Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1988

1. Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime

2. Metallica - And Justice For All

3. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4. Slayer - South Of Heaven

5. Megadeth - So Far, So Good, So What

6. Voivod - Dimension Hatross

7. Bathory - Blood Fire Death

8. Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

9. King Diamond - Them

10. Danzig - Danzig

Source: http://4metal.blogspot.com/2011/08/best-heavy-metal-albums-of-1988.html

The Submarines Jason Mraz Fishboy Luzer

Basia Bulat @ Mississauga Celebration Square (August 26, 2011)

Basia Bulat @ Mississauga Celebration Square: photo by Michael Ligon


Basia Bulat @ Mississauga Celebration Square: photo by Michael Ligon

As you may have guessed given my two recent posts, I'm trying to work my way backwards, posting photos/reviews of the shows I've gone to over the last several months, which brings me to the enchanting Basia Bulat who played Mississauga for the first time on August 26 at Mississauga Celebration Square. It was a solo set from Miss Bulat, accompanying herself on vocals with a variety of instrumentation from piano, guitar and autoharp.

A somewhat small crowd was on hand for the show, but otherwise Basia was chipper throughout, playing enthusiastically and smiling through. Basia bantered with the audience, .entioning her days as a youth patronizing such Mississauga establishments as "Coffee, Tea or Me" and how her mother still goes to Starsky's (a European-style grocery store). Performing a selection of tunes from her two albums, 2008's "Oh My Darling" and 2010's "Heart Of My Own", she charmed the crowd throughout her set. In addition to that, other highlights included a cover of Jon Rae Fletcher's "Come Back To Me" (which she sung as a duet with Mississauga native and Arkells member Dan Griffin), a cover of Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You in the End" and the folk traditional "Hush", which she embellished with hand clapping and foot stomping. And recognizing her heritage, and if I recall correctly saying something along the lines about wanting to record a Polish-sung album, she even sung in Polish like on "W Zielonym Zoo". Even a group of young teen boys, who in my opinion were acting up a bit, seemed to be charmed by Miss Bulat as during several of her tunes, they started to dance - it was perhaps a little bit of a joke to them, but Basia took it all in stride, accepting their enthusiasm as genuine. And perhaps maybe it was.

I've seen Basia several times live, and it was after this show I finally introduced myself, as well picking up her CD "Heart Of My Own". Lovely, lovely person, and I also must thank her for giving me the heads up on Supercrawl, a music and arts festival in Hamilton, ON which happened a week later, where she had a sublime performance collaboration with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

For my complete photoset from the show, check out the link below:

Photos: Basia Bulat @ Mississauga Celebration Square (August 26, 2011)

Source: http://mligon08.blogspot.com/2011/09/basia-bulat-mississauga-celebration.html

Starflyer 59 The Lovely Feathers Tender Trap Jordan Andrew Jefferson

Die Antwoord Announce New Album Details

Die Antwoord have announced a few details about their forthcoming release. Titled ‘TEN$ION‘, the South…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rockonthestreetsnews/~3/FjedqFJ7Wfs/

Tender Trap Jordan Andrew Jefferson The Ocean Blue The Like

2011 Toronto International Film Festival Wrap-Up

I jumped heavier into this year's Toronto International Film Festival than I'd ever had before seeing a total of eleven films over the festival's eleven day run. Overall, I'm glad to say that everything I saw was good to great, although having seen a number of films that were dark, grim, or just plain weird, I'm motivated for next year to see more comedies.

Gus Van Sant's newest film "Restless" was a great start to the festival, a quiet, quirky film about life and death, and the budding romance between two social misfits. There was a very nice balance between the sombre and the uplifting elements of the story and both lead actors, Henry Hopper as Enoch Brae and Mia Wasikowska as Annabel Cotton were excellent. My favourite scene in the film was the graveyard conversation.


