Throughout history, music has served as a society's barometer for social and political conditions. From Bob Dylan's folk protest anthems of the 60's, to a the Dead Kennedys' acerbic left-wing diatribes in the midst of the Reagan era to Rage Against The Machine's criticism of U.S. domestic and foreign policy in the 90's to Green Day's stand against the U.S. administration in the 2000's, music has always been the counter-culture's mouthpiece for highlighting injustices. That's why it's no surprise that now, in shadow of one of the country's darkest decades, ...
New found energy, new found purpose: that's what Not Without A Fight is all about. The first New Found Glory album to bear the Epitaph logo brims with fresh promise, showcasing a band comfortable in their own skin and eager to get back to basics and present it all to the world. Not Without A Fight is arguably the strongest addition to an impressive catalog with no less than three gold records and some of the most memorable songs of the past decade.Album opener "Right Where We Left Off" is an instant reminder of the keen self-awareness that endeared New Found Glory to millions of fans worldwide ...
Handsome Furs are not a message band and they are not political, but Handsome Furs are a message band and they are political.The juxtaposition of cold, metronomic, electronic beats, courtesy of Alexei Perry, with the jagged, dissonant and frail, broken or breaking, guitars of Dan Boeckner portray what it is to be a human being at the bottom of the 21st century. It underlines the confusion you feel as your best friends are conveyed to you via a series of ones and zeros passing through lines and cables and microwaves; the same confusion felt witnessing the pure, wholesome thrill of a band of musicians pouring their hearts out on stage, through someone's cell phone a...
When you're asleep, you're you. When you wake up, you are, as well. But how that works, how we can be as ethereal as vapor at night, and then feel so solid during the day, is more than a little strange. That mysterious, single, connecting thing that persists through all of our states of mind is elusive, and worth seeking.In Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope, the new record by Michael Zapruder, we just might hear that thing speak. Dragon is a record of contrasts and oddities that moves with easy dreamlike logic from the everyday to the everynight, presenting opposites without attempting to resolve them. I...
Touted as a "true solo project," The New Regime consists solely of 20-year old Ilan Rubin, drummer for Nine Inch Nails, formerly of Lostprophets. No mere time-keeper, adept multi-instrumentalist Rubin wrote and recorded every note of bass, drums, guitar, piano and vocals on The New Regime's 2008 debut, Coup.Accomplished beyond his years, Ilan has played professionally since the age of nine. Opening Woodstock '99 with his first band, F.O.N., a then eleven-year old Rubin found his way into the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest person to play the historic festival. He went on to dr...
For their new record, The Night Is Ours, Australian stars Youth Group decided to forgo the more traditional approach employed for their previous records. Over the period of a couple of months in late 2007, the band holed up in a near-derelict 1920s mess hall on Sydney's harbor. They decided against traditional studio procedures and turned the vacated building into a studio, bringing in all of their own gear to create an inimitable recording environment which allowed them to work at their own pace.As bassist Patrick Matthews explains, "We also deliberately waited until we were in our studio and work...
The Tom Fun Orchestra is an eight-piece cluster-rock ensemble from Cape Breton Island that has been impressing music fans and critics alike with their raucous stage presence and high-energy show. Their unconventional lineup of violin, banjo, accordion, and trumpet married to a driving rock trio is redefining what people think of Canada's East Coast music.With a live presence that borders on overwhelming, The Tom Fun Orchestra is indeed an impressive sight to see - eight members stretched across the stage like a gang of musical hooligans or huddled together with barely enough room to tip a glass. Their variety of instruments compete for attention in the din, fueling th...
In-Flight Safety soars to great heights with their latest, we are an empire, my dear. Last winter, the Halifax based four-piece took to the proverbial woods and recorded in Fox River, Nova Scotia with producer Laurence Currie (Sloan, Wintersleep). The result of their seclusion is a 12-track collection of royal and poignant pop songs.Currie temporarily relocated from Toronto to the sleepy village's old schoolhouse, joining the crew -John Mullane (vocals/guitar), Brad Goodsell (bass), Daniel Ledwell (guitar/keyboard) and Glen Nicholson (drums) - to create we are an empire, my dear.Converting the schoolhouse's ballroom into a live room and hallway into a makeshift...
