Failure

List: Best Three Piece Bands

I’ve always been intrigued by bands that have 3 or less members. Sure some of them when they play live add members to fill out their sound, but the core remains those three people. So with that in mind here is a list of the best three piece bands. Note This list is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

Beastie Boys
Cream
Thin Lizzy
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Chevelle
Depeche Mode
Green Day
Black Map
Rush
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Failure
ZZ Top
Motorhead
Nirvana
Silverchair
Wild Throne
High On Fire
Placebo
Primus
Dinosaur Jr
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Muse
The Melvins
Sigur Ros
The Police (Even though Sting is a douche)

Best Albums Of 2015…So Far (Updated)

It’s September and there have been a slew of really great albums released so far, and so many more great ones to come out soon too. Well here’s a recap of the ones that have come out so far IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER.
Failure- The Heart Is A Monster
Marilyn Manson- The Pale Emperor
Royal Thunder- Crooked Doors
Faith No More- Sol Invictus
Coal Chamber- Rivals
Papa Roach- F.E.A.R.
Lamb Of God- VII: Strum Un Drang
Noel Gallaghar’s High Flying Birds- Chasing Yesterday
The Bloodline- We Are One
Dekades- Dekades EP
Anakin- Celestial Frequency Shifter
Vanishing Life- Vanishing Life 7″
Before The Mourning- Etherial End
Wooden Nomad- Pain As A Source Of Light

Coming Soon:

Deftones
Team Sleep
Wild Throne
Sidewave
Sevendust

Unsung Masterpieces: Hum- You’d Prefer An Astronaut
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Let’s travel back to April 1995 and taking what we all know now, we get to experience Hum’s You’d Prefer An Astronaut for all it’s glory when it came out.  Hum was formed in 1989 and released two albums before reaching mainstream exposure with You’d Prefer An Astronaut. The bands 1993 album Electra 2000, was produced by Brad Wood who would soon go on to produce Sunny Day Real Estate’s album Diary. You’d Prefer An Astronaut is Hum’s major label debut album and has gone on to sell over 250,000 copies. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but just as I have said about Failure’s Fantastic Planet, pretty much anyone that picked up this album went on to start a band and become strongly influenced by Hum. Chino Moreno of Deftones has even gone on to say that this album is a big influence in terms of the tones they used. The album is full of atmosphere, depth, and great riffs. There are moments in the song “Why I Like The Robins,” that if you listen to some At the Drive In songs you can really hear Hum’s influence in them. Matt Talbott as a vocalist really knows how to project to get his lyrics across in the right way. Bryan St. Pere is one of hell of an underrated drummer. His knack for the right cymbal  accents is quite astonishing. Guitarist Tim Lash blend his playing perfectly well with Talbott’s. And the bass of Jeff Dimpsey is crunchy and full of grit bit also played with the right amount of precision.

Hum have reunited a few times over the years, leaving many fans to wonder if they will come out with a new album. In June 2015, it was announced that Hum would partake in two brief tours. In August 2015, Hum will open for Failure on the east coast of the United States. After that, Hum will embark on a co-headlining tour with the band Mineral on the west coast. Sadly, after the tour was announced, drummer Bryan St. Pere parted ways with the band, but Jason Gerken of Shiner will fill in for him. 

Thankfully Hum are back, and along with Failure, will continue to be a huge influence on musicians for years to come. Here’s to hoping that Hum get back in the studio and make a great new album.

Hum- You’d Prefer An Astronaut:

By: Brian Lacy

Album Review: Failure- The Heart Is A Monster

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Since they announced their reunion, I was hoping for a new Failure album. When I first heard Fantastic Planet way back when, I became hooked and was left wanting more. Thankfully in 2014 they returned and took everyone by storm by picking up right where they left off. Their new album The Heart Is A Monster is well worth the almost 20 year wait. Not only does the album seamlessly pick up where Fantastic Planet left off, it takes you further down the rabbit hole only to come out on the other side with an entirely fresh outlook. Songs like “Hot Traveler,” and A.M. Amnesia kickstart the album in a very upbeat way. “Counterfeit Sky” is an absolute stellar track. I had the pleasure of hearing this song live recently, when you hear this song, you’ll know Failure means business! The softer side of the album has songs like “Mulholland Drive.” This song is a little bit Pink Floyd mixed with The Beatles. Other highlights from the album are “Come Crashing,” “The Focus,” “Atom City Queen,” and two older songs that were reworked “Petting The Carpet,” and “I Can See Houses.