Q&A, 'Restless': photo by Michael Ligon

Directed by and starring Ryan O'nan (and who also wrote and performed many of the songs in the film), his directorial debut "The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best" turned out to be a great little indie comedy. In the film, a pair of fate-matched musical losers come together to form a guitar / multi-instrumentalist indie rock duo and go on tour. Part comedy, part drama, part road movie, this was a fun film with surprisingly good musical performances to boot. The three leads (Ryan O'Nan, Michael Weston, Arielle Kebbel) may be relative unknowns but were fantastic and there were some familiar faces (particularly Andrew McCarthy, Christopher McDonald, Jason Ritter and Wilmer Valderrama) that filled out smaller roles to great effect.


Q&A, "The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best": photo by Michael Ligon

I took the Sunday route with a laid back screening of the new Todd Solondz film "Dark Horse" at the VISA Screening Room at the magnificent Elgin Theatre. Having rewatched Solondz' 1998 film "Happiness", I was reminded of his skewed perspective on everyday life, even borderline uncomfortable to watch, depending on the company you were watching it with. While Solondz hasn't necessarily changed his world view on things, he's reigned back the weirdness just a tad on his new film. In this new film, Solondz' story of a man-child's pursuit for love is comedic, yet tragic, fantasical yet grounded in real life.


Q&A, "Dark Horse": photo by Michael Ligon

With famed director Jonathan Demme already hemming Neil Young's previous concert films: 2006?s "Heart of Gold" and 2009?s "Trunk Show", it was only natural that he come on board to document Young's shows at Massey Hall in May of 2010. This newest concert film entitled "Neil Young Journeys" is not only of document of Neil's two night stint at Massey Hall in May of 2010 but also intersperses clips of Young's musings of his childhood as he makes the drive from his childhood hometown of Omemee, ON to Massey Hall in Toronto. Concert films will never take place of a real show but this one comes close with perhaps the finest audio quality I've ever heard during a concert film. During the Q & A, Demme and Young spoke about some sort of new audio technology used I believe to record the sound, and believe me the sound quality was fantastic.


Q&A, "Neil Young Life": photo by Michael Ligon

Apparently, if you're Australian, the mention of "Snowtown", conjures horrific stories of serial killings that took place in the impoverished small town in South Australia between 1992 and 1999. In his directorial debut, director Justin Kurzel does a superb job, given the difficult subject matter, in firstly directing mostly unknowns who gave fantastic performances, and secondly, creating an the films appropriately grim atmosphere. It's not really a film I can say I took 'pleasure' in watching, given it's subject matter, but I appreciated the craftmanship that went into it.


Q&A, "Snowtown": photo by Michael Ligon

And what would a film festival be, without at least watching a foreign film with subtitles. "Kotoko" a Japanese film directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, tells the story of the unravelling mental state of a young mother with double vision which affects her ability to take care of her baby, eventually being suspected of child abuse and having her baby taken away from her. The film does a great job with editing and camera shows in illustrating the realm of pyschosis, to the almost unbearable point of feeling the sickening madness myself. Tsukamoto stars in the film as a writer who's drawn to Kotoko's maudlin singing on the bus one day, eventually pursuing her romantically even after realizing her mental unwellness. At this point, this sounds like a Hollywood formula, but believe me this film is far from it.


Q&A, "Kotoko": photo by Michael Ligon

The most 'star-studded' film I saw was the co-production between Canadian actor Shawn Ashmore and British actor Dominic Monaghan for their post-apocalyptic film "The Day". The short of it is, the film is about a rag-tag group who try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world but then encounter a hurdle. What is it you might ask? No, it's not zombies. Go watch the film. Not much depth to the plot, but as a Midnight Madness entry it was appropriately fun, especially with some of it's kick ass kill sequences.


Q&A, "The Day": photo by Michael Ligon

Better known as stand-up comedian, Bobcat Goldwaithe's directorial effort entitled "God Bless America" turned out to be a surprisingly affecting film. It definitely has a satirical edge and a sensibility that reminds me somewhat of the 1993 film "Falling Down" starring Michael Douglas. But amidst the film's satirical components, is the unconventional friendship between a middle-aged divorced father and a dissatisfied, independent teenage girl. Albeit, as touching as that sounds, the premise of the story is that they do go on a Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque killing spree. Better than I expected, and admist the violence and satire, there was a wonderfully human message.


