The best music you're not listening to.™ Reviews of lost classics and obscure titles. Unheralded bands and songwriters. New bands deserving of greater attention. The site for the music omnivore. It's all here, on the Ripple Effect
After the first spin I wasn't sure what to make of this recording. But like most creative things in life, art creatures born worthy of any one's time must be spent with eyes wide shut. In other words. Free your mind and your ears will follow. Set the controls for that dark place in the back of the mind. No rules. Just authentic original music that seems to be a natural extension of something real. Monsters, demons, angels and lovers. Like I said. I can't quite put my finger on it. This recording is creatively faultless. It's not trying to be anything. And just like the drum mix, this project called FULL OF, is slightly tilted to the left.
What caught my attention was the song titles. Inscriptions like "Eagle" and "Hero of Lovers" or "Monster of Fire". What do these song titles mean? Who the hell knows! But they seem to paint the walls of that dark hallway of the mind, that leads us all to mother muse. Just like The Doors did with Crystal Ship. But just to be clear here, KASH doesn't sound anything like The Doors. It's the lost thought and experience that's similar. A crystal ship sailing on the mystic sea through the hurricane of tired blood and found organisms.
Engineer Steve Albini (Scott Weiland, Iggy & the Stooges) inflicts his legendary learned alchemy, and pushes these recordings masterfully. The recordings were done in a fresh new studio called Oxygen Studios. Just the name of the studio makes me want to get myself a tank full Oxygen Gas, mix in some nitrates and explore the realities of FULL OF, under the blanket of the Canadian nite sky. Now go ahead and melt the mind in the dark halls of Eagles, Tigers and Lions. I think I hear a sound - KASH FULL OF....(you fill in the blank!)
On first listen I thought for sure The Ex-Girlfriends Club was from New York City or somewhere in Australia but it turns I was way off. Portland, OR is really far from both locations but this band has studied the records of scuzzy punk of Richard Hell and Cosmic Psychos as well as originators like The Stooges, The Sonics, etc. Their album Boo Hoo Hoo was released this year but if you told me it was some lost garage punk album from 25 years ago I would have believed that, too.
This is some raw garagey shit. Guitars are totally distorted, bass is fuzzed out, the drums sound appropriately trashy and the vocals are horny & nervous. Great stage names, too: Albatross - lead vox; Orion of the Apocalypse - guitars, vox; Karlito Franz - bass; Action Lord - drums, percussion, vox. There are only 9 songs on this disc and they're all pretty fast, always a good thing in my book. Lyrically, I appreciate the doped up sentiments behind songs like "Your Prescription" and "Coming Off Benzos." Other immature themes appear on "Lightning Bolt" and "Devil Eyes." There's even a cool, deconstructed version of "The Witch" by The Sonics that's bound to piss off the garage rock police. Those clowns tend to be some of the biggest rock n roll party poopers so that's another thing to like about The Ex-Girlfriends.
This record won't change your life, but it will definitely get the party started. And that's more important anyway. Play loud.
Hailing from Belgium, Dehuman strike a unique balance with their debut release of the old and the new.
This group offers up a few tried and true sonic lashings, to turn and bludgeon a listener into the modern realm with their take on the traditional Death sound, without aping to the past.
With stand outs like Spiral of Loss, Down with the World, Harvest the Sun and Cast of Assassination, these fellows bring a fresh change for the better to a genre that has grown boring and tired.
The songs are well crafted and delivered with a very high level of production that is often overlooked in the Death Metal scene. It’s good to hear that it didn’t sound recorded with a cheap tape player in a garage and won’t shock a listener seeing them perform live. They know what they’ll get and be all the happier for their money spent.
If the video for Cast of Assassination is any indication of what the rest of a performance of the release offers live, then I’m positive that all in attendance will be well pleased and looking forward to the next release and tour from Dehuman.
Torso's Inside has all the vital organs needed in a healthy psychedelic rock album.
At it's heart there's pumping rhythm section that constantly delivers vital juice. Two talented guitar players regulate the pressure and and spacey vocals breathe sweet life into the debut by this Austrian four-piece.
Out of seven, 70s-influenced rock songs, I think the title track and "Haunting Witches" are two of my favorites on Inside. "Mona Lisa" is a modern-day masterpiece, obviously.
One thing I'm sure of. With Torso, the fuzz I'm so fanatical about in my psychedelic rock has grown into patches of full-on FUR. A big, hairy beer-belly full.
In their own words: "A psychedelic journey. Influenced by early rock. From deep in a hole."
And I'll second that.
There's only one problem with Inside - and it's a pretty big one.
I couldn't tell you where to get this album if you paid me. It's like an apparition, with no physical form, as I'm writing about it. I can't even tell you where to download it or even stream it. I know. Apparently, Inside will be released sometime this year on StoneFree Records, which I'm assuming is the band's label since I can't find any info about it either.
