1. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (2) 2. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (3) 3. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (1) 4. NATURAL – Imagine Dragons (6) 5. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (7) 6. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (5) 7. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (9) 8. NEVERMIND – Dennis Lloyd (11) 9. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (4) 10. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (8) 11. WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS – Greta Van Fleet (13) 12. GHOST – Badflower (14) 13. UNWIND – John Defeo (10) 21st week on chart 14. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (12) 48th week on chart 15. RIDE OR DIE – The Knocks featuring Foster the People (17) 16. BETTER NOW – Post Malone (20) 17. SOMETHING HUMAN – Muse (18) 18. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN – AJR (19) 19. ALL MY FRIENDS – The Revivalists (21) 20. CRAZY – From Ashes to New (24) 21. CITY LOOKS PRETTY – Courtney Barnett (25) 22. HUNGER – Florence + the Machine (15) 23. I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING – Two Feet (16) 22nd week on chart 24. DEAD TO ME – Reality Suite (27) 25. PANIC – Agency Panic (28) 26. HUMILITY – Gorillaz featuring George Benson (22) 27. TIDAL WAVE – Portugal.The Man (30) 28. HI HELLO – Johnny Marr (23) 29. BODY TALKS – The Struts (N) 30. IN MY MIND – Draft Evader (N)
DVR is a studio project by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Olav Christensen. Originally from Denmark, Olav is now based in Brooklyn, NY, and writes, records, produces and masters all his music. He’s been recording music for a number of years, and began releasing singles in 2015, and dropped his first full-length album California in 2016. That work was inspired by memories collected by Olav when he lived in Santa Monica, and was a collaborative effort with bassist/synth musician Ancelmo James.
In late July, he released a new EP Down, which he describes as “five depressing songs for the kids, guaranteed to make you feel better.” While the songs’ themes do address the down sides of love and relationships, his wonderful music is generally upbeat, having the effect of softening the raw emotions expressed in his dark, poetic lyrics.
The first track “Precious Little Time” is a lovely pop-rock ballad that seems to be about regret over past transgressions that resulted in the loss of a loving relationship. The instrumentals are a pleasing mix of acoustic, electric and slide guitars, accompanied by gentle percussion, that perfectly complement the wistful lyrics:
Precious little time makes me lose my head It’s not that you did wrong, I’m just hanging by a thread Running out of time and I keep slowing down Beat and broken down, knees to the ground I’ll send you love from the great beyond To take the edge off breaking my bond
“Low” has an edgier rock sound, with fuzzy and psychedelic guitars, heavy bass and industrial synths set to a driving beat. DVR’s electronically distorted vocals give the track a bit of a Peter Gabriel vibe. It’s a brilliant song, and probably my favorite on the EP. “Another Year” is a soulful pop-rock track with some fine, intricate electric guitar and a strong thumping drumbeat. His smooth vocals are really nice, as are his own backing harmonies, which he very effectively uses on other tracks as well. He sings about his shortcomings and how he always fails to live up to his best intentions: “I won’t make no resolutions. There really is no point. Cause when it comes to execution I just disappoint.”
He speeds things up on “Your Shoes,” a peppy, upbeat-sounding rock song with great guitar work and decidedly dark lyrics. Spoken from the point of view of someone who’s completely cynical and emotionally dead, his words offer a bit of empathy to another who’s suffering, though from what we’re not told. His earnest, emotionally-charged vocals almost reach a falsetto level at times.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow But I’ve been dead for a while My spirit’s dull and hollow My soul is dark and vile But here Close to the ground Flat on my back Nothing to lose Here I realize what it’s like To be in your shoes
On “Undetected,” DVR employs a wide assortment of rich guitar textures, and layers them over a thumping bass line and strutting drumbeat to create an uptempo backdrop for his heartfelt vocals. With a sense of sad resignation, he laments about how the object of his desire doesn’t seem to care about him:
I’d like to be on your radar It’s my favorite place to be But all the while, here you are Not looking for me I’m always undetected As I drift across your scope I’ll always be neglected Here at the end of my rope
Down is a great little EP that left me wanting more from this versatile artist. Though he refers to himself as a “shitty” guitarist in his Twitter bio, I’d say he’s a pretty good one! And given his rather prolific output over the past few years, I’m sure we’ll be hearing new music from DVR soon.
I Fight Fail is an Alternative/Electronic/Emo/Rock band from Canton, Ohio. Consisting of Andy Potter on lead vocals and bass, Daryl Johnson on guitar and backing vocals and Anthony Carter on drums, the band formed in 2014, after the guys had played together in previous bands. Their band name is about perseverance, in their words “a state of mind or an idea that you have to keep going forward even when you fall down.”
