Author: audioeclectica

Playlist for Today

I thought I’d try something different today. I’ve selected a few songs that I’ve been really into as of late. Some are new and some are old. Enjoy!

Seether- Crash from Isolate and Medicate:

Mastodon (ft Scott Kelly of Neurosis)- Diamonds In The Witch House from Once More Round The Sun:

Down- Conjure from Down IV Part II

Chevelle- Ouija Board from La Gargola

Black Map- I’m Just The Driver from the Driver EP

Abloom- After That Quiet from their 2004 sampler

Dekades- Malnurished from the 1.1 EP

Failure- Daylight from Fantastic Planet

Killswitch Engage- You Don’t Bleed For Me from Disarm The Descent

Royal Blood- Come On Over from the Out Of The Black EP

Black Light Burns- Stop A Bullet from Cruel Melody

Nine Inch Nails- Right Where It Belongs from With Teeth

Band Of The Week: Disquiet

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The alternative music scene is flooded by a lot of generic music. To be absolutely honest, it pretty much is terrible. Though amongst the sea of monotony there are a few bright spots. One of those is Massachusetts Disquiet. Combining their influences of Dredg, U2, Kings Of Leon mixed with some art rock and a dash of shoe gaze, Disquiet stands out amongst their peers. 2013 saw the release of their first album, April Distance. This three-piece is comprised of guitarist Derek Juliano, bassist and front man Jonas Boinay, and drummer/percussionist Dirceu De Rossi Pereira. Disquiet has the ability to be both powerful and subtle. They have a real knack for steadfast beats mixed with seductive riffs.

http://www.reverbnation.com/disquietsongs/songs

https://www.facebook.com/Disquietsongs

http://www.disquietsongs.com

 

By: Brian Lacy

Cover Thursday: Ours (Queen)- Bohemian Rhapsody

Ourband

I’ve never been a big fan of Queen. Freddie Mercury is great, but I’be always been annoyed by Brian May. I recently stumbled across this great version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” sung by the very underrated Jimmy Gnecco of Ours. Jimmy has one of the best voices in rock music and his band Ours has always been a very underrated and fantastic band.

 

By: Brian Lacy

A Second Look: 10 Years

10years

It’s often easy to dismiss bands you hear on the radio. Most are just plain generic bands with no substance or truth behind them. For every 10 of those types of bands there is usually 1 in the bunch that really stands out, and defies those standards mentioned above. One of those bands is 10 Years. 10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999. In 2005 they released their major label debut, The Autumn Effect. The songs “Wasteland” and “Through The Iris” were released as singles and garnered solid radio play. During the album cycle for their debut, they toured with Korn, Sevendust, Deftones, Mudvayne and others. The follow up Division was released in 2008. This album has a different feel to it. Rick Parasher (Pearl Jam Ten) was chosen to produce this album. Some of the members of the band have gone on to say that this was a very difficult album to make, hence the name of the album. Songs like “Beautiful,” So Long, Goodbye,” “Actions and Motives,” are all standouts amongst others like “All Your Lies,” and “Focus” which was co-written by Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots. Touring saw 10 Years share the stage with  Sevendust, Chevelle, and was apart of the 2008 Projekt Revolution tour. For their third album Feeding The Wolves, Howard Benson was picked to produce (on a personal note, I think Howard Benson’s production is too polished and clean, taking away from the raw feeling of the band). During recording, the band went back and forth between putting on live shows and working on the album. During this time, they debuted a few new songs live, including “Dead in the Water”, “Now is the Time”, and the new album’s first single “Shoot It Out.” Other standouts from the album include “Fix Me” and the epic closer “Fade Into (The Ocean).” When it came time to write a new album, 10 Years had announced that they were leaving their label to become independent again. The result was Minus The Machine, which was their most organic album since The Autumn EffectIt was released on August 7, 2012 through their own independent label called Palehorse Records. Songs such as “Minus The Machine,” “Backlash,” “Knives,” and “Forever Fields (Sowing Season)” are all standouts from the album.  The bands live show has always been full of great energy and true emotion. Listening to singer Jesse Hasek, you can hear in his voice that the words really mean something. Guitar wise Ryan “Tater” Johnson has great ability to play heavy and delicate songs without overplaying. Lewis Cosby plays the bass with enough force to make the low end shine and it balances extremely well with Brian Vodinh’s powerful drums. 

10 Years is the real deal. They aren’t your typical radio friendly band. If you wrote them off, give them another listen. They really are a gem amongst a sea of nothings.

 

The Autumn Effect:

 

Division:

 

Feeding The Wolves:

 

Minus The Machine:

 

http://10yearsmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/10yearsmusic

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

 

 

Best Albums of 2014…So Far

In no particular order (wait till the end of the year for that). These are the best albums I’ve heard all year!