Q&A, "God Bless America": photo by Michael Ligon

The zombie film genre is something I've grown attached to over the years and was psyched to see that the Cuban-Spanish co-production entitled "Juan Of The Dead" was in this year's festival. It definitely leans towards the side of "Shaun of The Dead" with it's comedic angle, and the humour while cheesy at times, was at other times uproariously funny. Part of me was a little disappointed at times that the zombies weren't as visually threatening as they could have been, the zombies being of the slow and sluggish-paced variety. Director Alejandro Bruges uses the characters' dialogue at times to make commentary about life in Cuba, which somehow fits in well with the characters' situations. Admirable addition to the zombie film genre.


Q&A, "Juan Of The Dead": photo by Michael Ligon

My penultimate film of TIFF was the midnight madness screening of UK film "Kill List" directed by Ben Wheatley. A strange and suspenseful twist on the hit-man film, I especially enjoyed the pacing and buildup of film. By the end film which turns out to be a suckerpunch, your reaction is like, holy 'eff did that just happen? Intensely, dark atmosphere, maybe too dark for some, it won't be everyone's cup of tea but I'll recommend as an intriguing curiousity.


Q&A, "Kill List": photo by Michael Ligon

My last film of TIFF was the Swedish film "Play". Intriguingly shot entirely in long shot, "the film is based on an actual incident in Gothenburg where a group of black kids manipulated other teenagers, mostly from "ethnic" backgrounds, into surrendering their valuables." As a closer for the festival for me, it was an insightful film and its use of long shots an example of how wonderfully cinematography in filmmaking can be. As a story which touches on issues of bullying, race, and the like, it was an insightful film.

And that's it. Let's do this again next year.

And more of my pics during TIFF below:


Elgin Theatre: photo by Michael Ligon


TIFF Volunteers: photo by Michael Ligon


Red Carpet at Roy Thomson Hall: photo by Michael Ligon


Princess of Wales Theatre: photo by Michael Ligon


Mounties by Mr. Brainwash: photo by Michael Ligon


Spray Cans by Mr. Brainwash: photo by Michael Ligon


Alfred Hitchcock by Mr. Brainwash: photo by Michael Ligon

For my complete TIFF photoset, check out the link below:

Photos: 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (September 8-18, 2011)

---

ps. Apologies to anyone who's stuck around for the last 2 1/2 months hoping for a post. I lost all motivation for posting gig reviews during the summer partially out of laziness but also partially because of the dearth of really anything extraordinary to post about. Mind you, I saw some good shows during the summer, and did the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this past July but otherwise the bands and artists that I did see, you've all heard and read about anyway. While my motivation for writing has waned, the pleasure of grabbing a few photos at gigs still remains. At the very least, photos will still provide content to this site, but I'm rethinking the writing angle. I'd like to keep the writing off-the-cuff and spontaneous and rather leave the act of music writing to those of who you who do it for a living, or at least do it better. One of the books I'd read over the summer was called "The Cult of the Amateur - How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture", a harsh critique of user-generated internet/web content in many ways, but one thing I've gained from the book is that I'll probably tighten the quality control on what I publish and don't publish.

Source: http://mligon08.blogspot.com/2011/09/2011-toronto-international-film.html

Fat Tulips Farrah The Good Life shonen knife

Dimple Sharma - Urban Monk

Dimple Sharma - Urban Monk
2011, Dimple Sharma

Toronto?s Dimple Sharma is a master of many trades.  The entrepreneur, author, musician, educator, community organizer and singer/songwriter excels in whatever she touches.  A practitioner of yoga, Sharma lives what she believes, seeking to illuminate the higher self in her own life and the lives of others.  The concepts and philosophies of her east-Indian roots come to life in her music.  Dimple Sharma?s debut album, Urban Monk, mixes eastern philosophy and sounds with western musical styles, creating one of the most dynamic and original debuts to come along in some time.

