Blink-182: Neighborhoods (2011)

“Neighborhoods” is Blink-182’s first album in nine years and it is well known as soon as the album begins you feel like you're listening to a new era of Blink-182 music, long gone are the silly song titles and album titles.

What you're given is a rejuvenated band with a new message and style, it does seem Blink-182 has grown up after all. Now Tom Delonge has incorporated his sounds from Angels &Airwaves into this album since it is his other band he had formed during Blink’s hiatus but at the same time, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker formed +44 around the same Delonge formed Angels & Airwaves.

Angels & Airwaves are still together and have a new album out for November, +44 are on hiatus for the time being but would love to make another album whenever possible.

As for the album, “Neighborhoods” it was well worth that wait, from the opening track Ghost on the Dance Floor, Delonge’s influence on the album is well noted with the space rock airy sound the song conveys while the song brings back classic blink lyrics of lost love and missed opportunities

Barker’s drumming is sensational throughout the album setting the perfect tone and beat and rhythm to every song on the album not to mention he absolutely just goes all out on the drums through the album.

Sprinkled in are songs all Blink fans will love from Natives to Snake Charmer to Wishing Well, it’s the perfect meshing of the new Blink-182 and the old Blink-182. The overall theme of the album is somewhat dark compared to former albums with songs dealing with personal demons, temptation, regret and lost hope but the lyrics are so powerful and work so well, in the end it’s one of the albums strong suits.

My favorite track on the album is Kaleidoscope which has a beautiful chorus that Delonge sings "It's the first time that I'm worried of a bad dream of a journey on the highway through the valley, It's a long road through the night, It's a long road to get it right". I just love that chorus because it sums up the bands hiatus perfectly and I think the song is about Blink’s past which was a long road to get right and I think they finally got on the right path.

“Neighborhoods” is a new mature darker Blink-182 but old or new fans alike, I recommend this album. If you like classic Blink-182 you’ll find something you’ll like, If you like the newer experimental Blink-182 and their side projects, then this album should be one you check out. Either way, you can’t go wrong because this album was well worth the wait.

Primus- Green Naugahyde (2011)

Primus are back with their first full-length album after nearly twelve years and approximately 4,700 Les Claypool side projects. Green Naugahyde marks a return to form for the band in more way than one. Original drummer Jay Lane is back and is finally on his first Primus recording featuring original songs (no, Riddles Are Abound Tonight doesn’t count). According to Claypool, Lane was the one who wrote many of the drum parts in Primus’ early albums, and this should be of no surprise to anybody who has listened to this album. Lane’s playing is reminiscent of Tim Alexander, the man who pounded the skins on the band’s first four albums. But the similarities to their early work don’t end there. Les and Ler are back to doing what made them famous, but of course you can’t really revisit the past.

The first reports of Green Naugahyde described it as being similar to the band’s debut album Frizzle Fry. This was welcome news to me as that is my favorite Primus album but I was skeptical they would make an album that conventional (relatively conventional, of course). Frizzle Fry is Primus’ most metal-sounding album and features the least flashy bass playing from Claypool. For large chunks of songs he and the guitar are playing the same patterns, which becomes a rarity on later albums. On Green Naugahyde? Not so much. On this one Claypool is his flashy self and uses some of the same tones on his very out-there solo album Of Fungi and Foe. That’s not to say he is above riffs, however. Many of the patterns are repeated and some of the best riffs are done with his patented Flamenco strumming, which were especially highlighted in their early albums.

No, Claypool doesn’t follow the guitar like on their debut (Or was it the guitar that followed him? Eh, that’s not important). But why should he? That was over twenty years ago. Claypool gave a very poignant quote in Rolling Stone last June:

“A song like ‘Jilly's on Smack’ just wouldn't have been written in the early Nineties, because we hadn't lost a friend to heroin addiction. A song like ‘Lee Van Cleef’ which is reflective of my youth just wouldn't have been written back then.”

Yes, they are still Primus. But in the last twenty years they have learned lessons, musical and otherwise, that have helped shape their sound.

Don’t let that last paragraph discourage you. This is most certainly a Primus album. Who else but Primus can get away with a song called “Eyes of the Squirrel?” Claypool’s not-too-specific-but-still funny social commentary is back with songs like “Moron TV” and “Eternal Consumption Engine,” and we even get a new installment the Fisherman’s Chronicles. And just like a Primus album, it loses steam near the end. I could have done without “Extinction Burst” and I probably would have been okay with missing “HOINFODAMAN” and “Green Ranger.” But still, eight good songs out of eleven is not a bad ratio. Green Naugahyde is a little bit of the same and a little bit different, which is to say that is a lot different than anything else you’ll hear this year.

Happy birthday to our beloved contributor Will

He turns the big old 21 today, have fun bro.

This one goes out to you

Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne (2011)

Favorite tracks:

. That's My Bitch - Great sample, great beat, excellent hook by Elly Jackson. Justin Vernon's cameo is disturbingly cool.

