End Of The Year Lists: Best Guitar Duo
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Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2021 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Guitar Duos/Trios. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!


01) Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu- Trivium
02) Kurt Ballou and Stephen Brodsky- Converge/Bloodmoon
03) Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher- Mastodon
04) Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams- Every Time I Die
05) Joe Duplantier and Christian Andreu- Gojira
06) Scott Mellinger and Russ Cogdell- Zao
07) Ethan Sgarbossa and Timmy Moreno- See You Space Cowboy
08) Jonas Stålhammar and Martin Larsson- At The Gates
09) Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gears- Iron Maiden
10) Isaac Hale and Nicko Calderon- Knocked Loose

End Of The Year Lists: Best Album Cover
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Well, the end of yet another strange year is fast approaching and that means all the year end best of lists are coming out. So, that means mine are too.

First up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2021 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Album Covers. The stipulation is that, they had to have released an album/EP this year.

Vote for your favorite Band/Album Cover in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Failure- Wild Type Droid:

02) Converge- Bloodmoon I:


03) Quicksand- Distant Populations:

04) Every Time I Die- Radical:

05) Genghis Tron- Dream Weapon:

06) The Pretty Reckless- Death By Rock N Roll:

07) Chevelle- NIRATIAS:

Chevelle - NIRATIAS - Amazon.com Music

08) Arc Angles- Apocalisp:

09) Yautja- The Lurch:


10) Mastodon- Hushed and Grim:

Mastodon Announce New Album Hushed and Grim, Share New Song: Listen | Pitchfork

Band Of The Week: The Moon Rocks

May be an image of one or more people, people playing musical instruments, people standing, guitar and indoor

I love it when I go to see a band I don’t know anything about and they blow me away. A couple weeks back a good friend of mine went out to go see a show and we wound up being completely taken by surprise by a band. That band was a three piece with more energy than everyone in the venue had combined. So, with that in mind let me introduce you to The Moon Rocks. Their punk rock style and energy mixed with 90’s rock and a tinge of pop have made The Moon Rocks one of Los Angeles’s best bands to see live. Pure, their debut record is a righteous slab of rock music that has been missing for sometime. Singer/guitarist Babsy leads the group with her unapologetic energy and outstanding skills on guitar and power vocals. The rhythm section of Cola on bass and Bobo on drums are beyond tight but have the right swagger to play loose to keep up with Babsy. They are tearing up venues all over Los Angeles so go make a point to see The Moon Rocks live, you won’t be disappointed.

The Moon Rocks- Pure:

Anticipated Albums: Placebo- Never Let Me Go
Placebo - Never Let Me Go, Pink and Black Vinyl (Pre-Order at Placebo Store) : r/VinylReleases

On March 25, 2022 Placebo will release their long awaited eighth studio album, Never Let Me Go. Already two songs have been released “Beautiful James” and “Surrounded By Spies.” The album was recorded between 2019 and 2021 and it is their first album to be recorded as a duo, following the departure of drummer Steve Forrest. 13 songs are slated for the album. The new songs have a bit of a Loud Like Love feel mixed with a bit of Without You I’m Nothing and a tinge of Sleeping With Ghosts. Pre-Orders for the album are available HERE.

Beautiful James:


Surrounded By Spies:

Collaborations: Noumenah with Allie Armstrong- Focus
Focus (feat. Allie Armstrong) - YouTube

A little while back I introduced you to Noumenah, the electronica project of Los Angeles-based composer/producer Andrew John Napier. Now, he’s releasing a new single “Focus” featuring singer-songwriter, Allie Armstrong, who lends her nuanced vocal style adds a whole new dimension to this song. This track definitely has a vibe to it and fits the strange world we live in.


Noumenah w/Allie Armstrong- Focus:

Title Tracks: Slayer- Seasons In The Abyss
HIGHER CRITICISM: SLAYER (PART 7) - "SEASONS IN THE ABYSS" - NO CLEAN SINGING

Slayer’s Seasons In The Abyss is my favorite album of theirs. As much as I love Reign In Blood, there is just something more intriguing about Seasons. There’s a complexity to this album and also a different vibe than their other albums. From the moment “War Ensemble” starts all the way through to the closing title track “Seasons In The Abyss” there’s no denying that this album is beyond impactful. The title track is quite a departure. It’s a slowed down song with Tom Araya almost singing. The lyrics too are a bit different as well since Tom Araya wrote them and not Jeff Hanneman or Kerry King. This album is a classic through and through. Even though Reign gets all the rah rah acclaim, I still think Seasons is better.