Urban Monk opens with an intriguing mix of Indian instrumentation, pop vocal stylings and Americana guitar on ?The Seed Must Die And Break?.  Dimple Sharma contrasts spoken word verses with a sung chorus, showing off a pleasant voice in a treatise on a cycle of life based on death and rebirth.  ?Urban Monk? seeks passion and adventure, but quests in passive tones leave listeners with a bland pop sound.  Dimple Sharma sings here about the power of life, but with an automatic feel that undermines the subject matter.  ?Climb That Mountain? is a mildly upbeat paean to internal change and revolution; a carpe diem moment, if you will.  The energy is better here, and Dimple Sharma charms with a voice that?s both sweet and low.

?Purest Gold? speaks of the benefits of yoga in a surprisingly funky and catchy number with incredible movement beneath the melody line.  The placid forefront of the song barely contains boundless energy underneath.  This song is infectious and will get inside your head.  ?Stone Guest? is bland contemplative pop, offering deep philosophical concepts in quick bullet points built for post-MTV attention spans.  This spoonful of sugar doesn?t help the spiritual medicine go down easy, and becomes so distilled it?s hard to glean anything meaningful from the song.  ?Light Enough To Hold? is a nice recovery however.  Dimple Sharma keeps it simple here, with a sweet and subtle vocal line amidst well-constructed harmonies.  This is a nice bit of low-key pop music imbued with a sense of hope and confidence.

?Lost? manages to be simultaneously resplendent and repetitive pop music.  Dimple Sharma?s voice is warm and direct, capturing the listener?s attention, and the instrumentation she uses here is enthralling.  It?s not radically different than what she?s shown us thus far on Urban Monk, but on ?Lost? something truly clicks, and Dimple Sharma transcends here influences to create something original, affable and enduring.  ?My Ancestors?, on the other hand, is a bit bland.  Much love and respect goes into the song, but it doesn?t emerge in a way that the listener can truly experience.  ?Moving Across The Water? is haunting and beautiful; Dimple Sharma?s voice is at its finest here.  If there?s one complaint about the song, it?s the backing vocals, which seems a bit out of synch with everything else around them.  Dimple Sharma closes out with ?Shine On?, an eight-and-a-half minute monstrosity that overstays its welcome.

Dimple Sharma has hits and misses on Urban Monk, but when she?s on the mark she shows the ability to move listeners; to bring them to a different place musically.  Here worldly folk/pop mix of styles and sounds is unique and intriguing, even if she gets a bit caught up in mild trance/dance beats a bit too often.  There?s a lot to like here, and Dimple Sharma?s sound is flexible enough to catch on everywhere from NPR to pop radio, with a stop in the dance clubs on the way through town.  Expect Urban Monk to be the first of many offerings from Dimple Sharma, and don?t be surprised if one day she?s a household name.

Rating:                  4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Dimple Sharma at www.dimplesharma.net.  You can download Urban Monk through Dimple Sharma's website, or through the e-tailers below:
        iTunes.

Source: http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/dimple-sharma-urban-monk.html

Jordan Andrew Jefferson The Ocean Blue The Like my little airport

The Twilight Sad = If The Cure Were Scottish

Bands have to show their influences. This can be done in a subtle way (a guitar line here, a vocal phrasing there) or more overtly (See Interpol and The Editors aping of JOY DIVISION for their entire careers). THE TWILIGHT SAD straddle the middle of their influence showcasing of THE CURE. I'm sure these lads from Scotland didn't set out to ape the kings of doom and gloom as much as they did when they began recording their third album, "No One Can Ever Know", I imagine they were just looking for new ways to express their sound without rehashing their first two records. I'm also not saying its a bad thing that they did. What results is part mimicry, part homage and part ownership of new sound of their own.

The opening "Alphabet" kicks in with an eerie synth line as lead singer James Graham bleeds with a lost love who may or may not be dead. This is followed by "Dead City" which sounds like an outtake from "Wish" right down to the heaving bassline and clanky percussion. "Sick", the current single, exchanges out real drums for a skippy electronic beat and a staccato guitar line. Graham uses his accent to great effect rolling his "r"s with gusto to add to the off putting sound. The song builds to a nice crescendo adding synthesizers washes at the end. "Don't Move" is the closest thing of the record to an out and out CURE rip off, sounding almost beat for beat like "Fascination Street" without Robert Smith's yelping to give it the urgency it needs. "Another Bed" breaks up the pattern with a dance rhythm than when remixed will be an Edinburgh club banger for the rest of the year. At first it is seems out of place but after repeated listens it make sense to lighten the mood a little bit. The ending drone of "Kill It In The Morning" has a KILLING JOKE feel to it but ends with an uplifting chorus that is anthemic in the context of the whole record.