"How can somethin’ so gangsta be so pretty in pictures? With jeans and a blazer and some Louboutin slippers"

. Otis - Exactly what I expect from Kanye & Jay. The two of them riding a soul sample trying to one-up each other, while complimenting each other in the process. Jay's opening verse and Kanye's second verse in particular are quite captivating.
"Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses,sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive; I get it custom, you a customer, you ain’t ‘customed to going through Customs, you ain’t been nowhere, huh?"

. Murder to Excellence - Not sure what to say about this one, it's just a really solid track with a nice beat change in the middle. More of Kanye & Jay complimenting each other's style.

"Black excellence, opulence, decadence; Tuxes next to the president, I'm present"

. Why I Love You - The grandiose production really works on this one. Mr Hudson's hook is arguably the most memorable of the year. Kanye plays second fiddle quite nicely.

"Fuck you squares, The circle got smaller; The castle got bigger, The walls got taller"

. Illest Motherfucker Alive - Not really one of my favorites, but there are some killer one-liners on this one.

"Fuck your awards like Eddie Murphy’s couch; The Roc is in the building we should have stayed in the house"

"Know when to leave when the heat is coming, I learned that; This is where DiNero would be if he ain’t turn back"

. Primetime - No I.D continues his amazing year with another terrific beat.

"Well, Adam gave up a rib so mine better be prime; Niggas gon kill me, I swear they better be lying; I never live in fear, I’m too out of my mind"

The Joy - Originally a G.O.O.D. Friday track, it works nicely as a bonus track. Pete Rock really brings out the soul with the Curtis Mayfield sample in this one. And Jay's flow is great, one of the best he'd had in a while.

"Give all glory to Gloria; They said you raised that boy too fast, but you was raising a warrior"

Though lacking consistency and initially a bit underwhelming, Watch the Throne has some great high points and lasting replay value. As with any Kanye project, the production is the highlight of the album. Though both Jay and Kanye had some great moments and chemistry, they failed to meet the standards that their past collaborations have set. Most of the guest features fit into their retrospective tracks well, with Elly Jackson and Mr Hudson being the standouts. It probably won't get my pick for album of the year, but I certainly won't have forgotten about it by December.

wiki

A Resignation and a Relatively Short Goodbye

Well, this is it.

A little over a year ago, we started this blog with little expectations except to share music with our friends on IGN. We essentially made it as a little project that grew out of a thread that gauged interest as to how many would like to see a music blog from other IGN users. As someone who's always had an interest in writing and is studying journalism in college, I signed up immediately to write.

When the site was created late on June 30th, 2010, it started quietly but began to grow over the next month, garnering around 3,750 views of the site. As someone who's never owned or been the administrator of a site before, I thought this was pretty neat even if it wasn't a high number.

I had no idea that, despite a large dive in activity, we'd garner 34,000 views in June this year and accumulate 118,000 views over the past year.

For that, I'd like to thank every single one of you who's checked out this site because you've helped us make improvements. You've helped me improve my writing. You've helped us all, certainly.

To those readers, I want to apologize. I want to apologize for the lack of activity from me and the other writers. I know I could have done a better job. Because I don't have nearly any time for LPC anymore, I've decided to resign from the site and leave The Red Agent as your lone administrator.

I'm doing this because of changes in my personal life (nothing bad, though; it's for the better), because I'm leaving IGN at the same time, and because of many other variables. I don't really want to leave the site, but it's time that I give up my position to a more deserving writer who wants to contribute and make LPC an active site again.

I don't have any regrets of my time on the site because all of you made it fun. Thanks for helping me become a better writer and (hopefully) reading the posts I've made on here.

34,000 views? 118,000 over a full year? I never would've imagined it. Thanks so much. I'll see you guys at a later point, hopefully sometime in December.

-cedar

I have a Twitter and I post about music from time to time
Last.fm
RYM

Seiichi Yamamoto & Fushigi Robot - Mind Game OST (2004)

It wasn't too long ago I saw this movie. It was something I had kept aside for a rainy day I suppose, as I looked in my collection only to find this title that was totally obscured to me. Immediately I fell in love; it was a touching, bold, and brilliantly charming work about, in as plain of words as I can find, the experience of life. The animation was carefully experimental, shifting between normal anime styles into rotoscoping of the actors faces onto their characters faces and bright segments of action and art, the characters themselves were defined and likable in their idiosyncrasies, and, what brings us here, the music cast a brilliant mood and even within itself was quite likable. Because of this I went out searching, only to find out that, not only did I already have the soundtrack (not listened to yet), but it's likely why I found the film. And that's all because of one of the names in the title.

Co-founder and seminal member of Boredoms, Seiichi Yamamoto has left footprints of himself all around Japan's numerous music scenes, which is evident by taking a look at his dizzying discography. Even with his wide range of acts, there are several attributes that seem to follow him: lucid, surrealistic music, a significant focus on percussion, abnormal instrumentation. Seeing as that doesn't change here, any fan of the Boredoms or Rovo or Omoide Hatoba or any other Japanese band it seems my find a treat in this (I can even recall saying at one point that the music sounded very much like something Seiichi would do).