Fusing alternative rock with an electronic/pop sound, I Fight Fail creates music that’s fresh, smart and incredibly pleasing. They released their debut EP Move Me in 2014, then followed two years later with their second EP Voyages and Vantage Points, both of which are excellent. In January 2018, they dropped a new single “Silhouettes,” which will be included on a forthcoming third EP, to be released in 2019.
The song is a sort of coming of age anthem, spoken from the point of view of teenagers eager to jump headlong into adulthood, but still struggling to find their way forward and forge their identities: “You were skipping school and I felt cool cause I was older. We broke all the rules, and I let you cry onto my shoulder. / And we can’t wait to start planning our escape. We’re all lost, we’re all lost in our heads. Bring us back. Bring us back from the dead. We are silhouettes.”
Musically, the guys make generous use of glittery synths, delicate keyboards, chiming guitars and snappy drums to create a joyful sense of hopefulness and optimism, but with a serious undercurrent that keeps the song grounded in reality. Andy’s smooth, earnest vocals are really nice, as are the guys’ soaring choruses that appear later in the track. It’s a wonderful song.
1. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (1) 4th week at #1 2. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (2) 3. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (3) 4. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (4) 5. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (5) 6. NATURAL – Imagine Dragons (7) 7. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (10) 8. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (8) 9. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (9) 10. UNWIND – John Defeo (6) 20th week on chart 11. NEVERMIND – Dennis Lloyd (13) 12. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (11) 47th week on chart 13. WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS – Greta Van Fleet (14) 14. GHOST – Badflower (18) 15. HUNGER – Florence + the Machine (12) 16. I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING – Two Feet (16) 21st week on chart 17. RIDE OR DIE – The Knocks featuring Foster the People (19) 18. SOMETHING HUMAN – Muse (22) 19. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN – AJR (23) 20. BETTER NOW – Post Malone (25) 21. ALL MY FRIENDS – The Revivalists (26) 22. HUMILITY – Gorillaz featuring George Benson (17) 23. HI HELLO – Johnny Marr (15) 24. CRAZY – From Ashes to New (27) 25. CITY LOOKS PRETTY – Courtney Barnett (28) 26. SUCH A SIMPLE THING – Ray LaMontagne (20) 27. DEAD TO ME – Reality Suite (29) 28. PANIC – Agency Panic (30) 29. QUARTER PAST MIDNIGHT – Bastille (21) 30. TIDAL WAVE – Portugal.The Man (N)
I’ve featured quite a few artists and bands from the UK on this blog, and one of my favorites is the astonishingly talented Future Theory. The Lincolnshire-based foursome consists of Max Sander on rhythm guitar and vocals, Chris Moore on lead guitar, Rex Helley on bass, and Rohan Parrett on drums. Drawing inspiration from Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age, Coldplay and The Verve – and how can you possibly go wrong with inspiration from those legendary bands? – they’ve developed a lavish sound built on elements of alternative and progressive rock, shoegaze, psychedelia and funk. I’m not exaggerating when I use the word ‘astonishing’ to describe them, as their outstanding songwriting and musicianship has a complexity and depth that’s impressive for such a young band. And Max’s amazing vocal style possesses a nuanced emotional intensity that seems mature beyond his years.
Future Theory released their spectacular debut EP Fool’s Dream in 2016 (which I reviewed), then followed in April of this year with a brilliant single “Fractured Nation,” which I also reviewed. Today they return with a new single “Peace of Mind,” and it’s another stellar track with complex melodies, intelligent lyrics and dazzling instrumentation.
The song kicks off with exuberant jangly guitars, crystalline synths and sharp percussion, all melding together to paint a rich tapestry of sound. Max’s sultry vocals have a raw, vulnerable quality that’s quite pleasing to my ears, though it’s sometimes difficult to understand some of the lyrics he’s singing. The instrumentals build to a turbulent mix of heavy bass, piercing guitars and crashing cymbals in the bridge, then break down to clear jangly riffs that seem to sparkle like glitter on the airwaves through to the end of the track. It’s a dark and beautiful song.
