1. THE MAN – The Killers (1) 5th week at #1
2. HOLDING ON – The War on Drugs (2)
3. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (5)
4. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (3)
5. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (4)
6. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (7)
7. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (8)
8. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (9)
9. SUIT AND JACKET – Judah & the Lion (12)
10. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (13)
11. HIGHWAY TUNE – Greta Van Fleet (20)
12. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (6)
13, CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (11)
14. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (16) 21st week on list
15. RUN – Foo Fighters (10)
16. IT’S A TRIP! – Joywave (17)
17. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (18)
18. WALK ON WATER – 30 Seconds to Mars (19)
19. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (14)
20. HIGH – Sir Sly (15) 20th week on list
Listening to the music of Guy Paul Thibault, it would be easy to assume he’s from somewhere like Nashville, Tennessee. In reality the singer/songwriter/guitarist – who plays tremendously satisfying folk music with strong country and rock influences – hails from beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada. An accomplished musician, Guy Paul has written, recorded and produced six albums on his own. He’s also played acoustic, electric, bass and slide guitar, and sang vocals for original acts and cover bands. In June he released a new album It’s About Time, an appropriate title given the span of 17 years since his last solo album.
I’ve always loved songs that tell a story, and It’s About Time is loaded with them. Let me state right here that Guy Paul is an incredible wordsmith. Through poetic, heartfelt, and sometimes humorous lyrics, his songs address the oft-covered subjects of life, love and heartbreak, but in ways that reveal the contradictory facets of good and evil inherent in each of us. Furthermore, these colorful stories are delivered with his sublime vocals and accompanied by some pretty nifty acoustic and electric guitar. I usually like to highlight a few song lyrics in my reviews, but in this case I’ll be featuring quite a lot of them.
“Here She Comes” kicks off the album with a pleasing country-rock rhythm. Guy Paul instantly hooks us in with his laid back vocal delivery and nimble acoustic guitar. Gentle percussion sets the beat and the sweet violin in the bridge is a nice touch.
One of the best ‘story’ tracks is “Misdemeanor,” a catchy, guitar-driven and wry tune about an older woman who’s still got it, and always out looking for a good time:
Takes the complications with a delicate smile Avoids one night affairs, well she has for a while That’s what she says
Well, hello boys is her natural style
Moves on her prey like a cat in the wild With a closer look, well she’s showing her age But she’s still got her wit and she’s still got those legs
Ahh those legs
Guy Paul turns serious with “Hills,” a compelling song about people living a hardscrabble existence in rural America who’ve endured more than their fair share of military service and the consequential casualties, PTSD and societal breakdown:
You can hide a body forever in these hills A thousand square miles and a hundred little stills They took us from our homes and taught us how to fight Now justice comes in the middle of the night Now terror comes in the middle of the night
He strums his guitar with a forcefulness to match the searing lyrics, backed by an assertive military drumbeat and mournful harmonica. The generous use of electric guitar and bass also lend greater impact to the track.
The poignant “Tallest Man on Earth” addresses the realization that the father you once idolized, thinking you wanted to be like him, wasn’t so high in stature after all:
When I was just a young man, trying not to fall The only thing that seemed to matter was growing up and being tall Growing tall brings great things, like seeing past the trees You can’t hear the whispers, your head up in the breeze He seemed the tallest man on earth
His heart died alone they say, running against the wall He never could comprehend life wasn’t about being tall He seemed the tallest man on earth The smallest man on earth
Another powerful and standout track is “We Just Don’t Care,” a hard-hitting country-rock anthem that speaks to the apathy and sense of futility caused by feelings of betrayal by society and our government. Those sentiments are expressed by an attitude of entitlement – ‘I want what’s owed to me, and to hell with everyone else’:
Sacrifice is such a lonely word There’s not much left in this world We’re all trying the best we can Can’t see the beach for the grains of sand Belief is just a long-lost dream Slowly fades from what I’ve seen Lack faith in our fellow man Lost in time a simple slight of hand This is how we are now And we just don’t care
Guy Paul shows us his rocker side on “Saving Grace,” a rousing song with a driving beat and lots of terrific electric and rhythm guitar riffs. One of my favorite tracks is “Saturday Night,” a catchy and breezy country song about hooking up with strangers to avoid being lonely. The lyrics are rather bittersweet until he lightens things up at the end:
It’s alright, I still got my friends That’s what I’m talkin’ about Hey wait a minute, is that another bottle over there? Same time next week?
“Stay (For Riley)” is a lovely but wistful ballad about saying goodbye to a loved one – or a pet perhaps? “You were my best friend, chased all of my fears. Now you live in every tear. Stay.” Guy Paul serves up jangly guitar riffs on “If I Had,” a really nice folk tune about dreaming of enjoying life by hitting the road in his car with a girl and guitar. Wrapping up the album is the sorrowful “How Far Could I Fall.” The country song speaks of hitting bottom after his girl left him and he sought comfort with booze and drugs.
