Author: audioeclectica

Op Ed #1: Guilty Pleasures or just what you enjoy

When did it become so wrong to enjoy other type of music? In Europe, it is more than ok to listen to the most extreme metal then move on to top 40 type music. In America it is frowned upon however. What happened to the appreciation of a well written song no matter the genre? Does it really matter if there is more of a pop sensibility to it or a commercial aspect? Sure in the elitist circles that is very true, but it really shouldn’t matter. There are bands out there that really do suck and don’t fall into what I’m writing about here. I’m seriously talking about the appreciation for putting forth the effort to craft a song and make it good no matter what genre it’s classified in. We all have these “guilty pleasures” but should we really feel ashamed? NO! of course not. I’m sure that at times many of you look through your collection of music be it records, cd’s, itunes, and think “why do I have this?” or “what was I thinking when I was younger?” There is no reason to be ashamed of your music taste. You like what you like. There are so many people that are so concerned with staying within the confines of their genres that they hold them ever so sacred. And anything that isn’t what they are into is disregarded as total nonsense.

Music is supposed to be freeing and a way to express yourself. There are many different entities that are out there that ruin the purity of music and really make it all about image and what’s “hot.” That is what should be shameful. The Hot Topics of the world. Those types of places make these manufactured pop (wannabe rock bands) sensations bigger than the bands that are talented and have substance.

I for one am not ashamed to enjoy what I like. There are albums out there that in normal circumstances I wouldn’t buy, but if the song comes on I’ll listen to it, or even if I happen to own it I’ll throw it on and simply enjoy.

 

By: Brian Lacy

A Second Look: Sevendust

 

Sevendust_logo

For many years Sevendust has been one of the hardest working bands in the hard rock community. Their energetic live shows, constant presence on the road, and solid songwriting have gone noticed but not by the masses as one would think. Formed in Atlanta in 1994 by Vince Hornsby (bass), Morgan Rose (drums), John Connelly (guitar), Clint Lowrey (guitar) and Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Sevendust have released 10 albums in their career. Their self titled debut featuring songs, “Black,” “Bitch,” and “My Ruin” was a heavy forceful record, that would help to leave their mark on the scene. Their follow up Home featuring “Denial” “Waffle” and “Bender” (featuring Chino Moreno of Deftones) brought even more attention to what Sevendust was doing. On their next release Animosity, their ability as songwriters got even better and they created a gem of an album. Songs like “Praise,” “Trust,” “Live Again,” “Shine,” “Follow (Featuring Aaron Lewis of Staind),” and the ballad “Angel’s Son” which is dedicated to Lynn Strait of Snot. Their next album Seasons was a bit of a departure from their more raw sound and more so in to a produced cleaner sound. While the songs are strong the production of the album does tend to take away from what could’ve been a really great album. After the release of the album Clint Lowery left that band to focus on other musical endeavors. Over the next few years Sevendust kept at what they have done, and release albums and continue to rock stages with former Snot guitarist Sonny Mayo now in the band. Though the albums they wrote without Clint tended to fall flat, there were still some bright spots amongst it all. Then in 2008 Clint returned to the fold and brought a reinvigorated focus back to the band. The end result was a fantastic album entitled Cold Day Memory, which combined the intensity of Animosity and their first album, only sounding older (in a good way). Stand out tracks featuring “Unraveling,” “Forever Dead,” “Splinter,” and “The End Is Coming,” brought back the signature Sevendust sound the fans had been wanting. Their next album Black Out The Sun continued with their revitalized nature and delivered a more raw sounding album.

Sevendust has always been a heavy rock band, though they happen to come out at the height of “Nu Metal,” one can argue that they are not to be lumped in to that sub genre. Their is something to be said for a band to really put their all into everything they do. If you’ve seen them live you know what I mean. Vocally they are one of the strongest. Lajon has a very unique and soulful voice that reflects the lyrics beautifully,, and Clint when he chimes in has the ability to take the melody into a darker nature with more of a baritone feel, plus Morgan and his shouting and screaming really creates a trifecta of blistering vocals. Guitar wise Clint and John can shred but they seemed  to restrain themselves on earlier releases, on their last two albums though their progress as players really show through. Vince has a very loose bass sound that fits right in the pocket of the rhythm of how Morgan swings and beats his drums.

Give them another listen and you might be surprised that you missed out on something. Sevendust are currently getting ready to release an acoustic album featuring old songs redone and new jams that are sure to be fan favorites.

 

Albums to check out: Animostiy, Cold Day Memory, Home, Black Out The Sun, Sevendust

 

SVNDST

 

 

 

 

http://www.sevendust.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: City Of Ships

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In this quiet resurgence of artistic rock that we are currently in, a lot of previous overlooked bands (Failure, Hum, Shiner, etc) are finally getting their due and have influenced countless new bands. Now enter City Of Ships into the fold. Having been around awhile and making a mark for themselves, their blend of hard rock and post hardcore is undeniable and captivating. As a three piece that packs this much of a punch is spectacular. Their last album Minor World (released by Translation Loss) is 10 songs deep of nothing but raw emotion, and well thought out melodies. Songs like “Clotilde” “Low Countries” and “Chainman” are heavy and have melody running through it constantly. Currently City of Ships are working on their new album to be released in 2014.

https://www.facebook.com/cityofships

http://cityofships.bandcamp.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Supergroup Alert: Mutoid Man

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It’s been a lot of talk and back and forth but the day is finally here. The long awaited Converge/Cave In collaboration has arrived. Mutoid Man, formed by Stephen Brodsky (vocals/guitar) and Ben Koller (drums), this dynamic pairing has created something special. Their twisted time signatures and love for thrash punk with a dose of melody can all be heard on their debut Helium Head. Live Nick Cageao handles the low end. There is very truthful and honest approach to what Mutoid Man has created. Their album is short, precise, and direct that after it’s over you immediately want to start it over.

https://www.facebook.com/mutoidman

Unsung Materpieces: Nine Inch Nails- Year Zero

Concept albums are very unique and at times take a long time to fully understand. Listening to select songs doesn’t give you the full effect. And a lot of the time the story that accompanies the album is very convoluted. Though there are many cases when the above statements don’t apply. Pink Floyd, The Who and more recently Mastodon and Nine Inch Nails  have been able to create epic concept albums that can stand on their own or as separate entities. In 2007, Nine Inch Nails released Year Zero.