It starts with a spastic drum track brilliantly titled "Startin'" which abruptly cuts out into a charming synth piece before finally hitting the poppy, arabesque main theme. Among these is the theme... rapidly changing moods and themes. Among charming pop numbers like the title track or Atarashii Hito (not performed by Seiichi Yamamoto) are janky anti-pop pieces like No Chaser or Big Unit and ambient pieces and drum pieces and jazz pieces and even a nice sort of mash-up classical arrangement by frequent anime composer Yoko Kanno. It's a dizzy collection within itself, but carefully eclectic. There's a steady charm within it, and even without the movie there seems to be a story sliding throughout the moods.

But I definitely recommend the movie.

Try it

Buy it... please tell me if you find a place

Buy the movie

A Roundup of Things I've Listened to Lately

Next to last post for me on LPC. I guess I'll see how this goes.



Washed Out - Within and Without (2011)

Ernest Greene, arguably the first real member of the chillwave genre, outdoes himself with this record. Hard to beat fantastic cuts like Soft and A Dedication.

Try it
Buy it



Lil B - I'm Gay (I'm Happy) (2011)

This album exists. Thank you Based God.



The Beach Boys - Sunflower (1970)

It's a shame that I hadn't listened to this very much before the last week. Typical outstanding stuff.

I think this works
Just buy it



WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (2011)

You might not like the vocals, but they completely fit the music and this could end up being one of the best albums of the year.

Try it
Buy it



Eric Copeland - Waco Taco Combo (2011)

How surprising that the leader of one of the most overlooked bands of the 2000s creates another solid album that's going to be overlooked. Great sampling work at hand on this album and the 17-minute long Spangled ends up being worth it in the end.

Try it
Buy it

Thanks for reading. One more day for me.

Lil B - I'm Gay (2011)

When I reviewed Lil B's Illusions of Grandeur mixtape earlier in the year, my aim was to open people's eyes and ears to the other side of Lil B as an artist. By now, most hip-hop heads and most music fans who know how to use the internet are familiar with the Based God and his antics, which involve the consumption of Wonton Soup in conjunction with having his way with your bitch. If this was Lil B's ploy to make a name for himself then it certainly worked. However, it also resulted in his more serious projects being overshadowed. There's nothing wrong with a bit of infamy, but when your best work is often overlooked then you have to re-think your strategy, which is exactly what Lil B did with I'm Gay.

I won't go into detail about the album title, because this is a review about the music. But needless to say, Lil B was adequately aware that naming his album I'm Gay would attract plenty of attention, which would result in listeners, which would ultimately result in word getting around that the based god really is a serious artist. Lil B's aim as an artist has always been to let listeners hear the real him, how he feels about the world, how he thinks and how he acts, which is why he and many of his fans often refer to him as 'The realest person doing it'. And in just 44 minutes, Lil B sounds more convincingly real than he ever has before.

Opening track 'Trapped in Prison' does what every opening track on a good album should do- set the tone and feel of the album. A song about dealing with racism, Lil B's confidence in himself is evident from the opening minute. "It’s more than Martin Luther King fighting for a dream; Watch me go against everything you believe". Punchlines are not lost on him either. "I'm nicer than grandma with a cup of iced tea; You see me I got ice like Ice T". Where Lil B really shines the most is when he's talking positive. On 'Gon Be Okay' he says "I'mma ask how you doing today; we gonna win somehow, someway". On 'I Hate Myself', a story about his struggles growing up and wanting to let go of the past in order to be happy, Lil B closes the song by saying "Don't think too hard, free your mind" after reflecting on some of the things he's seen growing up in the hood and how it made him feel. While that may seem like a tired subject in the realm of rap, it works when told in such a direct, no-nonsense manner.

The highlight of I'm Gay is without question the production. The album album sounds raw yet soulful, with a wide variety of well-executed samples, including Slowdive on 'Open Thunder Eternal Slumber', Goo Goo Dolls on 'I Hate Myself', and my personal favorite, a simply terrific sample of Gerard McMann's 'Cry Little Sister' on 'Unchain Me'.

I'm Gay has no guest features, it's just based god on all 12 tracks and no one else. Production-wise this is not an issue. As far as Lil B's rapping is concerned, this can be a major issue for some listeners. Firstly, Lil B can rap when he wants to. I'm Gay is not exactly the prime showcase of his rapping abilities. His style is notable for his unconventional (and sometimes non-existent) rhyme schemes, coupled with a slow flow that is often inconsistent and lazy sounding. Understandably this can be an issue for listeners, especially ones who aren't used to Lil B and his style. I tend to enjoy his style simply because of how convincing he is as a storyteller. The lyrics on this album are great and while he may not spit them in the most appealing way, he still tells his stories well, which is what really sells it for me. And while I wouldn't mind hearing these stories in a more conventional manner, something about the way that they're delivered in Lil B's uniquely odd style makes them all the more real.