1. Mastodon- Once More Round The Sun
2. Every Time I Die- From Parts Unknown
3. Chevelle- La Gargola
4. Seether- Isolate and Medicate
5. Sevendust- Time Travelers and Bonfires
6. Crosses- Crosses
7. Royal Blood- Out Of The Black EP
8. Against Me- Transgender Dysphoria Blues
9. And We Are Them- Align
10. Wild Throne- Blood Maker
11. New Cathedral- Ghost
12. Machines Learning- Machines Learning
13. He Whose Ox Is Gored- Nightshade EP
14. With Our Arms To The Sun- A Far Away Wonder
15. Black Map- Driver EP
16. Royal Blood- Royal Blood
17. The Last Internationale- We Will Reign
18. Wovenwar- Wovenwar
19. And We Are Them- City Of Ghosts
20. Obliterations- Poison Everything
21. Black Map- And We Explode
22. Bush- Man On The Run
23. Slipknot- .5 The Gray Chapter
24. Aeges- Above and Down Below

Classic Soundtracks: Underworld

Uwsoundtrack

Soundtracks are a tricky thing to make. Songs have to fit perfectly with each scene. Sometimes the music chosen fits perfectly and becomes the best part of watching certain scenes. One such movie and soundtrack is the first Underworld. The film’s soundtrack was produced by Danny Lohner (former Nine Inch Nails multi instrumentalist). Danny contributed several songs to the soundtrack under his pseudonym Renholder (A Perfect Circles’s song Renholder off Mer De Noms is in reference to Danny Lohner). In addition to contributions from The Dillinger Escape Plan, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, Page Hamilton of Helmet, and Skinny Puppy, there was a group called The Damning Well, that provided a song for the soundtrack. The Damning Well was a supergroup comprised of Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails), Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle), and Richard Patrick (Filter). Their contribution “Awakening,” was a real highlight of the soundtrack, and left listeners wondering what could’ve become of such a collaboration had they continued. It’s been said that much of the music that they created wound up being used for the first Black Light Burns album. One other song featured on the soundtrack called “Bring Me The Head Of The Disco King” is also a huge highlight. This song features David Bowie, Maynard James Keenan and John Frusciante.

The movie itself wasn’t that great but, there were a couple highlights. Kate Beckinsale and this fantastic soundtrack.

 

The Damning Well: Awakening

 

David Bowie and friends: Bring Me The Head Of The Disco King

 

A Perfect Circle: Weak and Powerless (Tilling My Grave Mix)

 

Puscifer: Rev 22: 20 (Renholder Mix)

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: He Whose Ox Is Gored

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Heavy music has a zillion sub genres ad sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them all. There are a few that have come about recently that really stick out above the rest. In particular doomgaze, which is equal parts doom metal and shoe gaze. One of the bands from that genre that has really grabbed my attention is He Whose Ox Is Gored. This Seattle band was founded by members Brian McClelland (guitar, vocals) and Lisa Mungo (synths, vocals), later joined by current members Mike Sparks (bass, vocals) and John O’Connell (drums). They have been decimating the underground of Seattle since 2009. The technical guitar work and atmospheric synths over walloping rhythms create a uniquely cinematic soundscape that paints a world ready to be thrown to the wolves. Currently He Whose Ox Is Gored is gearing up for a tour to promote their upcoming full length and recently released limited cassette. This band has what it takes to make it in the world of heavy music. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/hewhoseoxisgoredseattle

http://hewhoseoxisgored.bandcamp.com/

 

By: Brian Lacy

Unsung Masterpieces: Sunny Day Real Estate- Diary

Sunny_Day_Real_Estate_-_Diary

Music will always stand the test of time. Certain albums will forever be revered as timeless. Some albums though don’t get the recognition they deserve. Which brings me to Sunny Day Real Estate’s debut album Diary. The album is considered by many to be a defining emo album. It has also been called the bridge between post hardcore and the emo genre. Listening to this album you can tell where Brand New gets a lot of their influence from. Lyrically there is a sense of realism throughout the album. Jeremy Enigk has a real knack for creating vocal melodies that compliments his softer voice and the words. Dan Hoerner’s guitar tone is heavy yet crisp and bright, which accents the soft vocals and the delicate nature in which Jeremy plays. Nate Mendel’s bass has a nice dirty tinge to it, adding just the right amount of distortion to balance with William Goldsmith’s heavy hitting drums. Songs like “Seven,” “In Circles,” “47,” “Grendel,” and “48” are all stand out tracks. Diary was different from those released by all the other Seattle bands at the time. It’s melodic but has a slightly heavy sound that has had a clear impact on future emo groups. It is the seventh best selling album released on Sub Pop Records, having sold more than 231,000 copies. In 2013, Diary took the first place in LA Weekly’s  list of the “Top 20 Emo Albums in History”

 Diary:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Live Review: And We Are Them at The Viper Room

One of the ways to really captivate an audience is through energy. Tuesday night the gents in And We Are Them did just that. Armed with songs from their recent EP Align and a slew of new songs from a yet to be titled EP, And We Are Them brought their game to The Viper Room stage. Chris Matalone sings with great passion and conviction while playing the rhythm on his guitar. Nick Bradford, plays the leads with precision all the while being highly invigorated by the songs. The combination of the drummer Brian and bassist Jeff really pack a loud punch. Stand outs from their set included “Present Tense,” “Charm Offensive,” the great instrumental “City/State,” “Socialite,” and the closing song “So It Goes.” This band is making a name for themselves with their energetic live shows and solid songs. Be sure to catch them when they are playing!

https://www.facebook.com/AndWeAreThem

 

By: Brian Lacy