Throughout musical history, there has always been something distinctively special about brotherly acts, and The Avett Brothers from North Carolina have produced yet another excellent record in I and Love and You. Recorded in California and produced by Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, The Dixie Chicks) the 13 track album is their major label debut through Sony Music.
Album Reviews
23
Dec 09
I and Love and You – The Avett Brothers
10
Oct 09
Lyrics Born collaboration with The Bamboos
I love The Bamboos – awesome Aussie funk group – and heard about their collaboration with Lyrics Born from California on the radio the other night. Just had a chance to listen to it. Good track, soulful, works well … although I thought it was a little repetitive; could have been trimmed by at least 30 seconds or built up towards the end, though it’s saved by the two-stage breakdown at 1:50 and 2:45. Anyway, I still like it!
18
Sep 09
Thumbs up for Muse’s new album The Resistance
I’m a big fan of Muse. I have Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry, Hullabaloo Soundtrack, Absolution, Black Holes and Revelations, their live 2004 Absolution Tour DVD and now their latest 2009 release The Resistance.
It took me a while to come around to liking their previous 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. My initial impression with BH&R was that the band had plateaued and were now just a bland, commercial pop-rock group focussed on selling quantity rather than sticking to their we-don’t-care-if-you-like-us experimental progressive, space-rock. After listening to BH&R about a dozen times I finally realised that they hadn’t sold out. They were starting to poke at something new, a new sound.
That new sound has three years later matured and become Muse’s latest album The Resistance.
8
Sep 09
Spineshank
It was the middle of a CrossFit workout when I really noticed some really great hard metal pouring out of the speakers. It was here I met Spineshank.
What am I really enjoying about them? It’s ferocious, but it’s dynamic. This is what really sets great metal bands apart.
Santos’ vocals really separate most dynamics on the surface, but it’s the grinding drum and base combo that polish everything off.
The guitars are a constant wall of pure aggression.
Call it nu-metal, call it industrial metal, even call it metalcore. It doesn’t matter – for those who truly appreciate dynamic and hungry metal, it’s a must.
I still can’t choose a favourite album between Self-Destructure Pattern, Strictly Diesel or The Height of Callousness.
10
Apr 09
Sine – Perfect Relaxation
It’s currently 2am, and I’ve just finished up a joint and chucked German band Sine on for a listen. I feel I’m in the right state of mind and it’s the perfect time to listen to such soothing music. When you listen to tunes like these, it’s best to know that you’re going to be doing nothing for a while. I can imagine lying around for hours listening to this. They create a gentle wall of sound that overwhelms and entices the body and mind. I’m happy to be reviewing something that can do that.
Due to the release of their new aptly named album, Chillbar, I’ve been asked to write it up. In short, I’d say it’s a warm combination of flamenco style guitars, keys and synths with the expected electronic production. I think that pretty much sums them up. I guess you know what you’re getting into when you see the word “Lounge” being used to describe the music. Fear not, however, as its ambient orchestration and instrumental lyrical-like hooks always keep you interested enough to keep following through the journey.
23
Nov 08
Nothing a month? Yeah, I think we can swing that: My 5 favourite free downloads of 2008
As I have stated once before: I am a material guy in a digital world. Buying a full album online still does not wash with me and no amount of exclusive bonus tracks or digital booklets can sway my opinion. I do however purchase a lot of new singles to the point that I need to set up some sort of tab arrangement with iTunes like Norm had with Sam Malone.
21
Nov 08
Scott Matthews can pass my stranger any day
Fuck me, this man is brilliant. Scott Matthews hails from Wolverhampton in England and burst onto the UK charts back in 2006 with his debut album, Passing Stranger. You might have heard the mournful single, Elusive, on Triple J and thought you were listening to some previously undiscovered Jeff Buckley. But Elusive is just the tip of the iceberg and barely begins to showcase Matthews’ talent.