The lyrics speak to the struggle of maintaining a loving relationship by reassuring your significant other of your love and devotion in the face of her alcohol addiction: “Forget about your day and your worries now. Go back into the warmth and find your wants in supply. Cause I adore you and all the things you do for me.” But then he’s trying to hold on to his peace of mind while applying some tough love to convince her to quit drinking: “I gotta stay here. Piece of warmth. Peace of mind. Be so warm, be so quiet. Love factor aside, you need a kick in your behind. You try to make her realize the alcohol don’t fix inside.”
no mad is a rather unique alternative funk-rock band. It was formed in 2017 by five nomadic professional musicians with the purpose of recording songs that would eventually become the album Motions in Black, which dropped in late May. They’re all pretty talented artists, as evidenced by their superb melodic, guitar-driven rock sound. Though based in London, UK, they refer to themselves as “nomads in a nomadic world.” The band’s songwriter provided some background information about no mad and how Motions in Black came to be.
“The band really started with the songwriter unearthing old songs from cardboard boxes in 2016. Some of these songs had been written 20-30 years ago but never recorded. He met a few friends, friends of friends, etc., and in 2017 the band was formed to record a first 10-song album (the repertoire has a total of 40-50 songs, so plenty for more albums to come!). The songs that were chosen for the debut album Motions in Black were some of the older songs and also some of the darker ones, perhaps with some 1990s nostalgia.
The five members of the band that recorded the album included the singer, guitarist, bassist, drummer, and the songwriter who did back-vocals and other bits. As modern nomads and London musicians, we came from very different backgrounds as well as music genres. The “D” in no mad is the “The Doctor.” He’s an incredible drummer and has been involved in lots of rock and metal projects, toured in Europe etc. In 2017 he became a father. His family settled in Lisbon and he had to leave London, so sadly, the band was down one.
The band members are not really trying to stay anonymous, but they like their privacy, and being all professional musicians, they are also busy on other musical projects of their own. Fans can probably figure out who they are by following the tags in some tweets or Instagram pictures. It’s just that no mad believe in the power of the songs, the melodies and lyrics. It’s not about who we are or how we look, it’s about the music and message. Having said that, we’re not hiding either. “The NO” came to England when he was 13. He’s a brilliant guitarist who lives for his music. “The M” is an amazing bassist who’s been involved in lots of rock and metal bands, is a reference on his instrument, and has also settled in London after coming over from Europe. Singer-drummer “The A” is a bit of a different case ’cause he thinks he’s an alien, and actually calls himself “Alien”. He won’t say which planet he’s from though…. your guess is as good as ours on that one!”
The album kicks off nicely with the funky and upbeat “Car Jam.” A delightfully funky bass line, snappy drums and jazzy organ form a solid foundation for layers of intricate guitar work and lively vocals. The lyrics are an admonition to a rigid, uptight person to just loosen up, quit being so judgmental and have a good time – get down with the funk and do the car jam baby! no mad takes a more serious turn on “Just Another Love Story,” a song about trying to convince yourself a relationship is over, but you can’t get over her and keep imagining you see her everywhere you go. “But each time I’m feeling blue. I fall into some freaking view. Over you.” The guitar work is awesome, continuously surprising us with new textures that go from chiming to funky to bluesy, and everything in between. The percussion is fantastic too, with flourishes of military-style drumbeats that seem to drive home the bitterness expresses in the lyrics. It’s a great track; guitar-driven rock doesn’t get much better than this.
The beautifully-filmed video shows “The M” walking around Camden, where he thinks he repeatedly spots his old girlfriend.
Another standout track, and one of my favorites, is the dark “To the Other Side.” The gorgeous haunting melody hits you right between the ears, and as always, the guitar work is splendid. The impassioned vocals of “The A” have a seductive, yet slightly dangerous quality as he sings the lyrics that could mean he’s about to die or is suffering from a mental breakdown. “You know I love you Donna. Don’t want to leave you now. You know I love you don’ya. I’ll never let you down.” I really like the play on the words “Donna” and “don’ya.” The backing female vocals are beguiling, and add to the song’s haunting vibe.
As the album progresses, I’m blown away by the band’s ability to write such beautiful and memorable melodies. “Anna” has a fantastic hook, along with plenty of rock grooves that make for a really nice track. The song’s about a women who seems lost in her own world, with the singer trying to break through to her. “Anna, Pretty Anna what do you see? When you’re waiting for a message but there’s nothing on the screen. How d’you feel?” Clocking in at nearly six minutes, “Sweet Loneliness” has an almost epic quality, with extensive lyrics that read like a long, deep poem: “Why did you have to go so soon. It’s like you left an empty room. You filled my life with your absence. Pronounced an unfinished sentence. Sweet loneliness, my old friend I’ve come to be with you again. You are my peace, my consolation. And I’ll be with you till the end.” The bluesy riffs and haunting melody are positively mesmerizing, and I can safely state that I’m head over heels in love with this album, even though I’m only halfway through it!