Kansas City has a new artist that will heighten and refresh the local music scene with a sound that combines both vintage and modern elements. This artist is MARYAM. The songwriter originally from Northern California is known for her honest, funny, and intelligent lyrics that are crafted with infectious melodies and warm heart-felt vocals. The songwriters 2005 release "Nothing Nice to Say" was a Pop Punk genre spanning album composed and mastered at Two Willows Studios. Having enjoyed local popularity in California, the songwriter is now exploring new territory in Kansas City with the most recently released "There Are Songs" album on MultiDose Records. This January 2010 release broadens the songwriter...
There's a special challenge to being an artist in this increasingly fractured cultural age; a delicate balancing act, between being of your time, and striving for timelessness. Few contemporary artists even try. Neko Case is an exception.Case's last album, 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, brought her to that nexus where critical acclaim meets commercial success. But Case's impact can't be measured merely in chart placements or press plaudits. It's her ability to connect - on an uncommonly deep and meaningful level - with her audience. She's one those artists, you see: the kind whose songs linger in your head, your heart and soul long after the record has stopped...
The Dear Hunter is the story of a boy. From his creation to his untimely end- the beautifully rapturous to the truly tragic. Set at the dawn of the 20th century, the debut EP, "I: The Lake South, The River North" gives birth to a story, and makes sense of the future by explaining the past. Simply put, The Dear Hunter sings of something to which we can all relate- lust, deceit, greed, and hunting....
Glasvegas frontman James Allan coined the band's name -- a post-modern mash-up evoking the industrial working class grit of his native Glasgow and the glittering high-rolling no-clocks no-windows 24-hour-party promise of Las Vegas -- "...before I even had a song. In the past, Scotland was quite good at putting itself down, everybody sang with a vague American-ish accent. I wanted our band name to be proud and unapologetic. Certain words just roll off the tongue."Indeed, certain words and music just roll from the mind of James Allan and through the propulsive, majestic and unapologetic vision of Glasvegas, one of those rare bands whose sound, sensibility an...
The stage is an instrumental junkyard cluttered by sousaphone, accordion, piano, violin, a bouzouki, an upright bass, percussion, trumpet, drums and a Theremin.In one corner, a woman sets aside the upright bass to pick up a brass tuba adorned with glowing red lights. She left a traveling Civil War recreationist band to find a home here.The drummer stands up behind his kit and lifts a trumpet to his mouth. Raised by Lithuanian polka musicians, he skipped out on a treatment center in Mexico to right himself in the study of mariachi horns. Here, he exorcises demons of a punk past and dreams ahead to Mexico.A slight, black-suited man stands beside a waiting accordion, cradling a violin called ‘Juan Pablo.' A traine...
They say that the modern music loving public are a fickly bunch, after all, a mockery was made of the UK Christmas charts this year. That is due to the fact that it was dominated by two unoriginal renditions of a song that has been available in many versions, since back when Newcastle United were a decent football team. Bucking this trend is the Som Wardner fronted Nu /gazing old style grunge mixing, My Vitriol and their fans. After releasing a stirring, searching and grinding debut album, ‘Finelines’ in 2001, remixing the album and a few single releases in in 2002, My Vitriol disappeared into a musical wilderness that few bands retur...
‘How do you follow a timeless classic?’ writes Dom Lawson from magazine Metal Hammer, referring to Cynic’s debut album "Focus“ from 1993. ‘Wait 15 years and make another one! “Traced In Air“ is a sublime, otherworldly monument to artistry, inspiration and music itself.‘ Cynic is back! Fifteen years after the band’s seminal debut “Focus“, the band returns with what can be termed a perfectly timed follow-up: The new album is “Traced in Air“ and defies easy categorization, pushing the boundaries once again of the progressive metal genre. Even proponents of t...
Loosely formed in Phoenix, Arizona in the fall of 2005, Try Me Bicycle is a trio whose quiet, organic music evokes the feeling of day-tripping and long drives at twilight; the recollective course of the vagabond on holiday. The band emerged from the longtime musical collaboration between singer and guitarist Andrew Naylor and bassist Jay Novak. Working on a core of songs composed by Naylor, the duo was eventually introduced to pianist, Jacob Koller, who would become the bands third steady member. Their graceful songs and effortless performance attracted the attention of musician and producer Michael Krassner, whose talented productions of Califone, Simon Joyner, Patrick Park, and Koufax, made him a perfect fit for the muted moon-soaked musi...