Buy it

Wiki

Death Grips - Exmilitary (2011)

As a fan of noise and black metal and all sorts of other ugly musics, I've had to discuss the idea of value in aggressive music and the use of screaming and destructive melodies fairly frequently. Occasionally it's something as simple as "happiness or pleasure isn't derived directly from something that makes you feel cheery" which is simple enough to accept I think. Occasionally I'll have to bring up Schoenberg's sprechstimme and the idea of jilted dynamics and vocals to heighten the atmosphere and expression of a piece, which works itself into a circle when they insist on pure entertainment and such. All that aside however, there is a certain appreciation that is to be had in a very primal anger in music, like Salo to cinema, and an idea that it's something that must be done for the full spectrum of art.

And here rests a great example. From the takeoff, we're treated to a brief sample of an interview than none other than criminal and musician Charles Manson, leading into a thick heavy beat with a pointed grunt accompanied with a yell claiming this lead vocalist is the terrible beast he worships, later expanding discussing how he's not afraid of "the time he's taken past the point of no return" and that one should "wage war" as there is no hell and no worries for the future and such. Aside from the subject matter itself, the lyrics are incredibly poetic and theatrical. It evokes powerful imagery with ease, casually shouting down the powers of the earth and painting all the "evils of man".

The rest of the album follows in roughly the same path with some minor changes. Guillotine moves more slowly, with a thick low end beat settling as a sort of sludge underneath more angry vocals. Culture Shock has a more glitchy beat with a smooth subtle vocalist. Blood Creepin has some sort of tribal yell to transition into the first verse. But through every change, this album keeps its intensity and vileness.

At the very least, you're unlikely to hear much like this. You can get the same sort of angry vocals in something like Kill the Vultures, but that's generally much more lethargic. You could get the noise and destruction and, i suppose, wordiness, in something like dalek, but while that is sharp and, in certain respects, promotes human, this is thick and spiteful. While I was showing this around, one listener could only remark "I'm breathing heavy and stuff". Regardless of whether or not you find entertainment in this, very few can hit the atmosphere of this tape, and of everything released this year, this demands a listen more than anything.

and it's free

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome (2011)

When an album takes five years to make, you have to wonder if it's gonna be worth the wait. Well thankfully this is. In traditional Danger Mouse fashion, Rome is a nice genre-blending record that's engaging and of course, well-produced, incorporating elements of alt. rock, folk and chamber pop. The recurring theme of this record is spaghetti western films, and it comes across well in the record, as this could very well be the soundtrack to a modern western film. In addition to all this, Jack White and Norah Jones supply terrific vocals to some of the tracks. At 35 minutes, this album is short, sweet and a definite front-runner for AOTY. Highlights of the album for me were 'Season's Trees', 'Roman Blue' and 'Her Hollow Days'.

Buy it

Wiki

VIRUS - The Agent That Shapes The Desert

Brief apology for the downtime. We aren't dead yet.

First of all, I love Ved Buens Ende. Written In Waters is easily a top ten album, and if there's one band that upsets me more than any other for a lack of output... well that's a debate but they are up there. Because of this, my relationship with VIRUS, czral's creation after VBE, an admitted departure from their sound, is a bit wish-washy. But even with the slight departure and coincidentally, my slight disappointment, I can't stay mad. Abandoning the slight black metal tinge of VBE, VIRUS becomes the janky post-punk/progressive sound that countered it expanded into it's own, previously shown on 2003's Carheart and 2008's The Black Flux.

If you've heard those, this isn't much different. It's an avantgarde rock sound somewhere inbetween Vivoid and The Pop Group with the same sort of funky groove as Talking Heads or Discipline-era King Crimson. The atmosphere is otherworldly as the guitars twinge out in the ether while Czral croons his surreal lyrics over the top of jazzy, syncopated drum patterns. It's another one of those dissonant, janky albums that still manages to be overly catchy and "poppy".

download

buy

Madeon

It's 2:30am, and all I can think about is "Wow, this kid is fucking amazing". This is not an album review, or even a track review. This is just a rant, a preach, a lecture if you will. What this kid is doing for the Electro House world is superb, and at the age of 17 Madeon is taking the dance world by storm. Not too much is known about him, or what he is going to be doing. But I can say that I am excited as hell. I mean, if this kid can take such a terrible, horrible, shitty wreck of a song like "Raise Your Weapon" by Deadmau5 and turn it into a work of art, there is a lot to look forward to. Do yourself a favor and start listening to his work, you won't regret it.

Listen
LISTEN
LISTEN!!!!

Counterpoint: Tyler, the Creator's Goblin Isn't Bad, It's Actually Pretty Good

I mean, this track exists. How can it not be better than Bastard?

Tyler, The Creator - Goblin (2011)

Well I think Tyler sums this album up the best in his song Yonkers:

"I'm a fucking walking Paradox"

Which makes complete sense because he's the standout rapper of the California Hip-Hop collective OFWGKTA but then he puts out something like this, something so beneath his potential it almost made me question if it was one of those fake Goblin leaks that were floating around. Tyler on this album comes of as more confessional than I've seen on his previous songs but I really don't think Tyler is album to hold my interest over an entire album. Part of the reason why I liked EARL was because it was short enough that I could listen to it and move on cause it was about 30 minutes. Goblin however is about 1 and a quarter albums of Tyler bitching about him being "famous" and other stuff going wrong in his life.

