song "Suvetar." I never heard a song with such powerful sound. Everything about the song: drumming and didgeridoos and singing (the harmonies, the counter-point) everything about the song just sounds epic. I found out about Garmarna recently on YT. I love how Emma Härdelin sings, even the way she rolls her R's. She's what hooked me in. They are two of my favorite bands but I have to admit I say this is without much comparison to other bands in the same category. I am not one for rating albums but I would guesstimate around 9/10 for both. |
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