Failure have released what I consider to be the absolute album of the year. The dynamics of this band are unparalleled and inspiring. There is something truly special about the music that is made by Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards and Kellii Scott. The Heart Is A Monster is a modern classic without being a throwback album.

By: Brian Lacy

Video Of The Week: Failure- Hot Traveler

As June 30th gets closer, my excitement for the new Failure album is growing by extremes. I really think their new album The Heart Is A Monster is going to challenge anything so far and will come out, for album of the year. On Monday, Failure released their video for the first single from their long awaited follow up to Fantastic Planet. Here it is in all it’s glory!

Failure- Hot Traveler:

By: Brian Lacy

Live Review: Failure At The Ventura Theater

11150382_10153336132807904_3639161145926426919_nSince announcing their return in 2014 I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Failure a bunch of times. Each time I’ve seen them my level of excitement grows, and I’m continuously left in awe and with the feeling of inspiration. May 1st at the Ventura Theater left me with that feeling and then some. The bands 90 minutes set was roaring, filled with all the songs that I love, and to top it off they played three new songs from their upcoming album The Heart Is A Monster. The first of the new songs “Hot Traveler” was the first song of the set, and it really got things going. The song itself seems like it picks up right where Fantastic Planet left off. Of the two other new songs “Mulholland Drive,” was a really sweet and pleasant song that evoked the sensibility of say “The Nurse Who Loved Me.” The other new song “Counterfeit Sky” was a classic Failure song that had all that you’ve come to love about the band. The crowd was really into the set as well. Seeing them in Ventura as opposed to Los Angeles, presented a different vibe that was seemingly in a more relaxed setting that allowed the band to be a bit more free in what they chose to play and how they interacted with the crowd.

Ken Andrews voice is pristine and really conveys the lyrics in such a way that it leaves chills up your spine (in a total good way). Greg Edwards ability to create the most simple guitar leads yet make them so intricate and vital is astonishing. Kellii Scott is one of the most underrated drummers I’ve ever heard. He plays with such passion and intensity.

The only bad part of the night was the opening band. First off there should have been no opening band. Just give Failure 2 hours to play and let them do what they do. This opening band called Hy Brazil, was terrible. These guys have no clue what they want their music to be. The only intriguing thing about them was that they had a harp player in the band. The singer was embarrassing, humping the microphone stand like he was Steven Tyler in the 80’s, and trying to sing like he had pipes. Enough about that band, they didn’t deserve the chance to open for Failure.

Failure delivered exactly what you would expect them to do and then some as always. Thank you Ken, Greg and Kellii for another great night of music and inspiration and on my birthday weekend is a major plus!

Failure Setlist:
1. Segue 4 (new segue)
2. Hot Traveler (new song)
3. Frogs
4. Another Space Song
5. Counterfeit Sky (new song)
6. Saturday Savior
7. Segue 3
8. Dirty Blue Balloons
9. Pillowhead
10. Undone
11. Stuck On You
12. Macaque
13. Mulholland Drive (new song)
14. Heliotropic

Encore:
15. The Nurse Who Loved Me
16. Smoking Umbrellas
17. Daylight

By: Brian Lacy

And The Winners Are…

What a great first year for my little site. Thank you all for taking the time to check out Audioeclectica. I hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read so far. There will be plenty more in the new year with some new features as well. The winners were picked based on fan votes and my personal opinion. And now the results of the first annual Audioeclectica Awards.