The album opener is the self titled Goblin, and the song is 7 minutes of him going over his sudden rise to fame and how he seems to have all these expectations surrounding him and the rest of Odd Future to his therapist. The track itself is pretty good but this brings me into something I don't really like about Odd Future in general, and that's that a lot of the beats try to be minimal to the point where it just comes across as lazy. The beat sounds like a fucking metronome, and then it kind of breaks off into this synthy piano thing and almost immediately goes back into a metronome sound (which sounds really bland, like it's a 4/4 pattern throughout the entire song). The track transitions not-so-subtlely into Yonkers which is easily my favorite track off of the album, which is a shame that I heard the best song off of the album so many months in advance. The beat again is pretty basic but the rhymes keep me coming back because, well, he's clever. He's really clever and he knows how to put together a rap. It's as simple as that. Radicals, the next track begins with with a disclaimer that takes away from the shock that track has then he goes on to say "FUCK BILL O'REILLY", as if he's striving for that same attention he denounced 2 songs ago. But whatever, the track itself is another solid song, which while it's not as clever as Yonkers is, it's still pretty entertaining and it reminds me of why I like OFWGKTA in the first place. The thing I have against this track though is that the first part of it (Yes there are 2 parts) is kind of baseless, as if he's saying all this stuff to piss off America without going into it at all like he does on Yonkers or Sandwitches. Anyway the rest of the album goes into Tyler using filters to demonstrate his other personas, using Fruity Loops-esqe beats and Tyler complaining over different shit going on his life. All of this lead me to only really enjoy and revisit Tron Cat, Yonkers, Radicals, Sandwitches, Nightmare, and Golden. The rest don't really strike me as something someone could find entertaining, outside those tracks I just listed. Overall it's not really that bad, but some tracks like Bitch Suck Dick, Window and AU79 have potential to be great but for some reason or another they just fall flat. Window and Bitch Suck Dick remind me of why people only seem to focus on Frank Ocean, Hodgy, Tyler and Earl. The rest of the group frankly sucks. They're not clever original or someone I'd want to hear when popping in this album.

Good tracks: Golden, Sandwitches, Tron Cat, Nightmare, Yonkers, Radicals

Download
Buy



Also I'm icy bitch

Foo Fighters- Wasting Light (2011)

Wasting Light is the Foo's return to the music scene and it is a welcome return. Tracks such as Rope, Back & Forth, and Walk solidify this record as a possible candidate as my album of the year for 2011. Some may say Wasting Light is the best Foos album of all time but it's hard to beat The Colour and The Shape. Wasting Light was recorded in Dave Grohl's garage instead of the band's usual location Studio 606.

Wasting Light is a solid album from beginning to end from the heart pumping jam Bridge Burning to the almost anthem worthy closer Walk, Wasting Light is not a waste of light but more a beacon of rock delight.

Memotone ~ Friend (2010)

Memotones 2010 album “Friend” comes as a surprise to me. I am not one who usually partakes in this kind of ambient/glitch/idm, but the smooth tones and acoustic instruments have swayed me. The way William Yates blends the soft subtle ballads with high strings, piano, and glitches is mesmerizing. Leaving you with a calm but not boring (I’m looking at you Boards of Canada) sound. Its sound is comparable to a mixture of Autchre, Plaid and Infinite Scale, while adding in masses of strings and woodwinds. Tracks that stood out would have to be “Sleeping in Circles” which sets the stage for what is to come. “These are your things” a collaboration of cut up vocals and instruments. And “Replace” which ends the album in a jazzy, subtle manner.

Buy It
Download It

Coachella 2011

Cali's annual Coachella Arts festival had a lot to live up to this year in particular. Performing acts included Lil B and Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All who have currently been the talk of the hip-hop community, the energetic dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 reunited for the first time in years, Canadian now-superstars Arcade Fire fresh off their grammy victory, and of course, Kanye flipping West. To put it simply, they all delivered. Coachella '11 may go down as one of the most memorable and quality music festivals in recent memory, in most part thanks to the standout, potentially career-defining moments of the headline acts Arcade Fire and Kanye West. You can view their 100-minute performances below:

Arcade Fire

Kanye West

And feel free to discuss/share anything Coachella-related right here.

Sleeping Bag- Sleeping Bag (2011)

Sleeping Bag are a local band who I've been following since shortly after they formed last summer. They play a type of indie rock with pop sensibilities but never build to poppy enough levels to really be considered pop. The vocals are intentionally low-key, maybe because that's the only way the drummer/vocalist can sing and play at the same time. I don't know, but I like it. This album, their debut full-length, isn't officially released yet but they have it available for free streaming on Bandcamp.

Listen.
Download old demo.

This is an early demo they were selling the first time I saw them. All four songs on it are on the full-length but I thought some people might be interested in hearing earlier versions. They don't sell it any more so don't feel bad about downloading it.