Why am I writing about an album that you have no chance to buy, download, or even stream right now? I don't know...I guess I got it for a submission and I like it that much.
I got a link for the full album, complete with three different cover versions, but I don't think I'm supposed to share. I know, it sucks. Sorry.
I guess we'll have to watch the band's Facebook page for more information about a release date. For now, listen to a couple of my highlights from Inside and hear what all the fuss is all about.
With this line-up you would expect to hear finely crafted metal songs that cut your speakers like a thin well placed razor. You would expect to be pummeled by bone crunching riffs and thunderous drums. You would expect to hear yourself singing along at extremely loud volumes in your car as you approach light speed down the highway. Yeah you would expect a lot from a band like Kill Devil Hill. Well let me explain that all your expectations are answered and beyond on this release
Just a well done, and well executed metal barrage of riffs and good old fashioned songwriting. These songs are each unto themselves masterpieces. A metal school, on how to achieve greatness in every note. Not the self-indulgence you might be used to, and not the image over content look either. These guys are the real deal, raw, loud, unrelenting, yet refined and tasteful.
First song, “War Machine” destroys you from the first note. This song should be lesson number one in any aspiring bands learning curve. Right to the point and taking no prisoners. The guitar shines on this one. “Hangman”,”voodoo doll”, “Gates of Hell” are incredible. All the songs are. “revenge”, now that one is getting a lot of play in my car. I can’t get enough of the overall sound.
Vinny Appice is on fire this whole song as well as the whole disc. His career in rock and heavy metal is one that is too long to dive into here. Let it be known that his drums are some of the most sought after drums on the planet. Combine him with the awesome talent of Rex Brown on bass and you have a Sherman tank backbeat. Rex is a powerhouse performer whose work in Pantera and down are epics of genius. Mark Zavon handles the guitar duties, a guitar hero in his own right; he stands tall alongside his seasoned band mates. I couldn’t believe he was the only axe grinding away on this disc. The relatively unknown vocalist is the cement that ties it all together. This guy has got a range but tastefully keeps it all in check. You can sing along with him but watch out because he can take flight at ease.
One of my favorite discs I have heard in a long time. And I hear a lot of bands. To make it to my ipod you gotta pass three tests….volume, intensity, and conviction. These guys walk it like they play it. This one is on the ipod and cranking as I write. You will remember this name and you will buy this disc. From the production to the cool cover graphics, this band’s debut is going to skyrocket into legendary status. Simply put, 10 horns on a 2 horn scale.
Picture this my brothers and sisters. Your sitting quietly at your best mate’s backyard BBQ. Your enjoying a bottle of frosty hops pulled straight out of a cooler of ice. Your stretched out on a nice avocado green plastic lawn chair on a warm sunny summer day. You got your mirror aviator sunglasses on, and your running a thought through your head. (Should I get up and make a move on the red head lassie sitting across the way? )
Just as your about to lay out your Bratt Pitt charm, your best mate’s girlfriend, blows up your shinny vibes like a lightning bolt hitting a El Comino filled with dynamite. She brings out a boom box. Then turns on the radio playing the shopping mall club mix version of Black Eyes Peas at 4pm in the afternoon. You quickly go into stealth mode. When Betty turns to go into the house to get the platter of potato salad, you make your move. You quickly plug in this nifty little wireless Bluetooth Audio Receiver by Aluratek . You run it into the “line in” on the boombox. Then you quickly launch your Iphone and pare up the device. BANG!...without missing a beat you are now playing “ Saturday Night Fish Fry” from www.souljazzrecords.co.uk. It’s a various compilation mix of New Orleans funk from the early 1970’s. Perfect for those back yard BBQ’s.
When Black Eye Peas Betty returns, just smile and say “Hey sweety…great tunes you got spinning there …and your potato salad is killer”…as you walk over to make your move on the sexy red head.
The Aluratek Bluetooth receiver will work with any Bluetooth device. Play music wirelessly from your Smartphone, iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, PC or Mac laptops. Up to 12 hours playback using internal Lithium-ion battery. They list at $29.99.
I had to take a quick trip so I thought I’d get some work done. Now, I’m a lazy bastard so my idea of work probably isn’t the same as yours. I loaded some of the albums I’d been given to review onto my trusty iPod, and my “work” consisted of listening to said albums while sitting in the airport and on the plane. Like I said, probably not what most people would think of as work.
But, it did lead me to this gem by a band called LVCIFYRE. Honestly had never heard of them before, but this is a very good release. There is a really nice death metal feel to this album, and I’m sure the good folks on the flight with me were wondering why I was twitching away as I listened to this one for the first time.
Some of you readers might quibble and call this blackened death metal, and I wouldn’t argue a whole lot. There are definitely some black metal touches in here. I am not big on the whole sub-genre thing in metal, but I do like to try to give you all an idea of what this might sound like, in hopes you’ll check it out and enjoy it as much as I do.