Next up is the gorgeous title track “Motions in Black.” The track starts off with “The A” singing “Da da da da da da da” to a jangly acoustic guitar, then the track opens up into an achingly beautiful melodic riff of jangly and bluesy guitars. The song was written in 1985, and speaks to a love that used to be: “If you wanta be anything to me. I’ll take no other feeling than your sentiment of love. And if you want a chat. Why don’t we talk it over. Motions in black.” It’s absolutely sublime, and another of my favorite tracks on the album.
The guys return to a funky mood with “Get Along,” essentially an anti-war song that urges us to stop fighting and learn to love and accept one another and get along: “We’re all sons of the World. On this I’ll give you my word. We’ve been waiting too long. Why can’t we all get along?” The bouncy and funky “Downtown” tells the saga of Betty, who went to the big city to try and make it on her looks and charm, but ended up in trouble and on the streets. “She’s not a bitch or a witch I realized. She’s just another human being. / I hear an angel crying. Down Town.”
“Mental Revolution” is an interesting track, with two completely different melodies. The song opens with a soaring anthemic chorus, then abruptly transitions to an uptempo funk-infused rock reminiscent of the kind the Average White Band played back in the 70s. The anthemic chorus is repeated halfway through, then the melody shifts back to the funky rock tempo. Album closer “Tonight” is an upbeat rock song of love and devotion: “Tonight, I want you to know. Wherever you go I’ll be there for you.” The track features some fine guitar and keyboards.
To sum up, Motions in Black is a fantastic album and stellar debut for no mad. It really showcases their skill for writing poetic lyrics and gorgeous, guitar-driven melodies, and bringing them to magnificent life. I eagerly look forward to them recording more of those already-written songs.
1. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (1)
2. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (2)
3. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (3)
4. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (5)
5. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (6)
6. UNWIND – John Defeo (4)
7. NATURAL – Imagine Dragons (8)
8. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (12)
9. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (13)
10. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (14)
11. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (9) 46th week on chart
12. HUNGER – Florence + the Machine (7)
13. NEVERMIND – Dennis Lloyd (15)
14. WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS – Greta Van Fleet (20)
15. HI HELLO – Johnny Marr (10)
16. I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING – Two Feet (11) 20th week on chart
17. HUMILITY – Gorillaz featuring George Benson (16)
18. GHOST – Badflower (22)
19. RIDE OR DIE – The Knocks featuring Foster the People (21)
20. SUCH A SIMPLE THING – Ray LaMontagne (17)
21. QUARTER PAST MIDNIGHT – Bastille (18)
22. SOMETHING HUMAN – Muse (26)
23. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN – AJR (27)
24. FLAWLESS – Dorothy (19)
25. BETTER NOW – Post Malone (N)
26. ALL MY FRIENDS – The Revivalists (N)
27. CRAZY – From Ashes to New (N)
28. CITY LOOKS PRETTY – Courtney Barnett (N)
29. DEAD TO ME – Reality Suite (N)
30. PANIC – Agency Panic (N)
Traverse the Abyss is a heavy metal band based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Their intense, face-melting sound draws from a myriad of metal sub-genres, including classic heavy metal, thrash metal, death metal, nu-metal and metal core, as well as hard rock, rock’n’roll and even punk influences. They formed in 2016 and quickly got to work recording their first album Gamble of Life, which was released that November. It was an impressive debut, and you can read my review here. Since then, they’ve dropped three singles, all of which are now included on their new self-titled EP Traverse the Abyss.
The band has undergone a few personnel changes since their beginning, and the current line up is now Eric Abyss (Vocals), “Iron” Mike White (Guitar), Mike “Bnoc” Bieniecki (Bass/Backing Vocals), Matt Mierzejewski (Guitar) and Nathan Cardona (Drums).
The guys get right down to business with the scorching opening track “Failure.” Our ears are greeted with a wailing guitar solo that’s quickly broken by an explosion of stabbing shredded guitars, jack-hammer death metal riffs, and speaker-blowing drums. Halfway through, the guys throw some nice melodic riffage into the maelstrom of furious guitars, adding texture and complexity to the track. Eric screams the lyrics with a savage ferocity that’s almost frightening.
I hope he has a good ear, nose and throat specialist, because he’ll surely need one after he’s done ripping his vocal cords to shreds on “Dead Weight.” This is a real head-banger, with frantic riffs of raging guitars, crushing bass and pummeling drums. Eric brutally screams the biting lyrics that are a total repudiation of someone who’d fucked you over: “I think you’ve mistaken me for someone who truly gives a fuck.”