Unreleased Earl: Dat Ass (2009)

Possibly his best verse yet. Sick beat too.

Free download

The Sugarcubes - Life's Too Good (1988)

Maybe I'm just lazy right now, but this album is a hard one to review in detail. Anyone who's a fan of the 80's alt/indie rock scene will probably like this. With their debut album the Sugarcubes combine upbeat catchy songs with some dark, mysterious undertones in others. It has a nice 80s feel to it without sounding too outdated. And it has Bjork, so that should seal the deal. Highlights of the album for me where 'Motorcrash', 'I want...'and 'Delicious Demon'.

Try it

Buy it

Wiki

Future Idiots

The Future Idiot or Future Idiots as they call themselves are a band I discovered completely at random when I asked a question men have wondered for ages... "Has anyone ever done a rock cover of Paris Hilton's only hit song Stars are Blind?" and the answer was yes. Yes, they have.

Future Idiots have two sections to their YouTube, one where they have all the covers they have done which range from Blink 182 all the way to Katy Perry and then they have their own original songs. Overall, I like what I hear from these guys and think they're a pretty cool band overall.

So if you feel like listening to some rock covers of current pop songs like me, swing on over to their YouTube and give em a listen.

Future Idiots YouTube Account

Yowie - Cryptooology (2004)

The future of music that will never come to pass. The climax of rock music. This is outsider music for our entire dimension. No band has had this sort of vision since Beefheart marinaded us with tales of Big Joan's anatomy (and what a serenade that is). In fact, go look at any performance of Beefheart right now (or listen to Trout Mask... no, both). Catch a note of the spastic rhythms and atypical.. everything. It's a blues-rock, free-jazz, genre-destroying cacophony caught in a blender. But the reason we cherish Beefheart isn't because he's a gimmick that had the crazy idea of making unpop and somehow we ran with it, it's because somehow beneath the blimps and motherships there is an undeniable structure. A brooding intelligence that guides every misstep into a rightful position. A stealthy constructed masterpiece.

But how dare I compare some obscure midwestern punk band to the some of the greatest minds in rock history? But dear reader, this band is no ordinary band, and for better or worse, you will certainly notice that from the first seconds of this swirling masterpiece. "Spastic spidery-thin guitars blurt and blast against each other over an equally spastic, rhythm-busting drummer." There's my review. That's all I can say without twisting my mind as insanely as they twist music. It's relentless and beautiful. It's a fourth dimensional god appearing once before you for a microsecond. You recognize it, and you sense its beauty, but any question about the encounter invariably ends with an apologetic "I don't know".

But something you can relate it to... take your Hellas and Flying Luttenbachers, then cut their music into brief microsecond sections, and spend an infinite amount of timing piecing the pieces together in a post-deconstructionalist masterpiece, and maybe you'd have a fraction of this 30 minute freakout.

I used to get upset that this is all we've seen from this band, three years removed from a projected sequel, but I've noticed that in the dozens of times I've probably listened to this album I've never heard the same album twice. But it won't stop me from begging for them to return from whatever dimension they hang out in.

download

buy

Cardiacs

This band is relatively new to me (although I have known about them for some time). I Picked up their album Sing To God out of pure curiosity. I have never listened to an album so many times in such a short amount as I have with Sing To God, it really is quite the unique experience and would encourage everyone to at least give it a listen.

Cardiacs music is noted as a balance of the raw energy of punk music, all the while adding the technical aspects of prog. They have established their own sound very well and essentially created their own genre known as 'pronk' (although Tim Smith seems to reject the term). But that's not the end of the list of genres they borrow influences, not gonna go all into detail about that but you get the idea. The music magazine Organ once commented saying that "one Cardiacs song contains more ideas than most other musicians' entire careers."

Sing To God (download) -highly recommend for first listen of this band

A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (download)

On The Land and In The Sea (download)

Sing To God (buy)

A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (buy)

On The Land and In The Sea (buy)

Stream: Wasting Light- Foo Fighters.

consequenceofsound.com has an exclusive look at Foo Fighter's newest album Wasting Light.

the album is due out April 12th, 2011. It will be the follow up to Echoes, Patience, Silence & Grace. Click the link below to listen to this anticipated album right now. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

Album Stream courtesy of consequenceofsound.com

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

CHALUPAS

Bee vs. Moth- Acronyms (2010)

Way back when on my best of 2010 list, I said I planned on posting this album soon. Suffice to say my definition of soon is a bit more loose than most's. I believe I described this album as "a multi-genre escapade based on a foundation of Latin jazz." That's about as well as I can describe it. It's all instrumental, featuring mainly horns of various sorts with a solid rhythm section and sometimes makes room for a guitar to sneak in. You never know quite what to anticipate from this album. A polka-sounding march can give way to an 80s guitar riff, and all the while it makes you want to sing "Babalu."

What not to expect from this album: A multi-genre masterpiece that seamlessly bridges various styles of music into a pleasing, perfect sound.

