For those that follow my blog, they might remember one of my first Music Challenges where I listened to an album based off the band’s name, album cover or name of the album. I picked King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s album strictly because of their band name. And to my surprise, I really loved the album. When I saw they had a new album out, I naturally gravitated toward it and gave it a spin…a lot of spins.
Their new album is called ‘Flying Microtonal Banana’ and is their 9th studio album since 2012..that is right…9th!! They also are planning on releasing not one, not two, but FIVE albums this year. Pretty ambitious and we will wait and see if they actually able to achieve said goal.
The band is out of Australia and actually has seven members.
Every once in a while you hear a song for the first time and it’s instant love. That was my reaction upon first hearing the breathtaking new single “Who’s Gonna Save Us Now” by Australian band Crystal Cities. Musically and lyrically, the song is absolutely stunning, and it’s arrangement and production are flawless.
Based in Sydney, Crystal Cities is Geoff Rana on vocals & guitars, Jared King on bass & backing vocals and Daniel Conte on drums. The guys call their music “Dream Rock that sounds like Death Cab For Cutie had a War On Drugs with The Beatles.” It’s a perfect description of their music style.
The beautiful video was directed by Vittoria Merlino-Dentice and, as explained in notes for the video, is “set in the 1940’s, [and] follows the journey of two young child compadres as they escape from their well-to-do life, exploring the Australian countryside, and searching for truth from a perspective of innocence and vulnerability.”
1. HUMAN – Rag’n’Bone Man (1)
2. SHAPE OF YOU – Ed Sheeran (2)
3. ON HOLD – The xx (3)
4. HEAVYDIRTYSOUL – twenty øne piløts (4)
5. LOVE ON THE BRAIN – Rihanna (5)
6. LOVE IS MYSTICAL – Cold War Kids (8)
7. RUST TO GOLD – Council (7)
8. HOW DID YOU LOVE – Shinedown (10)
9. HOT THOUGHTS – Spoon (14)
10. WOLVES – Wide Eyed Boy (12)
11. BELIEVER – Imagine Dragons (13)
12. 7 – Catfish & the Bottlemen (9)
13. SHINE – Mondo Cozmo (6)
14. THAT’S WHAT I LIKE – Bruno Mars (16)
15. I NEED A LIGHT – Run With It (11)
16. I FEEL IT COMING – The Weeknd, Daft Punk (15)
17. BLAME – Bastille (20)
18. GREEN LIGHT – Lorde (N)
19. LOST ON YOU – LP (N)
20. COLD COLD COLD – Cage the Elephant (N)
I have a soft spot for young indie DIY musicians who put themselves out there, trying to get their songs heard, and it’s especially heartening when they’re talented. Such is the case with Liam B. Smith, a 20-year-old guitarist and songwriter from Loudoun County, Virginia. He released his debut EP Confessions in February 2017, and I’m glad he reached out to me for a review, because it’s excellent. Not only is the music terrific and lyrics compelling, the production is first-rate.
In the creation of his hard-hitting sound for the EP, Liam drew inspiration from Nirvana, Foo Fighters, The Struts, Goo Goo Dolls, Jack White, and “(above all) ONE OK ROCK.” On his website, he explains the meaning behind Confessions and how it represents his own conflicted feelings about making music:
“In this EP, I lean away from all of the pop-rock, modern influenced sounds I love and into my punk-ish and Nirvana-esque vibe. Confessions is both insecure and extremely audacious. It confesses my deep self-doubts about my life and talents (NOMANSWAR, Drift) and also confesses my elitist scorn for modern music culture (Crowdfunding). The songs are those of a semi-depressed, pessimistic artist. The EP is not meant to leave anyone feeling warm and fuzzy, but it is meant to hint at all of the greater things which (God willing) are yet to come.“
Liam wrote the songs, performed and recorded them, and produced the EP all by himself. His lyrics are pretty serious for such a young guy, as he addresses head-on the self-doubt and his feelings about the music industry that he described above. His strong guitar-playing skills are showcased on every track, and he has a fine voice that crackles with just the right amount of vulnerable intensity. But not least of all is his knack for arranging and producing his songs so that they sound every bit as tight and professional as a lot of music put out by seasoned artists working with big-name producers.