I admit I missed the boat a bit on these guys, I saw them a couple of years ago when they played the US with FRIGHTENED RABBIT and WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS. If the Rabbits are easily the most commercial of the Scottish acts right now and WWPJ have a punk ethos that drives them, THE TWILIGHT SAD are trying to strike a chord with the more misanthropic youth of the world. This record may just allow them the room to make that happen.

(m4a) The Twilight Sad -- Alphabet  

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sQBf/~3/wPiIv8bY6TA/twilight-sad-if-cure-were-scottish.html

Maria Taylor The Scene Aesthetic Pony Up! The June Brides

An Honest Mistake at Baybeats 2010

The band's first international gig brings us to Singapore! 


This time around we are honored to be invited to perform at the Baybeats 2010 Music Festival; An annual event featuring the best indie alternative bands from around the region.

Quite some spectacular fireworks to welcome us....
well almost. =p



Here we are...

Performing 6 songs from the debut album and 2 new tunes

Doubling it up on Yamaha MM6 & XS7 synths

To those who missed catching us in Singapore, here's some highlights of our journey.

PART 1:





PART 2:




We were of course, very grateful to friends who came all the way to support us, not forgetting our videographers from theUPfilms who did a great job in putting it all up on video.




Meanwhile, do also check out An Honest Mistake's Channel on YouTube

An Honest Mistake's YouTube channel

Till next time...

Source: http://baldwinchua.blogspot.com/2010/09/honest-mistake-at-baybeats-2010.html

The Shins Throw Me the Statue The Remains of Brian Borcherdt The Rosebuds

Jeremy Schonfeld ? Iron & Coal

Jeremy Schonfeld ?Iron & Coal
2011, Jeremy Schonfeld Music

Growing up in a family of Holocaust survivors, JeremySchonfeld has a different perspective on life than many Gen-Xers.  His understanding of the world around him isshaped by the tales of suffering of an entire generation of European Jews atthe hands of Nazi Germany.  This darknesshas occasionally entered into his songwriting over the years, but Schonfeld hasshown a remarkably bright side as well. His musical Drift (writtenwith Craig Pospisil) had a two-year run at the New York Musical Theater Festival.  He is also a founding composter and lyricistsfor A-Train Musicals.  Schonfeld?sperformance style is enigmatic and powerful, as audiences at such venerated NewYork venues as Joe?s Pub, Birdland, B.B. King?s, CBGB?s and Lincoln Center havecome to know.  Schonfeld?s must recentwork, Iron & Coal, is his mostpersonal to date, however.  It is arecast of his father?s memoirs of Auschwitz; a highly personal and powerfulstory born of his father?s experiences, his own emotions, and that fine linebetween fact and art that breeds the best of stories.

Schonfeld himself is an enigma.  If Gordon Lightfoot had gone into musicaltheater instead of folk/rock they?d sound quite similar.  Whatever imperfection you might perceive in Schonfeld?svoice become a part of his larger persona, i.e. Randy Newman or Bob Dylan.  The theatrical flair in his songwriting isalso never far from the surface. Schonfeld knows how to create moments in song.  Opening with ?I Gotta Song?, Schonfeld offersup an exultant and beautiful prayer of thanksgiving for ?borrowed time?.  The song is in movements like a classicalpiece, but is a folk/pop/Broadway blend than runs nine minutes without everfeeling tired.  ?Story Of Love? is aninspired tune that thrums with Schonfeld?s persona.  This is a true performer?s moment that makesyou wish you could take in the song from the third row of a concert hall withthe lights low and just Schonfeld and a piano on stage.  ?The Mourner?s Kaddish? opens in Hebrew butturns into story-song full of the oft-complicated love of a song for hisfather.    Love and the drive todifferentiate are at war here, but it?s not the sort of battle that does harmto anyone other, perhaps, than the one writing it.  It?s a powerful tune that will cut deep forthe male listeners in the audience.