What to expect from this album: A silly mixture of sounds that will sometimes make you smile and sometimes make you scratch your head. But you'll be glad you listened to it, even if only to have the knowledge that it has, in fact, been listened to.


Buy

Lil B - Illusions of Grandeur (2011)

Yes, this is the very same Lil B who promotes the violation of bitches. And yes, I am doing a serious analytical write-up on his music. Illusions of Grandeur, the latest mixtape installment from the based one, doesn't bring a whole lot new to the table. arrogance and first-hand knowledge of the ghetto lifestyle is nothing new in the realm of rap, and Lil B knows that. But that doesn't stop him from telling it his own way, in his own words, from the perspective of his own life. While he doesn't have the smoothest flow or choice of rhymes, Lil B has enough charisma alone to make you want to listen to his words. So whether he's spitting verses over some Toto, Kanye or dazzling 9th Wonder production, Lil B is out to prove a point, that he loves hip-hop, he loves music and he wants people to hear his stories.

Download

Matsuri - Endship (2010)

I've always loved the counteracting extremes withing screamo. When I first heard Kulara a couple years ago, going from the rapid, thrashy-ness of something like Bridge to the soft acoustic beauty of Episodes was incredible. The beauty of each style work with and against each other into and incredible feeling. Matsuri is no different. In fact, it's evident from the first song. The beginning of a four part piece goes in and out of these two styles, beginning with the serene, adding harsh vocals, then clashing everything together and back. Bittersweet melodies flow and ebb in and out of the foreground and the entire sound just seems so jarring on the surface. Everything is so well-done, though, and as this album continues on, you'll notice how incredibly flush everything sounds. All in its right place, for sure.

download
buy

Dreams of the Drowned - Thanatotropic Principle (2008)

I was a bit mislead here. Sometimes claimed to be nearly direct descendants of Ved Buens Ende (and that a cover of Coiled in Wings appears on here is another clue), but that's not necessarily it. For example, the first track is relatively straight, especially considering the twisted manifestations of Ved Buens Ende. Something lying in the vein of one of the "hipster black metal" bands of the current, although some horrifyingly demented vocals buried in the tremolos (a croon that is admittedly close to Czral does sound briefly); not something that you'd mistake for Written in Waters, at least. And the next song... is this hardcore punk? A riff from deep in the gut and grunting vocals lead to it and then there's even a rapid solo. hm... I guess, for those looking for a direct rip-off of Ved Buens Ende, it's not here.

But don't skip this, don't even think about it. The first song I mentioned? It's brilliant. Intense, moody and throughly engaging. The second? Wholly entertaining for anyone who's even had a feigning interest in the sort of chug-heavy hardcore/stonerish rock stuff. And my denouncement of the Ved Buens Ende sound isn't entirely accurate. They don't appear to be directly in line with one of the new "neocrust" bands (Vestiges, Fall of Efrafa) (which they do occasionally sound like), they, at the very least, have the same sort of spirit of Ved Buens Ende.

Enough with parallels, they don't share enough (or they share too many). At any given moment you could probably try to relate this to another band: this point has a little of the second wave black metal sound, this one like hardcore punk, this... what is that sound? At the most basic, they do seem to teeter between all sorts of tropes typically considered black metal, mostly keeping everything at a ferocious rate, a key on pummeling drum lines. In fact, that cover of Coiled in Wings I mentioned? The original is 7 minutes of a fairly laid back scene. This one is just under 4 and hardly intelligible. Only the replication of Czral's brand of croons seems to relate.

But, again, I must remind myself to stop comparisons, there are so few! Walls of sounds so intriguing I can't even collect myself to find anything that sounds like it. It's sonically expansive and somewhat of an aural abuse. But even as it's stretched to extremes it breaks itself from monotony with underlying sounds and structures that are just plain weird. If Ved Buens Ende is a bad trip, it's only one that creeps deep within you and leaves a lasting memory. This is the scare that leads you to a mental breakdown. In Mulholland Drive, if Ved Buens Ende relates the moody journey out of Winkie's, Dreams of the Drowned is the moment at the dumpster.

Download (also, free for download on last.fm)
Buy (I don't know, but I haven't looked at the moment of writing this. Plan to, though)

The Strokes - Angles (2011)

There's no doubt in my mind that there will be pissed off Strokes fans after hearing this record. First Impressions of Earth copped a lot of hate just because the band tried to expand their sound. Well, now they've gone and completely changed it. But you know what? It kinda worked.

The real high points of the album come early. Opener 'Machu Picchu' has a nice, cohesive blend of keyboards and guitars, with a catchy bassline to match. 'Under Cover of Darkness', has a great memorable riff here, a great memorable riff there, and a diabolical chorus that just oozes brilliance. It feels like they finally nailed the expansion on their classic sound that they tried so hard to achieve on First Impressions of Earth. 'Two Kinds of Happiness' is notable for its distinctive electronic drums that lead into a surprisingly fast-paced chorus. 'You're So Right', while far batter than the demo version, is still a weak track that sounds out of place, though it does have a nice guitar solo. 'Taken For a Fool' is a bit of a sleeper track that didn't really stand out to me at first, but after re-listening, it feels like it could've been a single for Room On Fire. 'Games' and 'Call Me Back' are the points where the album loses its momentum. 'Life Is So Simple in the Moonlight', the album closer, is a simply wonderful song, not much more to say.