Traverse the Abyss turns introspective on “Time Flies,” ruminating on life changes and the inevitable loss and regret many of us experience with the passage of time: “I have to live with decisions that I’ve made. Yet they make me who I am today. / I lie awake every night and reminisce. About my friends and family and times that I miss, and how they are never coming back.”
The guys continue on their rampaging path of sonic destruction with the face-melting “Family” and “Inner Demons.” The furious, fast-paced riffs rain down hot and heavy, but with an amazing intricacy, and Eric’s death metal growls are positively bestial. They inject a heavy dose of rock’n’roll into their metal on “Battle Cry,” one of my favorite tracks on the album. It opens with a playful burst of fiendish laughter, then Eric sings “A scooba dooba do bop ba bop bam boo” before frantic rolling guitars, heavy bass and thunderous drums take over. “Iron” Mike and Matt tear through the airwaves with jaw-dropping riffs as sharp as razor wire, while Eric screams the lyrics that are a clarion call against tyranny.
I thought I’d heard the most brutal music the band had to offer, but I was wrong! The guys really bare their death metal teeth and dial up the ferocity on the final track “Blink.” Man, the staccato death metal riffs are like machine-gun fire on steroids, and the pummeling bass and drums so powerful I could feel them in my gut. Eric seems to stretch his vocal abilities to the breaking point, his screams and growls matching the fury of the instrumentals note for note. It’s a great finish to a fantastic, hard-hitting album.
With their sophomore effort, Traverse the Abyss further confirm their strengths for writing outstanding heavy/death metal songs with compelling, relevant lyrics and great melodies, as well as their skills at bringing them to life with their impressive musicianship. With two great albums now under their belt, I would safely say they’re a band on an upward trajectory.
Catch them at one of these upcoming shows:
Friday, Aug 24 EP Release Show – The V-spot Scranton, PA
Agency Panic is an alternative/progressive metal rock band based in Wexford, Ireland, and in July they made an auspicious debut with the release of their powerful new single “Panic.” It’s the first song off what they are calling their ‘drip feed’ EP, which is being released one song at a time. Making the hard-hitting noise are J.D.K. on vocals, Tubs on guitars, Lee on bass, and Revsy on drums.
“Panic” is four minutes and 49 seconds of hard rock perfection. The track opens with a blast of crashing drums and fierce guitar, and never lets up. The guitar work is phenomenal – Tubs sets the airwaves afire with scorching riffs of shredded and wailing guitars that are pure bliss for those of us who love intense, guitar-driven melodic rock. Lee lays down a solid bedrock of heavy bass, while Revsy pounds his drum kit like a man possessed. J.D.K.’s strong, passionate vocals are chilling as he snarls the dark lyrics, becoming downright feral in the song’s finale when he screams the words alongside the raging guitars, sending shivers up and down my spine.
It’s an incredible song that leaves me wanting to hear more from this amazing group of musicians, and I cannot wait for their next single! The intense black and white video shows the band performing the song in a darkened room with ominous-looking shadows, alternating with scenes of a man stealing, then destroying, medical records and cutting off his fingerprints in what appears to be an attempt to hide his very existence. Later in the video are scenes of civil unrest and other disturbing images, juxtaposed with the band’s performance of the now almost violent music and vocals. Have a look and prepare to be blown away:
1. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (1) 2. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (3) 3. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (5) 4. UNWIND – John Defeo (2) 5. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (8) 6. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (9) 7. HUNGER – Florence + the Machine (4) 8. NATURAL – Imagine Dragons (19) 9. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (7) 45th week on chart 10. HI HELLO – Johnny Marr (11) 11. I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING – Two Feet (6) 12. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (13) 13. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (14) 14. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (17) 15. NEVERMIND – Dennis Lloyd (18) 16. HUMILITY – Gorillaz featuring George Benson (15) 17. SUCH A SIMPLE THING – Ray LaMontagne (10) 18. QUARTER PAST MIDNIGHT – Bastille (12) 19. FLAWLESS – Dorothy (16) 20. WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS – Greta Van Fleet (25) 21. RIDE OR DIE – The Knocks featuring Foster the People (24) 22. GHOST – Badflower (29) 23. GIVE YOURSELF A TRY – The 1975 (20) 24. COLORS – Beck (21) 25. FOUR OUT OF FIVE – Arctic Monkeys (22) 26. SOMETHING HUMAN – Muse (N) 27. BURN THE HOUSE DOWN – AJR (N) 28. BLOOM – Troye Sivan (26) 29. KAMIKAZE – WALK THE MOON (27) 30. LIFE TO FIX – The Record Company (23)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 