?Dead Beat Heart? finds Schonfeld moving more into a 1980?srock sound.  Big guitars and even biggermelody are built around a mellow groove for a very enjoyable listeningexperience.  ?Good Stuff? is a rock androll party song, pure and simple.  Verycatchy and danceable, this one is likely to become a guilty pleasure for fansof Kim Mitchell of Cheap Trick.  ?SaveMe? is an angry and argumentative number that asks for succor but seems tofight it with every note and every word. Schonfeld uses the percussion here to give the song a deeply unsettledfeel ? a theatrical contrivance that?s quite effective.  ?Yedid Netesh ? Good Man? fades quickly intothe glam, funk and soul of ?Bad Man?. While the song itself is catchy and entertaining, Schonfeld?s backupsingers provide the perfect counterpoint that makes the song fly.

Schonfeld is emotionally lost on ?Piece Of Me?, a solidpiece of pop/rock songwriting that is sonically pleasing: a high quality albumtrack that holds its place by advancing the story and very quietly holding moreof your attention than you might at first expect.  ?Nothing Really Matters ? Stop, Stop? begins asa musical soliloquy and turns into a frenetic rockers.  This one will get stuck in your head with itsmanic feel.  ?If Ever? opens with anintriguing pizzicato string arrangement and turns into one of the bestnon-traditional ballads to come out of 2011. Don?t be surprised if this song gets covered many times over down theroad.  ?Time?, the penultimate track onthe album, advances the story, but feels like its simply holding place.  This isn?t inappropriate in the story line,but it is something of a pause musically that?s simultaneously distracting andpossibly necessary to the story line. Schonfeld brings down the curtain with ?Yet?, a song of self-convictionabout moving forward and remember that things will somehow be okay.  It?s a quietly powerful moment that exploresthe resilience of human heart in the wake of inescapable tragedy, wrapped up ina stunning arrangement that?s perfect for the Broadway stage, but easilytransmutable to the pop/rock/folk world.

Jeremy Schonfeld lives on the edge of death for much of Iron & Coal, but like hisprotagonist he truly lives.  The factthat the lines at times become blurred between protagonist and story-telleronly makes the story more powerful. Schonfeld?s compositions are golden ? everything flows as if time itselfwere the driver.  You could easilyimagine this cycle being reworked into a show, although it perhaps flows bestas it is.  A successful musicalpresentation would force too many changes, but as a single work of art, Iron & Coal is a thing of beauty.

Rating: 4.5 Stars(Out of 5)

Learn more about www.jeremyschonfeld.com or www.facebook.com/jeremyschonfeldmusic.

Source: http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2011/12/jeremy-schonfeld-iron-coal.html

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Voxtrot Tullycraft Lightspeed Champion

Yppah delivers the goods

Pandora Radio is a truly remarkable thing. A customizable radio station where you simply plug in a genre or artist and you get a selection of material tailored to your likes at that moment. This approach has led me to find several cool sounds I wouldn't have normally discovered. Such is the case with YPPAH. Falling into the electronic genre doesn't quite do this artist justice but if one must classify it, then electronic it is.

Now comes Yppah's latest record, "81". The overall sound is part MOBY at his height, part early m83, and part shoegazer all wrapped up into one. The opening track, "Blue Schwinn", glides along a drum beat with angelic female vocals recalling THE COCTEAU TWINS. From there singer Antonia Belle lends her voice to the pop techno of "D. Song", which finally morphs into a club banger. The middle section of the record recalls DJ SHADOW'S masterpiece "Endtroducing..." with it's combination of hip hop beats and synthesizer washes. "Never Mess With Sunday" is the standout track on the record, with a plucky acoustic guitar leading into a drum beat frenzy. The groove on this song alone will stick with you for weeks. "Happy To See You" echoes vintage SLOWDIVE in it's ethereal bliss. "Three Portraits" is what I imagine CHAPTERHOUSE would sound like if updated for the 21st century.