“The Year Zero story takes place in the United States in the year 2022. The United States has suffered several major terrorist attacks, and in response the government has seized absolute control on the country and reverted to a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. The government maintains control of the populace through institutions such as the Bureau Of Morality as well as increased surveillance and the secret drugging of tap water with a mild sedative. In response to the increasing oppression of the government, several corporate, government, and subversive websites were transported back in time to the present by a group of scientists working clandestinely against the authoritarian government. The websites-from-the-future were sent to the year 2007 to warn the American people of the impending dystopian future and to prevent it from ever forming in the first place.”

So with that all mind one would think that this is just a mess, but in fact it’s the complete opposite. Trent never misses a step with creating this apocalyptic epic. This album was also the next step in Trent’s revitalized state of mind and musical odyssey. There are a lot of uses of noise, static, and strange yet amazing distortion. Certain songs stand out amongst the album as a whole such as “The Beginning Of The End,” “Survivalism,” “In This Twilight,” “The Great Destroyer,” and  “My Violent Heart.” Furthermore there was something else about this album, was that it opened up the visual aspect even more than before. Since Trent has described Year Zero as a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t even exist, it’s not hard to let your imagination take you off on quite a little trip.

Year Zero is not The Downward Spiral or The Fragile, but it is one of the most artistic and well thought out releases that Nine Inch Nails have ever released. One other strange thing about this album, was that touring for this album was not very prevalent. The people at Interscope records really dropped the ball on handling the marketing and promotion for this album, hence why it never got the due it deserved. So give yourself some time and delve back into Year Zero and see for yourself what you might have missed.

 Year Zero:

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Hidden Amongst Us

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Los Angeles has a rich history of bringing together musicians and forging a bond musically that many strive for. Hidden Amongst Us is one of the more recent stories. Brought together by their love of bands like Soundgarden, Black Sabbath & Alice In Chains and a common bond in their outlook on life and society, New Yorker’s Michael Grgas on guitar & Ken Colosa on bass, vocalist/SoCal native Evan Michael Mentone and Kentucky-bred drummer Joseph Yabao formed Hidden Amongst Us to rectify those issues.

HIdden Amongst Us has recently completed mixing & mastering 2 debut EP’s with Matt Hyde (Monster Magnet, ASG, Deftones, Slayer). Their first of the 2 EP’s Echo, is full of heavy melodic rock. The first track “Disappear” is full of chunky riffs mixed with a very tight solid rhythm section and powerful vocals make this a great lead in track. The rest of the EP is relentless in its groove and heaviness.

This group are on to something, and their use of melody really helps to tie it all together. Especially when lots of bands seemed to have lost that touch.

 

http://hiddenamongstus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HiddenAmongstUs

http://hiddenamongstus.bandcamp.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Underrated and Influential: Faith No More

The great thing about Faith No More is that they always did what they wanted to do. Their music was never easily classified, it ranged from metal, jazz, funk, rock, psychedelia, new wave, and then some. The band with Roddy Bottum, Billy Gould, Mike “Puffy” Bordin Jim Martin and Chuck Mosley released one album Introduce Yourself featuring the song “We Care A Lot.” When Mike Patton took over for Chuck Mosley, everything fell in to place. Their success took hold when The Real Thing was released. Featuring the songs Epic, From Out Of Nowhere, Falling To Pieces and the great cover of War Pigs. That album plus play on MTV garnered them plenty of exposure. Their follow up album Angel Dust was a departure from their previous effort. Songs like Midlife Crisis, Caffeine, Land Of Sunshine and Jizzlobber to name a few were far more experimental. After touring that album Jim left and was replaced by Trey Spruance (Mike’s bandmate in the great band Mr. Bungle). They would go on and record the album King For A Day… Fool For A Lifetime. The album stepped up the experiments venturing into the world of bossa nova, country, and gospel. Songs like Evidence, Digging The Grave.  Their final opus Album Of The Year was released in 1997 and featured Jon Hudson on guitar. Ashes to Ashes, Last Cup Of Sorrow amongst others highlight this piece of work.

The individuals of the band are quite influential to many people in their own right. Mike Patton especially. His vocal style is undeniable and his ability to hit certain ranges is incredible. His numerous other projects including Fantomas, Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle (R.I.P.), Peeping Tom, etc are all influential and quite awesome. Billy Gould’s bass tone is copied by many in the heavy rock community. Mike Bordin is a beast behind the kit. After the break up of Faith No More, he would go on to play for Ozzy. Roddy Bottum is a mater of the keys. His arrangements and effects really helped to make Faith No More substantial. Their guitarists Jim Martin , Trey Spruance and Jon Hudson all different helped to shape the sound of each album they played on and it shows.

Faith No More reunited for a bit between 2009 and 2012. Sadly they have said that is it for now. Hopefully they change their minds.

By: Brian Lacy