Cleveland, Ohio is known for many things that "rock." Not only is it famous for being the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but is also called home by the members of DRIVER SIDE IMPACT.Back with their sophomore album, Lion, DRIVER SIDE IMPACT combines aggressive guitar-based rock with tuneful melodies and danceable rhythms, forging a sonic assault that is memorable and unique at the same time. "Some people have called us experimental pop," singer Branden Langhals notes. "I feel our songs are like a movie and anyone can be a part of the script."The band formed in 2004, and it didn't take long before they were a popular fixture in the Cleveland area, to the point where they...
Fucked Up formed in Toronto in 2002, high-school friends influenced by first- and second-wave hardcore bands like Minor Threat and NOFX. It was instantly apparent that they were not carbon-copy punks. Their first 7" was entitled No Pasarán after an anti-fascist slogan from the Spanish Civil War. It was also ferociously melodic and inventive, setting the scene for a string of 25 singles over the next four years that combined political commentary with incredible musicianship and a sense of theater.Known by bizarre aliases, Fucked Up employ creative methods of spreading information & misinformation, spurning MySpace and a band website in favor of Wikipedia and an oblique blog. Basic facts are constan...
Hailed as "almost impossibly majestic and beautiful" (NPR "album of the year"), Shearwater's Palo Santo (2007, Matador), a suite of ethereal but oddly disquieting art-rock songs loosely centered around the life and death of singer Christa Paffgen (aka Nico), marked the Texan quartet's debut on the national stage. Several publications, including The New York Times, named it one of the year's best, and the band's singular combination of sonic abandon and restraint, spun around the soaring, otherworldly voice of part-time ornithologist Jonathan Meiburg, drew comparisons to late-period Talk Talk and both the lovely and anxious moments of Eno's early solo work.This year's much-anticipated Rook takes the band into re...
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals are an American rock band led by Ryan Adams.The Cardinals are featured on the albums Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, Follow the Lights and, most recently, Cardinology as Adams' backing band. Though credited as a solo Ryan Adams release, the 2007 album Easy Tiger also features The Cardinals, as does the Willie Nelson album Songbird.Regarding the band's name, Adams states that he: "suggested the Cardinals because it was my high school football team, I thought it would be very funny, considering those people wanted to beat the shit out of me. I'd go to school with Danzig shirts on. My nickname at school was literally ‘Satanic.' I fucking really wanted to play foo...
he Kansai region of Japan is considered to be Japan’s historical and cultural heart. It’s a region known for Kobe beef, sake, and four of Japan’s most renowned national parks. Catherine Maxwell, an editor for the newsletter Omusubi, once wrote that “Kansai residents are seen as being pragmatic, entrepreneurial, down-to earth and possessing a strong sense of humour.” This also may explain why Kansai is seen as the home of Japan counterculture. On the surface, “Kansai” - the song that almost ends Ra Ra Riot’s latest album, The Orchard - does not directly speak to this region. Instead we get mentions of San Diego, the optimistic notion of a merciful universe, getting lost in fle...
This past winter, when Sloan stepped out of the bone-wracking cold of their native Toronto and into the studio to record their latest album Parallel Play, band members Jay Ferguson, Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland and Andrew Scott had heard only three of the songs that would soon comprise the album. This fact was not a result of a bad case of writers block or even an ill timed Pro Tools meltdown, but the symptom of Sloan's unique creative process. Unlike practically every band on the planet, Sloan boasts four songwriters who each contribute more or less equal numbers of songs to their studio works. Parallel Play is no exception.Following the 30-track epic that is Never Hear the End of It, the guys in Sloan...
In the middle of a song illuminated by Rev-like dreamy wonder and aural kaleidoscopia, "Butterfly's Wing" suddenly dissipates, floating across like some distant space-age symphony. Children laugh. The high, plaintive cries of a grown-up overlap overhead, spreading the celestial mood. You imagine that this could be the sound of a dream...Which is another way of saying, Mercury Rev are back, that rare essence intact, but tilted on its axis. "Butterfly's Wing" is track two on their new album, Snowflake Midnight, which is as thrilling as their other milestone releases, specifically their 1992 sprawling avant-psych Dada-rock debut Yerself Is Steam, and their 1998 opus Deserter's Songs, which signall...