It’s About Time is well worth the wait of 17 years, as it’s superb on every level. In addition to Guy Paul’s impressive songwriting and musicianship, he was assisted on the album by the musical talents of David Bradshaw and Shawn Cherry.
Cary Balsano is a talented young singer/songwriter originally from Italy who’s now based in Liverpool, England. He’s written and recorded scores of songs both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others, and recently released a beautiful new single “Horizon,” accompanied by a stunning video.
The song and video convey a sense of powerful connection with the world and, to my mind, the title “Horizon” symbolizes the brief but meaningful time we spend on this earth. Cary’s deeply personal and moving lyrics speak of life, love and loss, most notably of his father:
Living by the day, dealing with your grace All I want is a kid to name Hoping for some fun, looked in a grave where I saw my father’s face We got a love and I made my mistakes And I’ve got nothing to prove to you We’ve got a lot to learn ’round this fire place It’s called life and I have lost
Musically, the track has a quiet intensity, with soothing acoustic guitar and gentle percussion that keeps the track grounded but never overpowers. Cary’s beguiling vocals are filled with emotion, yet comforting at the same time. Take a listen:
1. THE MAN – The Killers (1)
2. HOLDING ON – The War on Drugs (6)
3. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (4)
4. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (5)
5. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (7)
6. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (2)
7. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (8)
8. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (13)
9. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (14)
10. RUN – Foo Fighters (3)
11. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (9)
12. SUIT AND JACKET – Judah & the Lion (16)
13. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (15)
14. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (10)
15. HIGH – Sir Sly (11) 19th week on list
16. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (12) 20th week on list
17. IT’S A TRIP! – Joywave (18)
18. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (19)
19. WALK ON WATER – 30 Seconds to Mars (20)
20. HIGHWAY TUNE – Greta Van Fleet (N)
Threefold Maze is an indie progressive metal/hard rock band based in Fort Worth, Texas. Formed by long-time friends Doug Whittenberg and Mike Smith, who originally called their fledgling band Aura Caelestis, they released a respectable self-titled album in 2010. Moving forward, as they state in their bio: “it was decided that the next album needed more production, better gear, and a much better name.” After an exhaustive name search, they decided upon Threefold Maze, and spent several years writing and recording songs for their debut album Dollar of Dust. Regarding the album title, Mike explained that it’s “the approximate value of all the stuff in the human body – if dried up. Kinda morbid but sounded cool.” Indeed it does!
Dollar of Dust was released in July 2016, and it’s an ambitious work containing 12 tracks and running an hour in length. Both Doug and Mike played guitar and keyboards on the album and Doug also played bass and provided the lead vocals, while Mike sang backup. Doug’s son Derek Whittenberg was recruited to play drums, and Caitlin Smith provided guest vocals on some of the tracks. The album was self-produced by Threefold Maze, and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland. The band chose Mika based on his work with other bands that fall into the same genre, and the wide-open dynamic sound he delivered that they wanted for Dollar of Dust.
I’ve given the album multiple listens and discover another melody, lyric or instrumental nuance each and every time. It’s truly monumental in scope – the kind of album Styx, Boston and Dream Theater would create if they combined their talents and music styles. (In fact, to my ears, Doug’s vocals are reminiscent of Dennis DeYoung.)
From the ominous heavy sounds and eerie tinkling piano at the beginning of the opening track “Phear,” it’s clear we’re about to hear some amazing music, and Threefold Maze does not disappoint. They deliver an onslaught of blistering, razor-sharp guitar riffs, thunderous percussion and soaring harmonizing vocals. Toss in some amazing keyboards and exuberant orchestral synths, and we’ve got songs of incredible complexity and depth. This is strongly evident on “Hope,” one of the many standouts on Dollar of Dust. The guitar solo at the bridge is mind-blowing.
Many of their song lyrics address the search for meaning and purpose in life, and the challenges we face in finding our own truth. With pummeling bass and guitars blazing, the hard-hitting “To Visit the Darkness” tackles this head on:
Speculation about the world around me. Never knowing what might be found. I try to find my way. Struggles of the mind are great. Love and fear and often hate permeate my thoughts and take control.
The guys serve up more killer riffs and pulse-pounding drums on the melodic tracks “Lost My Way” and “Frozen in Time.” In fact, the brilliant “Frozen in Time” is pretty darn close to being a perfect progressive metal anthem, and is my favorite track on the album.
