Covering all the Music You Didn't Know About Since '96

Hello!

My name is Daniel, and I’m the singer/guitarist in the Athens, GA band Venice is Sinking.  We’ve got a new EP coming out called “Okay”.  Actually, it’s more of a maxi-single for the song “Okay”, which appeared on our last album, AZAR.  On the EP are two alternate versions of AZAR tracks “Ryan’s Song” and (ahem) “Okay”.  We also included two covers of the San Francisco band Okay we recorded with Jason NeSmith of Casper & the Cookies: “Compass” and “Give Up”.

Man, it’s hard to explain thias one.  That’s a lot of “Okay’s”!

Here is a free MP3 of one of the Okay covers we did, “Compass”: http://tinyurl.com/viscompass We think that we did the song justice.  We’re big fans of Marty Anderson of Okay, and we wanted to honor his wonderful songwriting.

Boston’s hardcore outfit Lions Lions is a melodic strong band that doesn’t believe in just playing shows to play shows. Instead, the group dominates the stage, often expressing every single solitary emotion that they’ve felt since the last tour with dripping sweat authority. Smart harmonies dominate each song, vocally taking the band into the realm of visionary as well as visceral. Produced by Alan Day and Dan O’Connor of Four Year Strong, “From What We Believe” is the perfect album for big-time fans of Thursday and Therefore I Am – of course the band features ex-members of that group so that’s pretty understandable. Rangy guitars ruminate over vowels of melody while the drumming punctuates the sweet and salty posterior of a well-worked out body amid a grunge-filled universe. Niiice.

Bear In Heaven, well I just don’t know. That’s my response. That’s the only response you could possibly give to such a mind-numbing and/or mind-blowing experience right? I remember thinking the same thing when I was praying to the porcelain goddess after listening to My Bloody Valentine late at night when I was already nauseous but oddly sober at age 17 (true story fucktards) – I just couldn’t handle music this grandiose and visionary (and certainly not so anti-melody) . This sort of swirling psychedelic musak could only be the product of some awfully good and golden acid flashback, I mumbled to myself—while I oddly thought, why am I mumbling to myself and if I am, why the lack of quotations? The fact that I scorn proper English and grammar be damned, I furthered, Holden Caulfield style. “Beast Rest Forth Mouth” may not make a lick of sense but it’s a filled to the brim with possibly some of the best music that the indie pop world has to offer at this very time in the fabric of time and space. Urgent synths dodge rocking rhythms and barely sub-conscious lyrical twists sung by someone who believes that cohesiveness is a religion that ought to perhaps be studied, but definitely by someone else, and certainly never adored. Citing a skull-fuckery this side of our gracious greats of My Bloody Valentine meeting an ambient sub-species like Brian Eno’s influenced no-names for coffee and a joint. Taking your snaps of snapshots while you still can, you know before the who’s who of indie rock journalism finally wakes up and smells the wormwood-soaked musical genius that is Bear in Heaven – you just can’t like this band unless they are this obscure and hidden from the trolls.

True dub that is actually good is a rare gem these days. So much dub is littered with has-been electronica or reggae “artists” that couldn’t scrub a sink let alone sink their teeth into wobbly bass or sparse techno bits. Teleseen is one of those special groups that combines the raw techno rhythms with that sweat-soaked club bass with a Zen-like nod to reggae, dancehall, and two step. There are elements of hip-hop and ragga that are firmly stirred together for a raunchy rumble of bass-driven sparseness with a cute wink at Afro-beat for good measure. Intriguing reminder of a less-involved PlateaU album.

If Modest Mouse was to have a less strung out sounding heir apparent then Capybara could almost fit that bill; that is they stopped wandering the planet of Indie Rock and came down to join us humans for a while. Using falsetto and cracked voiced vocals to their harmonic advantage, Capybara churns out light harmonies and sparse rock rhythms. Often commanding a presence, “Try Brother” is a group of melodies arranged almost sporadically but within that chaos there is order and that order is pleasant on the eardrums. Capybara may garner their moniker from a semi-aquatic rodent but there’s not ratty or ROUS (rodents of unusual size) about them. Party music for the people that aren’t ever invited to parties.

We all know that one of Jamaica’s best exports this side of Red Stripe is reggae, but to New Zealand? Who would have thought that it would make its way to Auckland and beyond? So you may be surprised to find out that New Zealand is a new Mecca for Rastafarianism and its adopted music, even an MP, the Green Party’s Nandor Tanczos is a Rastafarian. Mighty funky bass chords rage on through dub and reggae tunes that are handcrafted for hipster appeal. Recording out of a studio called The Surgery that was once a karate dojo, the Black Seeds populate their sound with island funk, jazzy brass horns, dancehall rhythms, and retro pop off-shoots all packaged neatly with post-African rhythms. Respect indeed.

