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

Unsung Masterpieces: Placebo- Meds

There are bands that go through a sort of identity crisis in their careers, some use this as fuel to create something special and make what they come up with an influential and highly regarded piece of work. Placebo did that in 2006 when they released Meds. Their previous albums were great. but they started to feel very stagnant. Stepping away from their use of samplers, computers and vintage synthesizers and returning to actually playing again seemed to reinvigorate Placebo. Lyrically the balance of drug and alcohol imagery really showed part of their personal dysfunction and vulnerability. Songs like “Meds,” “Infra-Red,” and “Post Blue” showcase this pleasantly. There is also another theme that rings throughout the album, danger. “Because, I Want You” and “Blind” could be construed as love songs all the while creating a short story about drugs and love. Another stand out from the album was their cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,”  which fits perfectly in the thematic structure that MEDS is. It is also a staple at their live shows.

Placebo has never been one to shy away from what they want to create and release. Brian Molko has a voice that is very distinct and believable. This album is one of the best to be released in the last 15 years and still hold up!

 

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Interstelar

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There are lots of bands out trying to do the whole stoner/sludge rock thing. Few can really do it justice. Enter Interstelar who can. Formed in 2010 in Los Angeles this group of guys have taken their influences of Kyuss, The Cult, Black Sabbath and mixed it with a bit of shoe gaze a la My Bloody Valentine. They released their debut EP in 2011 and are currently recording for a new release with Warren Riker (producer of Down 1-3). Musically they show how tight they are. The guitar tone is not so dirty that you can’t hear the notes, and the solos are intricate yet simple as to not take away from the rhythmic nature of the genre. The bass tracks blend perfectly with the drums. Vocally there are times as though Ian Astbury and Maynard got morphed into one. Their new track Hold It takes them up a notch and shows their craft as songwriters and has a bit more melody. Interstelar are one band in the genre that should not go unnoticed!

https://www.facebook.com/interstelarLA

http://interstelar.bandcamp.com/

http://interstelar.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Cover Thursday: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Karen O (Led Zeppelin)- Immigrant Song

I’m not a fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s at all but this version of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” is fantastic. The arrangement from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross as well as the visuals from the opening sequence of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo make this great.

Against The Grain Part 1: Ulver

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In this new feature we go on a journey to other genres and explore what they have to offer. Today’s offering is Ulver. They formed in Norway in the early 90’s. Their sound tends to be classified as Folk Black Metal. They blend different genres such as rock, folk, metal, symphonic, classical, and electronic to create their unique sound. Their albums have all been different from their others. They are one of the few that evolution has never held them back. Bergtatt, the debut album has been hailed as not the heaviest or most aggressive black metal.What makes the album stand out from all, is its use of unique atmosphere to create something that is eerie and oddly tranquil. Another one of their albums that is quintessential to their catalog is Blood Inside. On this album, along with their folk, black metal, symphonic sound, they began to incorporate jazz elements. Thus allowing the band to have awkward yet enriching time signatures.

While Ulver isn’t for everyone, they truly are excellent songwriters. One can always appreciate a well written and arranged song. If you’ve ever wanted to venture to the darker side, Ulver is a great place to start.

From Bergtatt: Troldskog Faren Vild

From Blood Inside: It Is Not Sound

http://www.jester-records.com/ulver/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ulver/31166220421

By: Brian Lacy

2 For Tuesday: A.F.I.

In late 2013 A.F.I. released their album Burials which continues their evolution into the the more goth-pop side of things. Granted they will never be what they once were, Burials takes the best parts of Sing The Sorrow and mixes it with The Art Of Drowning style riffs. Their new album has stuck with me since I bought it and is far better than their previous 2 releases. Check out 2 tracks on this 2 For Tuesday!

The Embrace:

The Face Beneath The Waves:

Unsung Masterpieces: Silverchair- Neon Ballroom
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As the 90’s came to an end and the music started to evolve, plenty of bands started to add other elements to their sounds to compliment the changing climates. Radiohead is a prime example. One band that really took a sharp turn was Silverchair. Their third album Neon Ballroom, took them to the next level as far as songwriting, production, and performance. Their earlier releases especially Frogstomp were full of untamed rage, despair, and teenage angst. Frogstomp was written when the band were only 14. When Neon Ballroom was released, Daniel Johns, Ben Gillies, Chris Joannou, seemed as though they finally achieved what they wanted to do musically. Lyrically, the songs were more personal and had a feel to them that could be related to just as the early 90’s “grunge” bands. Musically it went beyond the simple drums, bass and guitar, The riffs got more intricate, rhythms more complex, and a new element of strings were used. The first track on the album “Emotion Sickness” takes that approach and mixes their blend of hard rock with a bit of orchestral sounds, thus making it epic, especially at the peak of the song where Daniel sings “get out” in such pain and despair. “Ana’s Song (Open Fire)” was written about Daniel’s bout with anorexia. The first single “Anthem For The Year 2000” has the similar vibe of their previous 2 releases but this time more grown up. Other stand outs on Neon Ballroom are “Miss You Love” “Spawn Again” (which was originally featured on the Spawn Soundtrack), “Black Tangled Heart.” There really is something about this album that allows the listener to grow with the band. Not to mention that this album was name number 25 in the top 100 best Australian albums of all time. Silverchair went on to release 2 other albums after Neon Ballroom, but they don’t compare to how great this album is. Now if only they would just get back together and tour!!

Neon Ballroom:

By: Brian Lacy