This is the hidden beauty of the album. It moves in so many directions. What could have easily been another one note, electronic repetition for over an hour discovers new and fascinating ways to explore sonic landscapes. Each time I listen I find a new sound or combination of instruments that shake me in new ways. This will easily be one of my albums of the year.

(mp3) Yppah -- Never Mess With Sunday

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sQBf/~3/7BykyGcCe00/yppah-delivers-goods.html

Pedro The Lion Gorillaz Pogo (electronic musician) Nouvelle Vague

RhoDeo1206 Aetix

Hello, today Aetix focuses on one of those bands that somehow fell thru the cracks, making great music somehow isn't enough. You need that right time, right place element of luck you need to have credentials and these guys came from Sheffield which was associated with electronic music and confusing the musicpress is asking for trouble. More troubles would follow and though the band kept together thru most of them, a commercial breakthrough would never materialize for The Comsat Angels, pity they really deserved it.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

After numerous incarnations and name changes, the Sheffield-based Radio Earth -- guitarist and vocalist Stephen Fellows, drummer Mik Glaisher, keyboardist Andy Peake, bassist Kevin Bacon -- found themselves opening for Pere Ubu in Newcastle. After the gig, the quartet realized that they had been blown off the stage and intimidated by the headliners' sense of focus and ability to confuse. Following a rethink, they came back as the less self-conscious Comsat Angels (the name referenced a short story by J.G. Ballard). They took a loan from Glaisher's father to record and release the Red Planet EP in 1979; BBC DJ John Peel, who was sent a copy, liked what he heard, requested a few more copies and booked the band for one of his famous Peel Sessions.

An unintrusive deal with Polydor allowed the band to make three stunning albums and pay back Mr. Glaisher, but the label didn't know how to handle the band and the more influential music journalists shied away for whatever reason, though the coverage the band did receive tended to be glowing. Only "Independence Day," from the first album, managed to chart in the U.K. The albums were not distributed in the States, but the band did support Gang of Four during some 1982 dates and were shocked at the reception they received -- the result of spins on college radio stations.

The Comsats left Polydor for Jive. 1983's Land, produced by Mike Howlett, was a marked departure and a conscious aim for the top of the charts. It backfired. 1985's 7 Day Weekend, produced by Miles Davis associate and funk-pop producer extraordinaire James Mtume, fared worse. 1986's Chasing Shadows, released on Island, came to life with some help from high-profile fan Robert Palmer; it too was second-rate compared to the first three albums, despite being less compromised, and the band was pleased enough to refer to it as their fourth album. Not being pushed around enough yet an american Satellite Co. started legal troubles for using the name comsat, they had no money to fight of a law suit even when they named themselves after a J. G. Ballard short story The Comsat Angels, they tried CS Angels, then for their next album "Fire on the Moon (1990)" they renamed to Dream Command.. it made everybody unhappy and the next year a line up consistent since 78 broke up, Kevin Bacon left. In 92 their next label RPM Records released a Dutch radio sessions collection Unravelled before the final studio album The Glamour in 1995. .
At this point, the Comsats came to a full realization that their efforts at pleasing others -- label heads and consumers alike -- had been fruitless. They signed with RPM/Thunderbird in the U.K. and Caroline in the States, and released 1992's My Mind's Eye, a toughened updated of the 1979-1982 period. Unsurprisingly, it was met with commercial indifference and spotty critical praise. Kevin Bacon, who had started to produce other artists, left the band after its release. Terry Todd came in as Bacon's replacement on bass, and Simon Anderson was added as second guitarist. They released a Dutch radio acoustic sessions collection Unravelled before the final studio album in 1995, the band issued The Glamour, their hardest album. It would also be their last.

The first three Comsat Angels albums were issued on CD in 1995 but went out of print shortly thereafter; Renascent, a heroic independent label in the U.K. that had previously updated the catalog of the Sound, remedied the matter in 2006. Land and 7 Day Weekend were issued on CD by Connoisseur in 2001.