The first track “NOMANSWAR” starts off with slow electric guitar riff overlain by strummed acoustic guitar, as Liam mournfully sings “We had it all but we wanted more. Now we’re fighting nomanswar.” At about one minute, the pace quickens with aggressive hand claps and percussion setting the rapid beat, accompanied by robust electric guitar. Liam unleashes some blazing guitar riffs as he repeatedly laments “I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”
“Drift” is a great hard rock track loaded with shredded and distorted guitars, and lots of punchy drums. Liam sings about just throwing the towel: “Who knows when you’re coming or leaving? Who knows when you’re healing or bleeding?Who knows when you’re sick of the feeling? / Never coming home, never coming home. / I might just quit, check in and check out.” On “Crowdfunding” Liam employs furious guitar riffs to match the cynical lyrics he snarls: “And if you give me money, I’ll give you my soul. You can make me famous.”
If you purchase Confessions on Bandcamp, you’ll be surprised by a fourth hidden bonus track that suddenly appears one and a half minutes after “Crowdfunding” ends. Just goes to show that sometimes you gotta listen all the way to the end.
When I was approached a month ago by UK two-piece indie band The Diomedes about reviewing their debut album Traps, I gave a few songs a listen and thought ‘these are pretty good.’ But when I fully immersed myself into the album in preparation to write my review, I was bowled over by its intense power, complexity and raw beauty. An incredibly well-crafted album, Traps is an ambitious effort with 12 synth-driven tracks, and quite simply a brilliant work of musical art.
The Diomedes began as an alternative electro-rock studio project by friends David Myers, who plays drums and synths, and Mark Champion, who covers guitars and vocals. In their own words, they wanted to “create an album of soaring indie melodies with punk energy, soundscapes, riffs and howling synths.” This reviewer can attest that they succeeded and then some! They finished recording Traps in mid 2016, then decided they needed to become a live act and tour in order to promote their album. As with a lot of music that relies heavily on synthesizers, the challenge was recreating the level of detail found in the complex sounds of their recordings into their live performances. So, the guys employed a sampler, a custom built synth rig and a laptop, and started playing gigs in and around London in the Fall of 2016. Traps was formally released on March 17, and the duo are continuing to play live as often as they can.
The influences for their vastly textured sound, listed in the bios on their website and Facebook page, read like an extensive who’s who of alternative, classic and hard rock over the past 50 years. A sampling of names include such greats as Joy Division, Arcade Fire, Flaming Lips, Queens of the Stone Age, R.E.M., Chemical Brothers, Radiohead, Phillip Glass, Muse, New Order, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Gorillaz, Blur, DJ Shadow, Bloc Party, White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hans Zimmer, Deftones and INXS, along with old classics like The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and The Beach Boys. Whew! And when you listen to their music, many of those myriad influences can be clearly identified. I would add Peter Gabriel to the list as well, especially since Champion’s vocals at times sound eerily similar to Gabriel’s.
There is much to describe about Traps, but one of the things that most stands out for me is the exceptional flow of the album. Each track seamlessly transitions into the next, so that the momentum and power of the music is never lost nor even diminished in the slightest. The album plays almost like an alternative electronic rock symphony, as if Phillip Glass and Nine Inch Nails joined forces to re-imagine one of the great symphonies of Prokokiev or Rachmaninoff. This is not to say the music sounds “classical,” but rather that it employs nuanced melodies, intricate chords and complex instrumentation, all working in tandem to create a rich tapestry of sound that’s consistent, yet never feels repetitious.
Speaking of repetitious, I’m aware that a track-by-track review of an album can sometimes be a pretty dull affair. But this album is so remarkable that I feel compelled to touch on each and every track. So let’s dig into Traps to see what all the fuss is about. The instrumental-only “Open Arms” kicks things off with delicate but ominous-sounding synths that build until distorted, scratchy guitars and percussion take over. At around the two-minute mark, a pleasant synth chord is introduced, lending a more hopeful feel to the track before instantly transitioning into the exuberant “No Sleepwalking.” Sleepwalking is clearly not an option with the aggressive rapid-fire drumbeats and guitar riffs that are all but guaranteed to wake even the comatose. In his insistent gravelly vocals, Champion sings “So what we fighting for? An idea, that somewhere there is something more. So what we fighting for? For our lies, only this and nothing more.”
The guys inject a frenetic punk groove into the proceedings on the outrageously energetic “Masquerade.” This catchy dance track will have you bobbing your head and moving your hips within seconds. The lyrics speak to getting in touch with your true self rather than hiding behind a trap of your own making, which seems to be the overarching theme of the album: “Masquerade into a perfect storm. Shed existence to prove you were born. Hold together all the madness come. Find your feet and then find out where they are. Endings never hurt much at the start.” The upbeat vibe continues uninterrupted on “Gasp.” Shredded guitars, heavy percussion and some glorious synths – all set to a driving beat, make this an especially good track.