Slayer- Seasons In The Abyss:

Deep Cuts: The Smashing Pumpkins- X.Y.U.
Album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (Remastered), The Smashing Pumpkins | Qobuz: download and streaming in high quality

The Smashing Pumpkins have a plethora of deep cuts that could fill one hell of a playlist. The deep cuts alone from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness could make an album of their own. I love going back to MCIS and delving into particular songs even more than before. This morning I remembered a certain riff to a Pumpkins song and it took me back to when I bought this album and all the feels I got when I reached this song on the record. The song I’m referring to is “X.Y.U.” from the Twilight To Starlight portion of MCIS. I’ve loved this song from the day I heard it. This is one of the heaviest songs on the album. The song was recorded in one take, live for the record with drum and vocal overdubs added later. The title means “Ex, Why You?”, but is also a play on the spelling of Russian obscene word “хуй” (pronounced “hu:i”) that is translated as “penis”. “X.Y.U.” is a song that was developed in a similar jam fashion to “Silverfuck” as it evolved as a song over the years. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing this song live a couple of times over the years and it’s always a highlight and never disappoints. So, take about 7 minutes out of your day and delve into this superb deep cut from The Smashing Pumpkins.


The Smashing Pumpkins- X.Y.U.:

X.Y.U. (Live 1996):

Album Review: Failure- Wild Type Droid

A band like Failure doesn’t come around too often. Ever since their inception, they have been pushing the boundaries of rock music. It’s been talked about for years now how much of an influential masterpiece their third album, Fantastic Planet is. That album is truly the new Velvet Underground and Nico. Just like with The Velvet’s anyone who has picked up a copy of Fantastic Planet has inevitably started a band. But that’s not what this is all about. Instead let us focus on the fact that Failure have released their third new album since their return in 2014 and this one is without a doubt in line with the great albums they have produced. Wild Type Droid is out now and it’s absolutely stunning.

Wild Type Droid fits in its own part of Failure lore. As much as it fits within the “space rock” spectrum, this one hits differently. Firstly the music on this record is a bit more rhythmic and complex. The crisp production courtesy of Ken Andrews is superb. Every nuance that should be heard is making for one hell of a listening experience. The performances from all three members especially drummer Kellii Scott is astonishing. There’s almost this whole other level that Ken, Greg and Kellii went to with this one. Painting vivid pictures with the lyrics and melodies along with music that creates a truly whimsical feeling makes Wild Type Droid an album that stands out. The way the album starts, flows, and ends is something special on its own. It’s one of those that you feel compelled to start again as soon as it is over.

This year has already given us so many great albums and Failure’s Wild Type Droid is right there amongst those (Quicksand’s Distant Populations, Every Time I Die’s Radical, Genghis Tron’s Dream Weapon to name a few). For a band that’s technically been around for over 30 years there is no stopping Failure. If anything it’s as though the reunion only made then stronger and reinvigorated. There is no substitute for Failure. Other’s have tried to capture what they do but, if it’s not Ken, Greg and Kellii, it’s just going to sound like an imposter. Cheers to Failure for yet another triumphant album. Personally, I can’t wait to hear these songs live. It’s going to be out of this world good!

Overall Rating= A

Failure- Wild Type Droid:

Band Of The Week: So Hideous

Mixing genres to create something interesting is always a gamble. If you put the wrong combinations together the end result can put you on the wrong path. One band that I’ve recently been intrigued by that mixes genres is So Hideous. Mixing post-rock, atmospheric black metal, and a bit of an orchestral film score type vibe, So Hideous have put together a recipe for something that will hit you on impact. The bands new album, None But a Pure Heart Can Sing is a new and astonishing piece of work from this adventurous band. Still raging as hard as ever, still expressing the extremes of torment and beauty, None But a Pure Heart Can Sing sees So Hideous incorporate new sounds and rhythms into its approach. When discussing the thematic elements of the record Brandon Cruz said “The record is about rediscovering the freedom to share your passion, whether it be your art or your own voice, without any angst, anger or second thoughts. We talked a lot about the times we used to get into a room to play when we were 16 or whatever and the only barometer was if it ‘felt right and sounded good.’ When you see little kids they just extemporaneously break out into song and dance. They don’t care who’s watching. I had this idea of someone in some form of captivity, yearning to be free and sing her song.” Based on that, I couldn’t agree more. This record is pretty damn good!

So Hideous- None But A Pure Heart Can Sing:

End Of Album Songs: Failure- Daylight
Great Music Videos: Failure- Stuck On You | audioeclectica

One of my all time favorite bands is Failure. Ever since I was a kid and heard them (pretty sure it was Magnified that I heard), I was sold. Then comes 1996 and they release one of my all time favorite albums in Fantastic Planet. For over 20 years, this album has yet to leave my rotation. It’s a perfect album and one that has gone on to influence and inspire countless other bands and artists. In a way, Fantastic Planet is the new equivalent to the first album by The Velvet Underground. Anyways, I could go on and on about the awesomeness of this record. Instead let’s focus on how great of a song “Daylight” is to end the album. Clocking in at 6 minutes long, this song is epic and one of those songs that makes you want to start the album all over again. The way the music starts and builds creates this amazing tension that finally explodes at the end. “Daylight” is an absolute essential song to listen to on how to close out an album properly. Everything about this song is stunnging from the way Ken, Greg and Kellii all play off each other, the production, the lyrics and melody and to top it off the tones, oh the tones! Bottle those tones and sell them!

Failure- Daylight:

Failure- Daylight (Live at The El Rey- Reunion Show, 2014):