Smother Magazine – A Site Dedicated Since '96 Covering all the Music that You Haven't Heard Of.

Mew Tour Dates with NIN:

Mew will also be holding a contest for fans to win tickets to see them with Nine Inch Nails in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Check out the contest page here: http://mewsite.com/winmewtickets/

“Volume” is Paul Van Dyk’s “best of” album; PVD’s career can be best summed by simply uttering ‘wow’. The first CD are all songs that he produced alongside guest appearances and performers. Simply stunning. This CD is fully mixed so it’s a seamless experience. Ranging from such gems as “For an Angel” that boasts a new mix for ’09 to the melodic uplifting club mix of “Home” to the grimy yet sexy “New York City” featuring Austin Leeds and Starkillers with Ashley Tomberlin, “Volume” churns forth a stew of progressive dance music that is noted as the upper echelon of the upper class of electronic music.

The second disc is comprised of re-rubs and remixes that Paul Van Dyk has compiled over the years. He can even make Britney Spears seem relevant and sound good on his reworking of “Gimme More”. Also noted additions include Binary Finary’s “1998”, U2’s “Elevation”, “Spooky” by New Order, Depeche Mode’s “Martyr”, and Timo Maas’ “Pictures”. Grammy-nominated and known globally as the world’s best DJ (Okay so what if he was only #3 – he was behind Tiesto who played at the Olympics!) – Paul Van Dyk has been at the top of his game for 15 years.

Featuring tracks from his great studio albums, “Seven Ways”, “Out There and Back”, “Reflections”, “In Between”, and 45 RPM”, “Volume” is a testament to the hard work and dedication of a great producer and DJ and points out his extensively grand catalog where each song is just as thrilling on the 100^th listen as it was on the 1^st. Brilliant and a total must-have for dance fans the world over.

Beastie Boys have today (20 July) issued the following statement:

‘Adam “MCA” Yauch of Beastie Boys was diagnosed last week as having a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. Luckily it was caught early and is localized in one area, and as such is considered very treatable. It will however require surgery and several weeks of additional treatment. Fortunately the cancer is not in a location that will affect Yauch’s vocal chords. Beastie Boys have canceled all upcoming concert appearances to allow time for Yauch’s surgery and recovery. The release of the band’s forthcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 will also be pushed back. ‘Paraphrasing from a video statement on www.Beastieboys.com, Yauch said, “I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we’ll release the record and play some shows. It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later.”’ A statement from EMI reads: ‘Our thoughts, love and prayers are with Adam Yauch, his family and the Beastie Boys. The most important thing is to allow Adam to focus on staying healthy. We wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.’

Drum-n-bass and jungle has found their new measuring stick upon which all future albums will be measured against. “Everyone Bleeds” is a dark journey through breaks, dark jungle, and symphonic electro house. “Rockers” is the defiant stand-out with its sharp cuts, deep drum dives, pulsing rhythm, and house-oriented beats. Sean Shah is Silent Killer and invites fellow act Submerged on for the ride with a fantastic re-rub of “Corpse”. “Savior” starts the album out on a pounce with dynamic jungle cuts and a bunch of stirring melodies. Also mega ups and propers to “The Great Machine” which is armed with lasting synths that are both uplifting and party-worthy. “Everyone Bleeds” is an astonishingly grand entry into the D&B field and will be a permanent member in my music rotation.

Those that know of Mark Spybey and his work with various improvisational electronic outfits may be surprised to hear this record which has a rich history dating of songs written by Richard Sanderson that go back as far as 1978. “The Setland L.P.” is comprised of mind-blowing no wave rich with textured samples, noise, ambience, and brass instruments. Most songs sound as if they were composed while on some heavy-duty psychedelics. It’s a love affair of raw sound collected, manipulated, and taken on a long journey. Beautiful, disturbing, intriguing, and beguiling all at once.

If you’re an avid reader of Smother over the years, you’ll note that one year was spent reviewing a dozen albums by indie alternative rock outfit Moes Haven. Quirky pop tunes that laugh in the face of the serious. Found in the mail package along with the CD was a DVD of their new indie flick, “Monsters, Marriage, and Murder in Manchvegas” – a hilarious b movie set to the tune of horror thriller, peep the trailer here. But back to the music – this is a collection of some of the finest moments of Moes Haven, though why they didn’t include the track that they wrote for me is beyond me! Adventuresome songwriters that have somehow completely scared off that disease known as ‘writer’s block’. Awesome guys, awesome.

Combining pop-punk and ambient space rock together sounds like something implausible and even if it was possible, why on earth would you want to do it? Well that’s just what the Color Turning strived to do and they accomplished success on an epic scale. Having played alongside the likes of The Spill Canvas, Dashboard Confessional, Hello Goodbye, Plain White T’s, and Thrice, one would think almost instantaneously that the band was nothing more than an emo or pop-punk offshoot. But that’s far from the truth. In fact, the group deploys instrumentation as an orchestra would, often building up to a huge crescendo and always with healthy doses of melody and harmony. Layers of effects lend an experimental vibe that is straight out of the Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, and Mew world. “Good Hands Bad Blood” is an album that is at once both creative and nearly perfect.

On Hundred Year Storm’s latest, giant shoegazer guitars glaze their way across giant Mt. Everest tall space rock adventures that mount an epic journey through indie rock’s more spacious caverns. The band has a lot to say with songs like “Success of Liberty” featuring samples of Hitler, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Bush Sr., and Franklin Roosevelt. Militaristic charging drums work to steer the panic-inducing distorted guitars that wail with delight. You’ll find yourself panting by the end of this massively genius rock record that recalls the best of Explosions in the Sky, Failure, and Brandtson.

Boston hardcore band Death Before Dishonor knows that the old boring “chugga chugga” ain’t gonna cut it. “Better Ways to Die” is signature Boston but features enough asides to not be labeled as “just hardcore”. Hardworking group members that embody Boston’s blue collar reputation with truly invigorating gang sing-song anthems, Death Before Dishonor is a blueprint of what hardcore music should now represent.

“Brood” is the sophomore album from the combined duo of experimental electronica wizards known as Mark Spybey (Dead Voices on Air, Zoviet France, Download, Reformed Faction) and Phil Western (Download, PlateaU, Floatpoint, Kone). Beehatch once again leaves the listener with a bruising eardrum that was brutalized by an unknown source of sonic adventures that have previously never been encountered. Subjecting their audience with a journey of gourmet sound that was perfectly mastered by ex-Lengendary Pink Dots member Frankie Pett, Beehatch is right up with the some of the most perfect electronic and noise adventures ever imagined. Recommended if you like Coil, Download, Skinny Puppy, Dead Voices on Air, Throbbing Gristle, and anything cEvin Key has touched.