Next up is the beautiful instrumental interlude “Caelestial Intermission,” a nod to the band’s previous name and album. This track is loaded with magnificent guitar work and mesmerizing synths, and is another one of my favorites. The relative calm is abruptly shattered by the pummeling heavy metal sounds of “Vacant Eyes.” At 2:30, the song shifts to a soothing 30-second interlude featuring keyboards, sweeping synths, and the sublime guest vocals of Caitlin Smith, before the metal riffs return for the outro. Caitlin appears again on “If I” and the epic “What Truth,” a seven and half minute long tour de force of rhythmic shifts, chord change ups, hammering percussion, buzzing bass lines, intriguing synths, mindbending guitar work and lovely vocal harmonies. The track is so melodically and musically complex that it has the feel of a mini rock opera.
At this point, one would think the guys would begin to run out of steam, but nothing could be further from the truth. Their phenomenal musicianship continues to shine on “Beyond the Grey” and “This Moment Calling,” another standout track with jaw-dropping power riffs. The fantastic hard-driving “Neverwake” is a reworking of a track that originally appeared on Aura Caelestis, and a fitting closer to a superb album.
1. THE MAN – The Killers (1)
2. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (2)
3. RUN – Foo Fighters (3)
4. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (6)
5. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (7)
6. HOLDING ON – The War on Drugs (8)
7. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (11)
8. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (10)
9. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (4)
10. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (5)
11. HIGH – Sir Sly (9)
12. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (12)
13. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (14)
14. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (15)
15. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (17)
16. SUIT AND JACKET – Judah & the Lion (19)
17. ONE OF US – New Politics (13)
18. IT’S A TRIP! – Joywave (20)
19. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (N)
20. WALK ON WATER – 30 Seconds to Mars (N)
1. THE MAN – The Killers (1)
2. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (4)
3. RUN – Foo Fighters (5)
4. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (2)
5. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (3)
6. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (6)
7. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (8)
8. HOLDING ON – War on Drugs (9)
9. HIGH – Sir Sly (7)
10. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (12)
11. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (14)
12. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (10)
13. ONE OF US – New Politics (11)
14. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (17)
15. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (18)
16. LIGHTS OUT – Royal Blood (13)
17. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (20)
18. DIG DOWN – Muse (16)
19. SUIT AND JACKET – Judah & the Lion (N)
20. IT’S A TRIP! – Joywave (N)
UK metalcore band Burn Down the District is aptly named, because their music leaves a charred path of destruction in its wake. The Chesterfield, Derbyshire five-piece released their debut EP This Is Not The End in October 2016, hell-bent on melting our faces off. Making this ferocious music are Dean Roberts (Guitar), Roy Shaw (Guitar), Dan Wilkinson (Bass), Paul Whibberley (Drums) and Steven Navin (Vocals).
The guys waste no time launching a full-frontal assault on our ears with the brutal first track “Burn.” With two guitarists and a bassist, they deliver a relentless onslaught of razor-sharp wailing riffs and pummeling bass, aided and abetted by Whibberley’s thunderous drums. Navin displays jaw-dropping vocal power as he screams at the top of his lungs: “We will burn it down! You can’t see the whites of, the whites of their eyes!” The distorted guitar fadeout, which lasts nearly half a minute, is freaking awesome.
There’s no letup in the ferocity of the proceedings as we segue to “Flocks.” This track is a beast, with scorching jack-hammer riffs and Wilkinson’s bone-crushing bass. At this point, I’m wondering how it’s possible that Navin has a shred of vocal cords left as he wails: “I am so tired of flying in flocks! Give me my freedom, it’s all that I’ve got!”
The title track “This is Not the End” offers up more savage intensity, with merciless guitars and speaker-blowing drums. Roberts and Shaw lay down some mind-blowing power riffs as Navin screams the lyrics about refusing to give up, despite everything appearing hopeless: “This is a fucking wasteland! Grab my hand, give me a hook. This is not the end.”
This Is Not The End is a must-have for fans of serious metalcore, though with only three tracks it leaves us wanting more. That said, I hope the guys will bestow upon us some more brutal gems for our listening pleasure – and soon!
As someone who cannot sing, play an instrument of any kind, nor read or compose music, I never fail to be impressed by people who can do those things, especially when they do them well. Even more impressive is when people create music that’s completely original and innovative, leaving me wondering how their minds ever came up with those sounds and melodies in the first place.
Such is the music of Manipulant, an imaginative and, dare I say brilliant, multi-instrumentalist/composer based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Born David Speakman, Manipulant creates “scientific sound spaces” – as so perfectly described on a few of the tracks on his superb second album Eclectro, which dropped in June. Following up on his 2016 debut album Méthode de Narration, Manipulant once again utilizes hypnotic rhythms, dark synths and unconventional instrumentation on Eclectro to tell his stories. And this time around, he’s joined by British chilled trip-hop artist Stoneygate and Italian Astrophysicist Dr. Fiorella Terenzi, who provide unusual and mesmerizing backing vocals for some of the songs.