The Strokes have arguably suffered from the 'debut album' syndrome worse than any other band over the past decade. I see this as each album having a single standout track with several nice accompanying tracks skewed across the rest of the album, while Is This It felt more like a collection of stand out tracks. Still, that's not to say The Strokes have only one worthwhile album. I honestly believe they have four.

Track of the Day: March 10th, 2011

Man Man will be releasing their new album in May, so to get people hyped here is the opening track for the album named 'Life Fantastic'.

Knuckle Down

Track of the Day: March 5th, 2011

Well I'm on Spring Break and I feel like posting something. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I discovered the Get Up Kids after people recommending them to me. Anyways our track of the day for this Saturday, March 5th is Holiday by the Get Up Kids.

Holiday- The Get Up Kids.

The Hunches (2002, 2004, 2008)

The Hunches are a garage punk band that was active between 2002 and 2008 (although possible rumored reunion in 2011). Their first two albums are raw, primitive, and insanely aggressive. Their final release was a lot less aggressive than their preprocessors but still keeps that noisy edge that they have true to all their material.

Yes. No. Shut It (download)

Hobo Sunrise (download)

Exit Dreams (download)

Yes. No. Shut It (buy)

Hobo Sunrise (buy)

Exit Dreams (buy)

Faust - Something Dirty (2011)

I shouldn't have to tell you what Faust sounds like. All I need to really mention is that they keep their drawn out, psychedelic, effect-ridden music that they've had for all these years. I would say it's a modern version of their old style, but if you'd release the s/t, Faust IV, or any number of other Faust or other krautrock albums in this day it'd be equally modern, but even then, Something Dirty still works as a fantastic callback without falling into self-imitation.

There's really not much to say. It's Faust, it's great, you want it.

Buy

Download

Bibio - Mind Bokeh (2011)

Most excellent.

Buy
Download

eRikm - Lux Payllettes (2010)

Suck a dick Girl Talk.

Buy
Download

miRthkon - Vehicle (2009)

If you listened the Fun Machine album I posted a few months back, expect something in the same vein. If you haven't, expect the complexity of an early RIO band, the "brutal-prog" approach of Ron Anderson projects, the playfulness of Samla Mammas Manna (or Mr. Bungle, perhaps), and the slight bit of heaviness also seen in Doctor Nerve. Good cheeky "Avant-Prog"

Buy

Download

Track of the Day: February 21st, 2011

The very talented Andrew McMahon also known to most as the mastermind behind the piano rock band Jack's Mannequin emerged on the scene with this gem of a song which I'd personally put in my top 20 all time. With such lines as "So I can score an eighth from the lesbians west of venice" and "fuck yeah, we can live like this". My track of the day for Feburary 21st, 2011 is Holiday From Real by Jack's Mannequin

Holiday From Real

If you missed it, Jimmy Fallon's show was invaded last night...

By a wild pack of wolves. One of the best national TV performances by anyone in recent memory.

Team Sleep- Team Sleep (2005)

Team Sleep is better known as Chino Moreno's side project to being the front man of Deftones. Teaming up with friend DJ Crook who laid down beats for the tracks and some additional members, Team Sleep formed in 2002. Team Sleep uses many different genres including dream pop, trip hop, post-hardcore, shoegaze, post rock, and electronica. The debut album from Team Sleep debuted on May 10th, 2005. The first single was Ever (Foreign Flag) which is actually one of my favorite songs on the album. Like the name says, Team Sleep is a great sleep album. Well at least for me, it's very relaxing and calming and very enjoyable to listen to at the same time. If you are a fan of Chino Moreno's work, check out Team Sleep.

The Aquabats- Hi Five Soup (2011)

The Aquabats, the only rock band with superhero alter egos best known to be the creators of Yo Gabba Gabba return to the music scene with Hi Five Soup. Hi Five Soup is a poppy fun smorgasbord of music that I just can't explain. The Aquabats are awesome, if you can't tell from their awesome purple spandex crime fighting uniforms. The Album is fun, it's just pure fun. Every song could have you nodding your head or singing along. The title track "The Shark Fighter" is probably my favorite track because it just oozes awesomeness. My other favorite track would be Poppin a Wheelie! which is about the joys of wheelie popping. Another highlight is Radio Down with special guest Biz Markie, I kid you not. Overall, Hi Five Soup is an enjoyable feel good record with great songs and awesome production value. The Aquabats rule the world and that's where I stand. Drink up the Hi Five Soup and join me.

New Tyler, the Creator track: Yonkers

Just a couple days after dropping his beautifully weird remix of Lykke Li's I Follow Rivers, here's the first single from his new album Goblin (to be released in April), titled Yonkers.

View here (NSFW)