Opening track, also the title track, starts with a voice rasping, whispering what seems to be an incantation, while screams are heard in the background. And then the ground opens up beneath us and the music blasts forth from the gates of hell. Ahhhhh!! Pummeling, unrelenting, about as subtle as a jackhammer to the base of the skull, these guys bring it. Track number 2, “Succubi”, starts with a scream, then more brutalizing of the ear holes. “The Faceless One”, the third track on offer here, slows the tempo down just a bit but continues the onslaught. This is just brutal, skull thrashing stuff. By the time you get to the 4th song, “LCF”, you are praying for a respite, but there is none here, and there is no one to hear your prayers. The tempo picks right back up, the blast beats are in full attack mode, and you are left to try to defend yourself from the relentless ass kicking. I could go on and on, but I think you have probably gotten the idea by now. And I don’t mean to imply that all of these songs sound the same, because they don’t. But they are alike in that they grab you by the throat, shake you around, and then toss your limp, lifeless carcass to the side like so much worthless detritus.
There are four more tracks that wrap up this album: “Holy Chaos”, “Death’s Magnetic Sleep”, (hmm, interesting title), “Husk Of Impurity”, and “The Great Fall”. Believe it or not, the last track is the most brutal one here. This is a great album to put on and just close your eyes and let the music do its thing. It’s like a sonic massage that will definitely take all of the kinks out of a rough day. Although it might also just take your life too if you’re not careful.
Meddlesome, Meddlesome, Meddlesome Bells - Worried Land
Gotta be honest, I got no idea what to make of this album.
Try and imagine Peter, Paul and Mary ingesting handfulls of downers, freaking out on Sabbath and being hired by some gothic Romanian church to sing funeral dirges. Or Cocteau Twins after missing out on one too many electroshock sessions. Mumford and Sons at the cemetery freaked out on really bad acid. I've seen them described as Apocalyptic Folk Metal, and I guess that works.
That's about the best I can do. Male/female vocal interplay, near-folkish, droning doom with enough heavy guitar distortion to make sure it's banned from any radio station for the duration. Way slow, way doomy, nearly catatonic, yet somehow alive. I wanted to hate this album. I really did. I didn't want to review it, but here I am.
When I was a kid, I used to listen to the Hair soundtrack all the time. It was one of the earliest albums my parents and I could agree on. For those of you who haven't heard it, it's the tale of the hippy generation coming to grips with reality. "Oh My Death" coulda been on that soundtrack, furthering the sickly demise of flower power and the summer of love. It sounds like the comedown from a bad acid trip . . .that somehow will never end. "Worried Land Blues" maintains the achingly mournful tone of the album, but reveals something else. Underneath the morbid squalor, there's some beautiful playing going on here. Heavy shit mixed with acoustics and funeral paced drumming. Within it's own constraints, the album rises and falls, pummels with unrelenting heaviness, then lightens. "Van Gogh's Blues" is, dare I say it, relatively playful.
I think there's a theme here. My guess is it's a War Protest album. but really, I have no idea.
Strangely addicting. Despondently heavy. Ultimately weirdly satisfying. Meddlesome, Meddlesome, Meddlesome Bells, my how meddlesome you really are.
The Valery Trails - Ghost and Gravity
The road stretches out before you. A faint light on the horizon draws you closer. Behind you, the road fades to blackness. Distant memories, aching thoughts, painful dreams. They all descend in the rearview mirror. Fading slowly out of sight. As you drive on.
That's the feeling of Ghost and Gravity, the debut album from Australian-cum-Houstonian Andrew Bower. With his brother Sean Bower (from Australian Psych rockers Grand Atlantic) on bass and Dan McNaulty on drums, The Valery Trails examines the darkened nooks and crannies of empty spaces, wide open roads, dreams passed, and dim hopes in the future ; combining the semi-folky bend of the Go-Betweens with some darker worlds of Died Pretty and a touch of his brother Sean's band, Grand Atlantic's, dreamy pop. "On The Perfume River" is a telling opener. A fluid Church-esque cloud of psychedelia holds the tone while Andrew's voice floats over and between the lyrics, like a spectre of lost days. Add some soaring female harmony vocals and this song is as hauntingly beautiful as any I'd heard in a while.
"Straight Line" is another standout, with it's gentle guitar and pulsing bass. Reminds me of a fellow Aussie Paul Kelly at work in one of his more downcast moments. Near ambient but still with a beating pulse. Textured. Evocative. There's a hint of gothic country in the songs somewhere underneath the dream. "Words Fail" hints at a longing. A mourning from the distant past. There's a familiarity here, in the guitar tone. In Andrew's plea. But it may not be familiar in terms of the song, but rather in terms of the mood. The regret.
Not an album to get the party started, but a helluva way to cool down as the night fades to darkness and the ghosts from your past come back to visit.