The mysterious-sounding “Run” kicks things off with strummed electric guitar and spacey synths, then a powerful throbbing bass line and strong drum beat take over, accompanied by bursts of crashing cymbals and a retro 60’s surf guitar riff – the kind Dick Dale or The Ventures played back in the day. In her sultry, almost whispry vocals, Stoneygate sings the bleak lyrics: “World is changing. Ominous sky. The rats are hiding. The birds are silent. Seems we’ve lost our way. Sides are bickering. / Jump back, turnaround, run.”
As Manipulant explained in an excellent interview with the blog Keepsmealive, he wanted the song to be “Somethingdark and driving. It needed to try to capture the mood I was seeing around me in the aftermath of the U.S. elections and some of the chaos that was happening elsewhere in the world.” I think he succeeded quite well; take a listen:
“Methodical” has the kind of thumping dance beat that immediately goes for the hips, and I love it! The far-off echoed vocals, many of which are not understandable, lend an otherworldly vibe to this infectious track. Things turn ominous again with “Doctor, I Need Your Expertise,” in which the beautiful Dr. Terenzi – ‘Goddess of Acoustic Astronomy’ – speaks in her own tribute song. Opening with a menacing buzzsaw sound, Manipulant asks “Dr. Terenzi, where are you?” Her echoed, sci-fi sounding vocals add to the track’s eerie vibe as she says “You are listening to real sounds, scientific sound spaces,” while a pounding beat continues throughout the track.
Regarding the Kraftwerk-inspired EDM track “Marshmallow Fabrik,” Manipulant explained to Keepsmealive “I think many of us carry on as if we are living in a marshmallow factory. Everything is in order and it’s all fluffy and delicious. We don’t focus on things outside of our own space. We continue on with blinders as long as our personal factories keep producing things that make us happy.” Here, echoed voices spoken in German are accompanied by unusual synths that almost sound like a huge snorting alien animal.
“Faulty Tap” is a 30-second instrumental interlude that begins with a loud drip, followed by pounding industrial-sounding synths to create a mood that Manipulant explained “was an extension of the frustration of “Run” put into something as simple and maddening as a leaky faucet.” The organ takes a starring role on “jusq’à la mort nous sépare (The Organist).” It’s a reworking of “The Organist” from his first album, and the French title translated is “until death separates us.” The track is uptempo, with playful synths and a rapid but delicate drum beat that belies the rather somber lyrics, spoken in his echoed vocals: “OhI’m worried, I have a bad feeling about this.You must understand, as a fellow organist, when I’m thwarted I become agitated. You’re not in control here. I’m in control here.”
Next up is the one-minute long dirge-like interlude “Requiem for the 11th Earl of Sandwich,” which Manipulant explained represents the death of civility – Earl being ‘nobility’ which symbolized ‘civility.’ The mood abruptly shifts on the hauntingly beautiful instrumental “N / A / B / C / F“, which is a reworking of another track “Not All Birds Can Fly,” from his first album. (By now it’s clear that he loves strange and unusual song titles, but I digress…) The key instrument on this track is the sublime piano, accentuated by soaring synths.
Powerful throbbing bass and modulated buzzing synths make a return appearance on “The Doctor Meets 808.” And once again, Dr. Terenzi’s echoed vocals add to the eerie vibe, as she repeats the line “So you are listening to real sounds, scientific sound spaces,” as well as other lyrics. The track is essentially a reworking of “Doctor, I Need Your Expertise,” only with much heavier extended bass, as suggested by the ‘808’ in the song title.
Dr. Fiorella Terenzi
Eclectro is one of the most unusual and sonically amazing albums I’ve heard in a long while. At times disturbing, and other times gorgeous, it’s a brilliant, meticulously crafted album that Manipulant should be proud of. Another thing he – and we fans – are proud of is his winning a third place WIGWAM Online Radio Award for Best Indie/Alternative Act of 2017.
To learn more about Manipulant, check out his Website
1. THE MAN – The Killers (3)
2. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (1)
3. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (2)
4. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (4)
5. RUN – Foo Fighters (5)
6. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (7)
7. HIGH – Sir Sly (6)
8. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (9)
9. HOLDING ON – The War on Drugs (10)
10. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (8)
11. ONE OF US – New Politics (12)
12. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (13)
13. LIGHTS OUT – Royal Blood (11)
14. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (N)
15. COLD LITTLE HEART – Michael Kiwanuka (16)
16. DIG DOWN – Muse (17)
17. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (N)
18. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (N)
19. DOING IT FOR THE MONEY – Foster the People (14)
20. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (N)