All hell breaks loose on “Tension Head,” one of the standouts on the album. This cacophonous tour-de-force starts off with the sound of a very big clock being tightly wound, and a loud distorted guitar making the sound of a motor that’s suddenly overwhelmed by an explosion of hammering drums and frantic guitar riffs. Champion screams some lyrics, then the tempo quickly shifts to a relatively calm and steady beat until the frantic riffs make an abrupt return, before shifting back to the previous steady tempo. Champion sings “I don’t know where I am, where I am. And I can’t tell you that I’m only looking for something.” His closing chorus is rather intimidating: “Don’t get along with me.” All this chaos and negative energy creates a strong sense of tension of course, living up to the song title.
The rather tense vibe continues on the instrumental composition “Part 2,” courtesy of Myers’ skillful mix of discordant and sweeping synths, including what sounds like rotating helicopter blades. Not missing a beat, we’re swept headlong into “Our Dying Glow” – two minutes and 49 seconds of punk rock goodness filled with gravelly guitars, tumultuous percussion and heavy buzzing bass.
Next up is the seven and a half minute long rock opera-esque “Tower.” This epic song has it all: a mosaic of dramatically soaring synth chords, strange sound effects, graceful tinkling piano (including toy piano), loads of crashing cymbals, and robust, multi-textured guitars, all set to an elaborate, ever-changing melody. Champion’s gritty, impassioned vocals rise and fall with the intensity of the instrumentation as he wails: “Higher and higher, climbing the walls. Higher and higher, harder we fall. / We’ll know what’s true, when they come back for you.” The song is so good that it’s over sooner than its seven and a half minute length would suggest and, with scarcely a break, quickly segues into the vitriolic hard rock “Spoiling.”
The ghostly instrumental track “Howl” would make a fantastic soundtrack opener to a horror film, but it also provides the perfect intro to “This Place is Electric.” The song is aptly titled, as it’s a feverish EDM romp that goes straight to the hips. This amazing song seems to represent one last fling before cold, hard reality comes rushing back. Boisterous, grainy synths, shredded guitars and pummeling drums rain down like thunderbolts until the gorgeous but rather melancholy six and a half minute closing track “Wishing Games” arrives – quite appropriately I think – upon sounds of distant thunder and falling rain. Champion channels Peter Gabriel more than ever as he emotionally sings “You are only ever right. You’re the one thing I cant leave behind. So no saving anticipation. I’m always boring, No pulling sense out from a truth or lie. So it’s good bye i’m ready./ Be careful with your wishing games. You’ll only have yourself to blame.” The bittersweet lyrics tie the album up quite nicely, yet seem to leave some things unanswered.
Orange County, California band Ravenscroft have been thrilling fans for quite some time with their incredibly dynamic hard-hitting rock. Drawing upon influences from some of their favorite rock bands, including Godsmack, Iron Maiden, Shinedown, Metallica, Guns’n’Roses, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Pearl Jam, Audioslave and Deep Purple, among others, Ravenscroft melds 60’s psychedelic/acid rock, 70’s and 80’s metal, and 90’s grunge to create their own melodic alternative metal/hard rock sound. Making all this heavy noise are Ralph Buso (Vocals), Brett ‘Octane’ Gorke (Guitars), Devin Baker (Bass) and Pat Magrath (Drums).
The guys just released a fantastic new single “The Chase” and it’s a three and half minute long full-frontal assault of heavy metal power. Gorke lives up to his nickname ‘Octane’, setting fire with blistering, metallic guitar riffs that shred, snarl and distort from start to finish. This man can play guitar! Baker’s thunderous bass adds incredible heft to the track, while Magrath pounds the hell out of his drum kit, the two of them conspiring to blow out the speakers.
With his gritty, impassioned vocals, Buso practically screams the lyrics that speak to not wasting precious time chasing hopeless causes and living a dishonest existence, instead focusing on what’s real and attainable:
“Don’t waste your time, fighting life, chasing love. Don’t waste your tears, on the fears, up above./ Don’t Waste your life, telling lies, acting up. Word to the wise, in due time, it catches up.”
The lyric “Look to the light of the rising sun” may be a metaphor, symbolized by the Shogun warrior battle scenes artfully depicted in the fascinating video.
Rag’n’Bone Man’s awesome song “Human” spends a second week on top, while Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” holds at #2. Rihanna, The Weeknd and Bruno Mars all have fantastic songs with a retro R&B vibe. Spoon’s “Hot Thoughts” debuts at #14 and Bastille is back with “Blame,” which debuts at #20. Finally, the Lumineers’ “Cleopatra” spends its 24th week on my Top 20.