Passing Stranger is a collection of beautifully crafted urban folk-rock gems. From crunchy blues riffs to sliding guitars to delicately picked melodies, Matthews has perfected his acoustic sound. Woven into his songs is an entire medley of unexpected instruments to keep you on your toes, including tablas and a French accordian – each track is a magical experiment. Continue reading →
13
Nov 08
Metallica: Lars Ulrich – “..to get it sound loud”
A colleague at worked passed this over – “Lars Ulrich Defends Sound Quality Of Metallica’s Death Magnetic“. Sure, everyone can have a whinge about the quality of an album’s sound – that’s not new – but what astounded me was the shear lack of audio knowledge that Ulrich has. It was this next line that got me:
“But I’ve been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds … smokin’.”
12
Nov 08
Review: Winston Giles – Lovers
Winston Giles – Lovers: The first thing I noticed about this album when it arrived was the simple but beautiful cover art. It just teemed with intimacy and complimented with a balanced font face.
Pop Disco House. Yum.
The way the bass pops over some very funky beats will strike you. And much like the artwork — it’s a very balanced sound that is both soothing and uplifting. I absolutely love the way the beats drop, in particular on track 3 Get My Demons Out — where the things get a bit harder. The guitars on this particular track even remind me of Pink Floyd’s guitar work — using a brilliant lead channel with delay. Really sings well and compliments the vocal lines.
10
Nov 08
One Day As A Lion – Not too sheepish.
ONE DAY AS A LION
SELF TITLED EP
ANTI-
After Rage Against the Machine broke up in 2000, Zack De La Rocha entered into a kind of self-imposed exile for nearly seven years. Work with Trent Reznor and Dj Shadow produced very few tracks that saw the light of day. Now that the band’s back together it seems De La Rocha has regained his mojo, embarking on a side project as One Day As A Lion.
28
Oct 08
Flying Under Your Radar: Epicure
Last Sunday evening as I sat in a bar in Elwood, a pint of beer in hand, listening to a good friend of mine sing the weekend away I noticed a woman at the table next to me. Gillespie’s music often has that effect.
24
Oct 08
Sneaker Pimps kick more arse than you
I can’t begin to tell you how much the Sneaker Pimps kick arse. This British trip-hop outfit formed back in 1995 and have released three stellar smooth albums since. After the grooving Becoming X (1996), the group booted out vocalist Kelli Ali and guitarist Chris Corner took the lead. I think that’s awesome. Continue reading →
16
Oct 08
Cog – Sharing Space
I’m not even through my first track of Cog – Sharing Space (No Other Way), and already I’m falling in love with this band and their truly emotive sound.
7
Oct 08
Black Light Burns
Without a doubt, Wes Borland’s new project Black Light Burns is one of the best sounds I’ve heard in years. Straight to the favourite band list. Sophisticated, dark and powerful; both the songs and the album collectively take you on a journey.
The latest interview with Borland I’ve read provides great insight.
The record starts real aggressively, but toward the middle it gets a little more hurtful and hurting, lyrically, trying to express painful feelings, but still in an aggressive way. Then it kind of opens up in the end. And that was the purpose: to attack, then explain, then release and be done with it.
3
Oct 08
Review: The Butterfly Effect – Final Conversation of Kings
During a recording session last night with Steve, he highly recommended I buy the new album from The Butterfly Effect – The Last Conversation of Kings. Jumped onto iTunes and bought it right away — it’s in fact the first album I have bought off iTunes as a whole.
The introductory bass tapping and steady guitars led me to believe this album would be filled with the balance of delicate power like the previous Butterfly Effect albums Imago and Begins Here.
However, only a few tracks in, I couldn’t help but think there was something lacking. Some kind of dynamic I couldn’t put my finger on. The notes were there, the rises and falls — but there’s something about how the album was perhaps mastered or structured that left me yearning for power. I didn’t feel this album like the previous two. Overall it’s a 3 out of 5 for me — great ideas, just few of them executed to their full potential.
22
Dec 08
TMB’s favourite albums of 2008
Continue reading →