Road – Long Player

Wow the ‘70s called and they want everything back. You are not allowed to play rock, thanks.

Hunters, Run! – EP2

A quick two-song EP that is the second in a series of four consecutive 7”s, that dot the I’s and cross the T’s on this New York City-based post-pop group. Magnetic melodies that recall Husker Du with lyrics that could have been penned by Elvis Costello. Only 200 physical copies are out there folks, so get this limited gem while you still can! Peep the MP3 of “If I had Half a Chance”.

Definite Spaces – Patterns that Matter

Indie pop trio Definite Spaces hail from San Francisco and recall neatly packaged emotional rock from the mid to late ‘90s. The songs are very stripped down and easy to listen, but also are easy to forget without any particular melody or harmony sticking with you. Watch them closely, there is definitely something here.

Black Friday ‘29 – 2009

Aggro-hardcore from European hardcore outfit Black Friday ’29 unleashes a torrential downpour of spite, aggressive nuance, and pumping fists. Anthems abound!

The Cassidy Scenario – Withstanding Voracity

The Austrian landscape of melodic hardcore is small in scope but heavy on quality; The Cassidy Scenario is one proof positive of why everyone’s eyeballs should be trained on that. Recommended if you like, Comeback Kid or Above this Fire or you know, freakin’ good hardcore.

Mia Vermillion – Alone Together with the Blues

Blues standards with female vocals that are one two-step away from being classics. Nicely done.

Brenda Earle – Songs for a New Day

Grand jazz-pop with sultry style and a firm grasp on what constitutes the makeup of a great jazz standard with covers of Marc Anthony, Keane, Cole Porter, and Crowded House.

The Yes Pleases – From Whence It Came

The Yes Pleases are really a “No Thank You” that should go back to “From Whence It Came”. I can do without this sort of wannabe quirky indie pop, thanks.

Ocote Soul Sounds – Coconut Rock

Martin Perna was one of the foremost musicians responsible for reviving the Afrobeat sound as part of a fifteen-piece collective in the Big Apple; “Coconut Rock” finds Martin employing funk and soul with Latin American fusions and rhythms.

Destination: Oblivion – The Phoenix

“The Phoenix” isn’t even a guilty pleasure and when you mention that the album is adding elements of “emo, dj, trance, and progressive” you figure there’s gotta be something there that you would never admit to liking but that you secretly jam out to when no one is around. Nope. The only guilty pleasure is figuring out how to mock it better than the next guy. Here’s my swag at it: “Forget the Holocaust, this is the worst thing that mankind has ever done to one another.”

The Sexy Accident – Mantoloking

Chunky guitars crunch with crackling melodic vocals humming bars of harmonies underneath an engulfing wave of oceanic delight and power pop saltiness. Neat and organized indie pop from Kansas City’s The Sexy Accident.

Katastrophe – The Worst Amazing

Katastrophe’s third full-length is a rangy indie hip-hop album for hip suburbanites who steer clear of much of the lame BET fodder but like their beats bouncy and their lyrics poignant and intelligent. Peep the video for “The Life”.

Drum Dynasty – Drum Dynasty

Ambient percussionists Arturo Rodriguez, Marco Zonka, and Bruce Burgess join forces with film composer Kevin Christensen to blend an interesting mix of new age world rhythms into a two-disc collection of rhythm. Intriguing.

Final Gravity – Final Gravity

Really who didn’t covet the great ‘80s hair bands and early ‘90s rockers? While Final Gravity is certainly far removed from Van Halen, they have the ferocious beer coveting that Eddie and the gang were known for. Good tunes, perhaps played at high volumes with lots of hops and barley action going on.

Kite Operations – Festival

“Festival” is the third album by Kite Operations and showcases their tepid and alluring sonic-driven sound that could easily be mistaken for a b-side from the great Sonic Youth.

Joshua James – Build Me This

Whoa he totally looks like the heroin junkie played by Jared Leto from “Requiem for a Dream”, Joshua’s music is soulful and endearing rock that’s easy on the ears and pleasant to hum along to. Fantastic.

Wiretree – Luck

Austin, Texas long a boon to the indie music scene now can boast Wiretree to its added collection of great exports. “Luck” is a dynamic songwriter’s dream with smart vintage and retro sounds of hipster underground pop that no one can really remember the name of.