1. HUMAN – Rag’n’Bone Man (1)
2. SHAPE OF YOU – Ed Sheeran (2)
3. ON HOLD – The xx (4)
4. HEAVYDIRTYSOUL – twenty øne piløts (5)
5. LOVE ON THE BRAIN – Rihanna (6)
6. SHINE – Mondo Cozmo (3)
7. RUST TO GOLD – Council (8)
8. LOVE IS MYSTICAL – Cold War Kids (10)
9. 7 – Catfish & the Bottlemen (9)
10. HOW DID YOU LOVE – Shinedown (12)
11. I NEED A LIGHT – Run With It (7)
12. WOLVES – Wide Eyed Boy (15)
13. BELIEVER – Imagine Dragons (17)
14. HOT THOUGHTS – Spoon (N)
15. I FEEL IT COMING – The Weeknd, Daft Punk (14)
16. THAT’S WHAT I LIKE – Bruno Mars (20)
17. STILL BREATHING – Green Day (11)
18. SCARS TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL – Alessia Cara (13)
19. CLEOPATRA – The Lumineers (16)
20. BLAME – Bastille (N)
Before leaving Ottawa, Canada behind, where I just featured The Elegant Devils, I must make a second visit with The Occasional Angels, whose amazing single “Fool For Love” I reviewed last month (which you can read here). The trio, consisting of David Hart, Scott Paterson and vocalist Cris Ruggiero, have dropped a new single “It’s Only Love,” and it’s another fantastic tune. The song was written by Hart and arranged, mixed and produced by Paterson, who also plays all instruments.
Though slower in tempo than “Fool For Love,” it’s even more soulful, and Ruggiero’s bluesy vocals shine once again. “It’s Only Love” evokes images of dancing at a quiet little piano bar like the one imagined in the beautiful video, or spending a romantic evening by the fire with a loved one. Paterson’s lovely piano, gentle percussion and guitar set a warm instrumental backdrop for Ruggiero’s sultry, beguiling vocals. Even though I adore rock music (the harder the better), it’s also incredibly heartening for a middle-aged guy like me to hear great new music like this being made today. Check it out:
I’ve been featuring quite a few artists and bands from Canada recently, and The Elegant Devils are the latest. The talented four-piece rock band hails from Ottawa, Ontario and, like many bands, has experienced some personnel changes over time. Their current line-up includes Drew James (lead vocals, guitar), Rob Frank (drums/vocals), Josh West (guitar), & Josh Barkley (bass/vocals). They’re all seasoned musicians with divergent backgrounds, and each of them embrace their unique individual styles while coming together to create some really fine rock music that’s intelligent, powerful and often fun.
The Elegant Devils recorded their debut EP Guilty Pleasure in 2015, followed a year later by a five-track EP Live at Zaphod’s that contained some tracks from Guilty Pleasure along with a few new ones. Their songs range from hard-driving rock to poignant ballads, and always with deeply compelling lyrics that speak to the complexities of life, love and relationships. These guys write from their own experiences and, as a result, their songs come off all the more personal and heartfelt. In addition, their arrangements, instrumentation and production values are all first-rate.
Their strong musicianship is vividly apparent on all their songs, but especially shines when they really get rocking. On their harder rock tracks “Lie With Me,” “Divebomb” and “Loaded Gun,” they coax some amazingly intricate and formidable riffs from their guitars, while Josh Barkley lays down some heavy thumping bass lines and Rob keeps the pace with his assertive drums and crashing cymbals. Drew’s powerful vocals are always delivered with raw emotion, whether he’s expressing anger, pain or loving devotion.
“Divebomb” in particular is a real head-banger and one of my favorites. The thunderous shredded guitars are scorching hot, and when combined with powerful buzzing bass and pounding drums, nearly succeed in blowing out the speakers. “Loaded Gun” – a rock bombardment packed into a mere two minutes that fully lives up to its title – is also pretty awesome, but then, so are all their songs!
The band shows its softer, more romantic side with the gorgeous love ballad “Amaranthine,” about which the band states “We cracked open the heart of a devil and found a love song – a song written as a message to the person you love most in the world.”
In an interview with Jacqueline Jax on A.V.A. Live Radio, Drew explained the origin for Amaranthine: “[It] is as pure a love song as you can get. It was written as a wedding gift for one of my very best friends. He asked me to perform it at the wedding itself, and they had their first dance to the song. It was written at a time when I had almost given up finding a happy ending for myself. I had just been through a really bad break-up and while I was going through it, I was so happy to see that my friend and his wife were able to find something so…solid. So inspiring. I wrote Amaranthine to tell them how proud I was of them finding love, how scary it must have been for them to commit completely to another person, and to say thank you to them for giving me a reason to still believe in love when I had given up on it myself. Thankfully, the hope they gave me tided me over until I found my own Amaranthine. And so now, every time I sing it, I sing that song as much for her as I do for them.”