Best Guitar Duo:

1. Mastodon- Brent Hinds and Bill Kellher
2. With Our Arms To The Sun- Josh Breckinridge and Joseph Leary
3. And We Are Them- Chris Matalone and Nick Bradford
4. Aeges- Kemble Walters and Cory Clark
5. New Cathedral- Ricky Stevens and Scott Perez
6. Slipknot- Jim Root and Mick Thompson
7. Wovenwar- Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso
8. Sevendust- Clint Lowery and John Connolly
9. Every Time I Die- Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams
10. At The Gates- Andres Bjorler and Martin Larsson

And The Winner Is: Josh Breckinridge and Joseph Leary of With Our Arms To The Sun

Best Album Cover:

1. With Our Arms To The Sun: A Far Away Wonder (Justin Slattum)
2. Mastodon: Once More Round The Sun (Skinner)
3. And We Are Them- City Of Ghosts (Chris Matalone)
4. Every Time I Die- From Parts Unknown (Joby Ford)
5. Obliterations- Poison Everything (Derrick Snodgrass)
6. Wild Throne- Blood Maker (Orion Landau)

And The Winner Is: With Our Arms To The Sun: A Far Away Wonder (Justin Slattum) and Mastodon: Once More Round The Sun (Skinner)

Best Bassist:

1. Joseph Breckinridge- With Our Arms To The Sun
2. Ben Flanagan- Black Map
3. Austin Barber- Obliterations
4. Jeff Johnson- Wild Throne
5. Tony Baumeister- Aeges
6. Michael Kerr- Royal Blood

And The Winner Is: Ben Flanagan of Black Map

Best Drummer:

1. Chris Robyn- Black Map
2. Mike Land- Aeges
3. Brian Hollenbeck- And We Are Them
4. Ben Thatcher- Royal Blood
5. Noah Burns- Wild Throne
6. John O’Connell- He Whose Ox Is Gored
7. Morgan Rose- Sevendust

And The Winner Is: Chris Robyn of Black Map

Best Guitarist:

1. Mark Engles- Black Map
2. Pete Loeffler- Chevelle
3. Paul Balmer- Machines Learning
4. Joshua Holland- Wild Throne
5. Shaun Morgan- Seether
6. Shaun Lopez- Crosses

And The Winner Is: Mark Engles of Black Map

Best Vocalist:

1. Ben Flanagan- Black Map
2. Pete Loeffler- Chevelle
3. Brann Dailor- Mastodon
4, Troy Sanders- Mastodon
5, Kemble Walters- Aeges
6. Chino Moreno- Crosses
7. Corey Taylor- Slipknot
8. Gavin Rossdale- Bush
9. Lajon Witherspoon- Sevendust

And The Winner Is: Ben Flanagan of Black Map and Chino Moreno of Crosses

Song Of The Year:

1. Failure- Come Crashing
2. Failure- The Focus
3. Dekades- Red Trolley
4. Black Map- I’m Just The Driver
5. With Our Arms To The Sun- Tessellation
6. Aeges- Fault
7. Wild Throne- The Wrecking Ball Unchained
8. Crosses- Bitches Brew
9. Royal Blood- Out Of The Black
10. And We Are Them- So It Goes
11. Sidewave (Air)- Playground Love
12. Mastodon- Ember City

And The Winner Is: Failure- Come Crashing and With Our Arms To The Sun- Tessellation

Album Of The Year:

1. Mastodon- Once More Round The Sun
2. With Our Arms To The Sun- A Far Away Wonder
3. Royal Blood- Royal Blood
4. Crosses- Crosses
5. Black Map- And We Explode
6. Bush- Man On The Run
7. Slipknot- .5 The Gray Chapter
8. Chevelle- La Gargola
9. Aeges- Above and Down Below
10. Down- Down IV Part II

Honorable Mention:

11. The Last Internationale- We Will Reign
12. Sevendust- Time Travelers and Bonfires
13. Obliterations- Poison Everything
14. Every Time I Die- From Parts Unknown
15. And We Are Them- City Of Ghosts

And The Winner Is: Mastodon- Once More Round The Sun and With Our Arms To The Sun- A Far Away Wonder

End Of The Year List: Best Shows I’ve Attended In 2014

This is not part of the 1st annual Audioeclectica Awards. This is just a list of the top 10 concerts I’ve attended this year.

1. Nine Inch Nails @ Hollywood Bowl
2. Failure @ El Rey and Fonda
3. Abloom and With Our Arms To The Sun @ Velvet Jones
4. Corrections House and Author & Punisher @ Echoplex
5. Mastodon @ Club Nokia
6. Royal Blood and The Last Internationale @ Roxy
7. Chevelle and Black Map @ Wiltern
8. Palms @ Troubadour
9. Down @ Wiltern
10. Placebo @ Club Nokia