Circulatory System – Signal Morning

Featuring the members of The Olivia Tremor Control as well as Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster of the seminal Neutral Milk Hotel, Circulatory System should be no stranger to oodles of praise and fan-boy wanton madness. Fortunately it will be well deserved as this album “Signal Morning” is one of indie intrigue and rocks out with dense and abrasive guitar work.

Eva and the Heartmaker – Let’s Keep This Up Forever

Throwaway pop-rock that features female vocals and rangy rock with pop harmonies from Norway. Nothing great, nothing special but it passes the time well enough.

Jookabox – Dead Zone Boys

Indiana natives Jookabox launch a third full-length album that is a study in the primordial stew of avant garde music effortlessly blending a hodgepodge of intriguing sounds. Get your mind numbed with their genre bending and stirring mix-o-logy.

Kevin Delaney – Pause for Effect

Kevin Delaney’s latest album is a nice move forward from his previous album, “Himalayan Moon”. His singer/songwriter tunes are drenched in hard-working rock with Americana overtures. The sparse elements of stringed instruments (cello, violin, viola) go well with the more countriy-fried blues utensils of harmonica and mandolin.

Lynhurst – Field Day

Sassy pop from a group of siblings that is total California (of course the band harkens from Minneapolis) in its sultry sun-drenched vocals that sing lyrics of heartache and witty satire. Hanson it is not and that’s a good thing.

blueVenus – Grin

Canadian lo-fi pop singer/songwriter is rife with nuance and culture, something you’d expect from a group whose spotlight was just beginning to shine when immigration policies shook the band’s foundations from being together again.

Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats – Meet the Meatbats

Funky jazz improvisational music heralded by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith that is a big take-it-or-leave-it. If you were hoping for a Deep Purple b-side, then I guess you’d be impressed. Otherwise…

Ming & Ping – Ming & Ping

Twins Ming & Ping once again craft alien spaceship soundtracks with New Wave techno 8-bit synths and warbled bass funk with pop nuance reminiscent of Gary Numan and the Pet Shop Boys. Nintendo-core kids will fall in love with “Vanilla” with its glorious 8-bit-ness.

Versus the Throne – Ruins Afire

Aggressive melodic metalcore outfit Versus the Throne recently inked a deal with Bastardized Recordings; their newest album “Ruins Afire” is a testament to the boundaries that metalcore will attempt to push. Not bad but if you’re not a metalcore fan you’ll want to just keep on truckin’.

Ichor – The Siege

Death metal band Ichor hails from Trier, Germany, the oldest city in the country, “The Siege” is an old school (if you call the mid ‘90s old school) trip through hell with percolated new school greatness. I hear a lot of influence from Obituary and Incantation and that’s fucking grand.

Faust Again – The Trial

Polish death metal outfit Faust Again formed in ’99, and ten years later have warped into a progressive amalgam of hardcore influenced death metal. If you cast this off as just another metalcore album you’ll be missing out on a lot.

Today Forever – Profound Measures

Melodic hardcore quintet Today Forever pens imaginative new school hardcore that have a tinge of emotion (don’t confuse that with ‘emo’ please) and dynamic melodies. It’s a fistful of nice.

Chaos Reach – Monument of Chaos

Yawningly darkened death metal that rarely finds true momentum from either of the brother guitarists Topi or Tatu Hiltunen. The rangy melodies could be interesting if they were backed up with real punch instead of a somber eulogy.

Mark Spybey is one of the biggest geniuses in the post-industrial music scene. His 11^th album under the Dead Voices on Air moniker is yet another giant leap forward for mankind’s adventures in sound. “Fast Falls the Eventide” is a meticulous carving out of aural inspirations dotted with spectral soundscapes, huge rhythms, and masterful experimentations. The 2^nd disc is actually a re-release of the long out of print 1994 cassette-only release “Abrader” that was launched on Japanese label G.R.O.S.S. The second disc also features two previously unreleased tracks collaborating with cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy, Download, Doubting Thomas) with Key’s interesting melting of a moog synthesizer and banging on a barrel drum with Mark’s odd backdrop of noise and musical alliteration. Spybey’s music has long been a personal inspiration for me, whether it was his forays with Download, the atmospheric intrigue of :Zoviet France:, or his collaboration with Robin Storey (Rapoon) in his side project Reformed Faction. Ranging from caustic missionaries of mania to nightmarish dream soundtracks or sparsely woven ambient tapestries, Spybey always seems to hit on all cylinders. Catchy it is not, absolutely essential it for sure is. The main disc of the release is a lengthy node of winded and sweeping synthesizers, aural ambience, manipulated samples, and nested noise. Truly a caricature of perfected post-industrial compositions, “Fast Falls the Eventide” may very well be one of the most interesting releases of 2009.