Sleigh Bells Album “Reign Of Terror” To Be Released In February

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Andrew

I’ve been an avid fan of Sleigh Bells since hearing their first release in late 2009. Capturing my attention with my weak spot for female vocals, and still having that loud rock edge. Sleigh Bells tracks were easy on the ears, had the right vocals, and didn’t put me to sleep.

Songs like Infinity Guitars and A/B Machines brought a spark of new life to my music collection. They were loud, they were bass heavy, and the beats impressed me as a mixture of hip-hop and rock. It was something you could head bang to, but also something you could freak out to.

The coming together of dance punk and noise pop could have never been so fresh. When I listened to their album Treats in April 2010, it was many of the same songs; however, they were cleaner. Sleigh Bells didn’t really change, they were still loud. I much appreciated their previous efforts, but eventually Treats began to grow on me. Continue reading →

Andrew’s Top 10 Albums of 2011

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Andrew

Check out Andrew’s top 10 list of favorite albums from 2011, plus one honorable mention. Continue reading →

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Michael’s Top 10 Artists for 2011

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Michael

A Review of the Top Favorite Music Artists in 2011, by Michael K. Eidson

In the US, solo female vocalists dominated the top of the year’s end music charts for 2011. On Billboard’s top artists of 2011 chart, the top 4 artists were all solo female vocalists: Adele, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga, in that order. Nicki Minaj (#7) and Taylor Swift (#8) also placed in Billboard’s top 10 for 2011.

On a personal level, my preferences with respect to new music have leaned heavily towards female vocalists for the past several years. In 2011, my tastes leaned so heavily in that direction, 32 of my top 50 artists for 2011 are solo female vocalists, and 10 were groups with lead female vocalists, such as Heart (#13), or otherwise prominent female vocalists as members of the group, such as Fleetwood Mac (#34). Continue reading →

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Screen Vinyl Image

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Andrew

With the resurgence of post-punk inspired bands like The Killers and others, I have been desperately trying to find a band that captures the feel most accurately. Many of these modern bands claiming to be post-punk revival have little similarity, but in Screen Vinyl Image I believe I may have found a band that truly captures the post-punk essence.

Reminding me of Joy Division, Mission UK, Depeche Mode, Ambulance, and Echo & The Bunnymen, Screen Vinyl Image “gets it.” Continue reading →

Emilie Autumn

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Andrew

Emilie Autumn is a unique artist. She makes music I can only describe as Victorian Gothic Dance music. It uses Victorian-style progressions with synthetic harpsichord and violin. Her vocal style is like that of most modern gothic singers, and borderline dark cabaret.

Imagine going into a gothic saloon, but add a fantasy twist. The title of one of the tracks, Gothic Lolita, further comments on the aesthetic she’s trying to achieve. Continue reading →

Wolf Larsen

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Andrew

Wolf Larsen is a female folk singer, accompanied on her album by several guest musicians playing electric and acoustic instruments, including violin, viola, cello, keyboard, guitars, bass, organ, piano, bone, and mandolin. With all those instruments, you might expect her album, Quiet at the Kitchen Door, to be rather lively.

Yet, like most music that calls itself “indie-folk,” Quiet at the Kitchen Door is rather boring. It’s not rainy day music or snowy day music. It’s something you’d play before going to bed if you lived far out in the middle of nowhere, or if you needed something to put you at ease after a hard day’s work.

This music is pretty. There’s not much else positive I can say about it. Most of the songs make me drowsy. I have listened to this kind of music before and not wanted to fall asleep.

Some music is extreme. This is the total opposite. Continue reading →

Morito Ergo Sum

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Andrew

Metal can be an acquired taste for some, and some metal fans are particular about which kinds of metal they listen to. The genre is diverse to the point where a person can’t say, “Yeah, I like metal,” and have everyone know what they’re talking about.

Simply put, there are all kinds of metal. I’m a fan of specific kinds of metal, including black metal, post-metal, death metal, viking, progressive metal, sludge, doom, and drone. Morito Ergo Sum’s brand of music is one I’d enjoy under normal circumstances.

I appreciate the clean vocals, excellent production, and addition of the violin. However, songs that last eight minutes or more have to be exceptional to keep my attention.

Morito Ergo Sum gets my attention. Their latest EP, Moonchild is a beautiful release. The band did a lot of things right.

But something doesn’t add up. Continue reading →

Pye Corner Audio Transcription Services

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Andrew

I’m not sure what this is exactly, but it’s groovy. It’s chill. Pye Corner Audio Transcription Services sounds like an actual “service” with their slogan:

Magnetically aligning ferrous particles since 1970

I can’t speak for how the music is made, but the tracks are far too vibrant to be transcribed from old reels and tapes. Maybe it’s a gimmick, or an image they’d like to portray. On their blog, a “Head Technician” is discussed as being the person behind creating this wonderful music.

No matter who makes it, or how it’s made, the music of Pye Corner Audio Transcription Services can make your ears tingle. Continue reading →

The Dagons

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Andrew

The Dagons are a post-punk duo out of Los Angeles playing to a darker tune, with a dose of old-school garage rock.

The Dagons have a certain level of energy that allows them to evade the goth rock tag. While they might consider themselves as such on their bandcamp page, there is a fine line between dream rock and goth rock. Both are a bit dreary, but “dream” is an identifier we give to denote that a band is less introverted and dreary while still sounding so.

On their album, Upon the Dull Earth, garage rock elements rapidly shift to post-punk tendencies. One song will be moderately slow, and another will be a fast-paced jam that could be played at a 60s psychedelic club. Continue reading →

Circle Takes The Square

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Andrew

I first got into Circle Takes The Square back in high school. This was a time when the word “screamo” was coming into use. There were many bands with that label, but few that I truly enjoyed.

Circle Takes The Square is one of them.

Screamo, being a derivative of hardcore or post-hardcore, is focused on the screaming aspect instead of the less focused shouting of the previous generation. Most of it is whiny, pretentious, and dull. It all just blends together.

But Circle Takes The Square has interesting melodies. Continue reading →

Mystic Sounds

A Spotlight on Music