I woke up with the Only Living Witness song “December” in my head. While I was looking up different versions, I came across this rad cover Shadows Fall did of the song. Check it out!
Shadows Fall- December:
Only Living Witness- December:
Album Review: Failure- In The Future
In a surprise move a couple weeks back, Failure released a new EP called In The Future. This is the first part of three releases that will culminate into a full length at years end. In The Future features 3 songs and a segue that sees the band exploring a bit of a different territory musically. Well it’s actually not that different, if you are a fan of Greg’s other band Autolux, there are shades of that band bleeding through into Failure on this new material.
Opening the EP is “Dark Speed” an almost throwback track to the bands early days a la Comfort. The vocals are spaced out in the perfect Failure way but also take turn with its more spoken word style. “Paralytic Flow” is what you’d expect from Failure. This song is a perfect example of what Failure does best. The drums on this song in particular, courtesy of the great Kellii Scott are thunderous yet reserved, exploding at the right times to push the song along. The other new song “Pennies” is actually an older song that the band reworked for this new release. If you have the rarities album Golden, you can find the original version of “Pennies” on there. This is the second time Failure has reached back into the vault and redid a song. On The Heart Is A Monster, the song “Petting The Carpet” is also from the Golden album. And then there is the Segue, this one is Segue 10. It wouldn’t be a Failure release without a Segue.
As an EP this release seems a bit disjointed but, knowing that this is just the first part of something a lot bigger, it gives you just the right amount of a taste to tide you over till the next part comes. Failure are true artists in every aspect. They have always played by their own rules and the results have never disappointed. Ken, Greg and Kellii as a unit are unstoppable and this release is just the tip!
Dark Speed:
Paralytic Flow:
Pennies:
Segue 10:
Songs In Film: Placebo in Cruel Intentions
The 90’s are my favorite time in music. So many landmark albums came out and shaped my musical taste and became the soundtrack to my life. Though it wasn’t just music, there were so many great films that came out then too. There was something truly remarkable about the combination of music and film during that time. One such combination that has always stuck in my head since I saw and heard it was the use of Placebo’s “Every You, Every Me” in the opening credits for the film Cruel Intentions. It fits so perfectly and sets the tone ever so dramatically.
Placebo- Every You Every Me:
Band Of The Week: Dress The Dead
One of the coolest things about being a musician is being able to explore different genres and expand your musical palate. For many years now I’ve been a fan of guitarist Craig Locicero. You might recall the bands he’s been a part of from Forbidden, Manmade God and Spiralarms. Not only can Craig rip on guitar, he is also one hell of a songwriter. Which brings me to his latest band, Dress The Dead. This new band has it all, from super heavy riffs and thunderous rhythms but also a great rock voice that reaches the metal heights and soulful elements of blues. Dress The Dead is comprised of Kayla Dixon (voice), Craig Locicero (guitar), Dan Delay (guitar), James Walker (bass) and Mark Hernandez (drums). It’s worth mentioning that the original singer of the band was Peter Dolving from The Haunted. While Peter laid the groundwork for the vocals, Kayla has really stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park (yes I used a baseball reference. It is baseball seasons after all). The best way to describe Dress The Dead is Thrashy Rock N Roll. While it’s “metal” it’s definitely rock through and through. From the songs they have released so far like “Promises & Kisses,” “There Goes The Sun,” and “1969” it’s very apparent that Dress The Dead is going to be one hell of a band.
Dress The Dead- Promises & Kisses:
Dress The Dead- There Goes The Sun:
Dress The Dead- Knives Out (Live):
Dress The Dead- 1969 (with Peter Dolving):
New Release: Hopesfall- H.A. Wallace Space Academy
After a very long break, Hopesfall have returned following a lengthy hiatus. Hopesfall’s new song “H.A. Wallace Space Academy,” is off their upcoming album Arbiter (out July 13th) their first since 2007’s Magnetic North. This new song picks up where they left off but also rekindles the classic style they had on their landmark album The Satellite Years.
Check it out!!
Hopesfall- H.A. Wallace Space Academy:
B Sides: Nine Inch Nails
It’s really interesting to think about all the B-sides a band has. A lot of the time the songs that didn’t make the album are actually really good but just didn’t fit in the scheme of things. The other day while in the car with my wife, the Nine Inch Nails song “Non- Entity” came on and it got me thinking about all the songs that Trent has written over the years that didn’t get put on albums or even released. So naturally I went on a binge of listening to all the B-sides, covers and unreleased tracks by Nine Inch Nails that I could. Here are a bunch of my favorites.
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Soundtrack Only Songs: Alice In Chains- A Little Bitter
The summer of 1993 was supposed to be huge for Arnold Schwarzenegger and the movie Last Action Hero. Instead Jurassic Park swallowed up the competition that summer. Even though Last Action Hero bombed, it was still a fun movie. The one real saving grace to that movie though was the soundtrack. In particular the Alice In Chains song “A Little Bitter” which was released exclusively on the soundtrack and not available anywhere else until their box set came out in the late 90’s. Enjoy this gem of a song.
Alice In Chains- A Little Bitter:
List: Overplayed Songs (Updated)
A long while back I started compiling a list of the most overplayed songs ever. That’s not to say that these songs aren’t good, just that if you hear them one more time you just might stab your ears with an icepick.
As always your input on this list is greatly appreciated. I’m very interested to see what you all come up with.
Anticipated Albums: Sevendust- All I See Is War
Now on their 12th album (yes 12, crazy I know) Sevendust is back doing what Sevendust does, and that’s bring the ROCK. Their upcoming album, All I See Is War (out May 11 via Rise Records), is shaping up to a bit of a continuation of all the things fans of the band enjoy based on the two songs released so far, Dirty and Not Original. One thing that needs to be mentioned time and time again about Sevendust is how great of a singer Lajon Witherspoon is. That guy, man, he’s got so much soul in that voice and it’s bleeding all over this album. Check out what they have in store for us all.
Dirty:
Not Original:
List: One Album Bands
I was thinking the other day while looking for something to listen to about how many bands are out there that have only one album. Whether it’s by choice a la The Sex Pistols or because the band was dropped/broke up or even a one time project, I thought it would be quite interesting to compile a list of all those bands and albums.
Your input is always welcome!