In the space of two short years, the UK-based DragonForce have risen steadily, advancing up the ranks of the hard rock elite. They've grown from relative unknowns in the United States to an impossible-to-ignore phenomenom that's spread across message boards and schoolyards, thanks to their tuneful, epic and guitar-driven anthems, their high-level inclusion on Guitar Hero 3:Legends of Rock and a near-constant touring schedule. The single "Through the Fire and Flames" has been RIAA-certified Gold and 2006's Inhuman Rampage, which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseeker's Chart, has sold over 300,000 copies in its wake.Over those two fateful years following the album's release, the band toured America for t...
As the years fly by at breath-stealing speed, the aim of every self-respecting metal band must surely be to stake a claim for immortality; to carve their name with pride into metal's metaphorical Mount Rushmore. In the modern era, as countless new (and not so new) bands jostle for position at the front of the grid, it becomes ever harder to pick the wheat from the chaff, the weak from the strong. But amid such a swarm of mediocrity, the greatest bands always rise effortlessly to the top, building in confidence and momentum with each incremental step forward, learning from their mistakes, gaining nourishment and focus from their triumphs and growing, with gathering speed, into something that truly matters. It's 2008 and Trivium...
It's not often scene kids, screamo fans and metal-heads can agree on a band, but after Bring Me The Horizon's explosive rise in popularity, culminating in their breakout performances at Vans Warped Tour this summer, fans of all three genres have found their new favorite band. With a wildly-anticipated new album and a full U.S. tour on the way, Britain's hottest up-and-comers are on track to conquer the country this fall.Hailing from Sheffield, England, Oliver Sykes (vocals), Matt Nicholls (drums), Curtis Ward (guitar), Matt Kean (bass) and Lee Malia (guitar) formed BMTH in 2004 and began setting the UK ablaze with blistering performances across the country. By 2006 the band had already won Kerrang!'s "Best Br...
The last year has been a huge year for Marysville, Michigan natives Every Avenue and with their upcoming release "Shh. Just Go With It" hitting store shelves this winter, they show no signs of slowing down."Hopes and dreams and memories, you can't take away from me!" sings David Ryan, lead vocalist for the pop-infused rock sensation Every Avenue. The band has just finished another inspired, energetic performance and tonight, like every other night they have graced the stage, the crowd simply wants more. This reaction is becoming increasingly more common everywhere that Every Avenue goes, and that is not limited to shows. The band is being recognized in malls, restaurants, even on the highway; a...
Emery has been a band since forming in South Carolina in 2001. Their local scene was pretty quiet at that time, so the band decided to move to Seattle, WA. That move soon paid off as record labels came calling within a year. Emery decided to sign with Tooth & Nail Records and released their label debut, The Weak's End, in 2004. They released their second full-length, The Question, in 2006, and followed with I'm Only A Man, in 2007.Emery's latest recorded effort, While Broken Hearts Prevail, will be released October 28. The EP includes new material as well as material that has been in the band's repertoire but never recorded. Singer/Bassist Toby Morrell talks of the impetus for the EP: "We had two years be...
Matt Keating has chosen an endangered format (the long-playing record-album) to perform some much-needed resuscitation on the great lost art of the album. It's exactly the kind of implausible, foolishly romantic, unabashedly retrograde quest that deserves a title like QUIXOTIC. And so it seems perfectly natural that this album should also be a double CD collection of 23 new songs. However, QUIXOTIC is no rock opera. Instead, like two sides of a vinyl LP, each of the 40-or-so minute discs are, essentially, two perfectly paced legs of the same destination-anywhere road trip.QUIXOTIC finds Keating reunited with longtime studio partner Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah...
An unknown name to many outside of Clash of the Titans fans, MEDUSA stand poised to deliver a sonic deathblow to all that is false with En Raga Sul, the deadliest 15 tracks to grace a vinyl platter in a long fucking time. Consisting of 3/4ths of the creative nucleus of the juggernaut Racebannon, MEDUSA bludgeon the listener with a riff-centric cyclone that sounds like Slayer playing Melvins covers through the MC5's equipment. You've never heard anything quite like it, and when En Raga Sul is over, you will be left beaten, torn, and begging for more oxygen, and one more listen.Toiling amongst the shades for their formative years, MEDUSA spent almost 5 years constructin...