Take a listen to this beautiful track:
The Elegant Devils are in the process of writing and recording more songs for what will be a full-length album to be released later this year. In the meantime, check out their website, connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel where you can watch their weekly sessions. Stream their music on Soundcloud, Reverbnation or Spotify, and purchase it on iTunes.
Readers of this blog know that I love Rock in all its forms – classic, alternative, old-school rock’n’roll, folk, hard, heavy metal, death metal, etc. And when great rock music (or any genre for that matter) is delivered with a sizable dose of humor, it can make for an especially enjoyable listen. Such is the case with the young rock band Shields. They play high-energy hard rock with strong rock’n’roll overtones, sometimes accompanied by humorous lyrics guaranteed to have you laughing out loud.
All natives of New England but now based in Austin, Texas, the four-piece formed as a band in the Spring of 2016, and consists of the Shields brothers Christian (lead vocals, guitar) and N.V. (drums, vocals), “The Event” (bass, vocals) and Mitch Silva (guitar, vocals). They dropped their self-titled debut EP Shields in late 2016, and it features seven top-notch tracks that run the gamut from upbeat party rock to more serious guitar-heavy tunes and slower, poignant ballads. They’ve been touring and playing lots of gigs since then to promote the EP, and their fun, highly entertaining live performances are attracting a growing base of devoted fans. A fellow blogger, Hope Romine of LIVELIFETHRUMUSIC, saw them live and wrote about how much fun and energetic they are on stage (you can read her post here.)
The EP kicks off with the head-banger “Hard Up,” a hilarious song about being a loser stuck in a dead-end job paying shit wages, unable to score with the ladies. The music’s great on this track, with some awesome guitar work, but it’s the racy, in-your-face lyrics that really make it:
“I’m hard up. I’m broke, no cash means no sex. Who’s gonna bounce on me for a bounced check? Hard up, my friends call me iron man. All tube socks, left hand right hand.“
The clever, comical video the guys made for the song is one of the most entertaining I’ve seen in a long while. Their sense of humor and playfulness is a joy to watch, and it’s evident they had a lot of fun making it. They’d sure be fun to party with!
The band rocks out with the hard-driving tracks “Same Old Show” and “Classic and Clean,” giving ample proof of their strong musicianship. Christian and Mitch kill it on their guitars, while The Event’s heavy bass and N.V.’s aggressive drums add power and depth to the songs. The lyrics of “Classic and Clean” are a double entendre, giving the impression he’s singing about a girl until you realize it’s his Corvette.
The band shows their more serious, introspective side with the lovely power ballad “Behind a Smile.” The mix of beautifully complex rhythm and electric guitars, weighty bass and crashing cymbals all working in harmony create a deeply compelling tune. The poignant lyrics speak to hiding one’s pain and heartache behind a fake smile. Christian’s vocals are vulnerable and heartfelt as he sings:
“Pain in smiles, little white lies, pretending everything’s all right. Close the door, lock the world away. Shutting out the day today. Behind a smile hides a frown./ Behind this smile I’m going insane.“
Twisted humor and party vibes come roaring back on “Girlfriend” – “Me and your girlfriend have better sex than you do. He’s doesn’t know that his girlfriend’s a freak. Yes she is! He doesn’t know that she’s kissing me. Yes she is!” and “The Party Song” – “Better not fall asleep at this party, we’ve got Super Glue, we got Sharpies.Better not fall asleep at this party, the things we’ll do to you, we got Super Glue.” But don’t let the crazy lyrics fool you; these guys mean business as they produce some awesome sounds on their respective instruments.
Closing out the EP is the excellent track “Every Time.” The song’s darker than the others, both musically and lyrically. The track begins with a gentle, mysterious guitar riff, soft soaring chorus and an eerie sound like something evil opening up – a Pandora’s box perhaps? – before shredded guitars, heavy buzzing bass and pounding drums take over. With an ominous feel to his vocals, Christian fervently sings: “What’s real and what’s fantasy? Collide while I try to sleep. At night I lie awake, praying for my escape.These shadows dance through my mind, every time I close my eyes.”
This is a well-crafted EP and a very respectable debut from a hard-working and talented young band that I feel have a promising future. To learn more about Shields, check out their website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Their EP is available for purchase on iTunes or Google Play.