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Waiting for a Miracle is a sorcerous first album, at least once it sinks in, after short-to-long phases of puzzlement, bemusement, and fascination. Its songs of romantic ruin, paranoia, and doubt are spare, inelastic, and ceaselessly on edge. Even when the songs are at their bounciest and most alluring, they have an insular and alien quality. The instruments are played with intrepid simplicity, but when they're heard as one, they sound peculiar and complex . Acting as something like a minimalist garage band with one foot in the past and the other in the future, with Andy Peake's memory-triggering organ bleats offset by structural abnormalities and twists, the band does come across as a little timid from time to time, unsure of how far to take its uniqueness, but it's only another factor that fosters the album's insistent nerviness. "Total War," a razor-sharp examination of a relationship snapping under the pressure of buried mutual contempt, threatens to stop as often as it appears to be on the verge of taking off, carries a circular arrangement, and provides no release. "Independence Day," gave the band its greatest commercial success, wrapping all the band's strengths in one concise package, from the brilliantly paced shifts between the sparse and the dense to the balance between the direct and the indirect. While there are crucial differences that reveal themselves after deep listening, this album can be appreciated by anyone touched by other maverick post-punk albums released the same year 1981.

The Comsat Angels - Waiting For A Miracle (288mb)

01 Missing In Action 4:01
02 "Baby" 2:57
03 Independence Day 3:45
04 Waiting For A Miracle 2:56
05 Total War 3:47
06 On The Beach 3:40
07 Monkey Pilot 4:23
08 Real Story 3:44
09 Map Of The World 3:49
10 Postcard 4:08
Bonus Tracks
11 Home Is The Range 3:33
12 We Were 4:11
13 Ju Ju Money 3:27

The Comsat Angels - Waiting For A Miracle (ogg 108mb)

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Sleep No More, the second Comsat Angels album, is a confident follow-up that contains a tighter and more cutting version of Waiting for a Miracle's alluring insularity. Going by "Eye Dance," the torrid opener, one might expect a more aggressive affair, but that's not necessarily the case. However, the dynamics of the album become increasingly perceptible with each play, and the slowest, austerest passages begin to seem as intense as the few that slam and punch. With the exception of "Restless," a mood piece of harmonic flickers, light whispers, and low throb, the album is driven by Mik Glaisher's booming drums, which were recorded in a manner -- near a lift shaft, to be precise, with microphones placed on six surrounding floors -- that makes the album wholly enveloping and, occasionally, imposing. The subject matter: not a big surprise, given the title of the album, with further adventures in malfunctioning-relationship purgatory, along with topical matter like "Dark Parade" (about the volatile hostage situation at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran), a song that hardly repeals the level of turmoil expressed elsewhere. Regardless of the continued strength in the songwriting, it's impossible not to get caught up in the album's sounds. The title track overwhelms with its swirling layers of guitar and keyboards over an unchanging drum pattern. The storming "Goat of the West" wastes no time in whipping itself into a controlled frenzy of churning guitars, punishing drums, and bewildered vocals. While it's not as easy to enjoy as Waiting for a Miracle, it's that kind of album that requires some mental preparation , Sleep No More is certainly more powerful, and it's also a greater achievement. Here, the Comsat Angels became one of the era's most exceptional bands.

The Comsat Angels - Sleep No More (439mb)

01 The Eye Dance 3:42
02 Sleep No More 2:51
03 Be Brave 3:49
04 Gone 3:27
05 Dark Parade 5:08
06 Diagram 3:53
07 Restless 3:14
08 Goat Of The West 3:23
09 Light Years 4:24
10 Our Secret 4:10
bonus
11 Eye Of The Lens 4:04
12 Another World 4:40
13 At Sea 4:26
14 Mass 3:47
15 Dark Parade 1 (Demo) 5:01
16 Goat Of The West (Demo) 4:08
17 Be Brave (Demo) 3:50
18 Gone (Alt. EP Version) 3:14

The Comsat Angels - Sleep No More (ogg 154mb)

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Just like their Time Considered compilation of BBC sessions, Unravelled is an indispensable, fresh look at this fabulous group. This time it's more recent vintage -- 1993 Dutch radio -- radical acoustic reworkings of songs old and new, "plus an extra three-track fully plugged session." The first nine cuts are stripped down to the barest essentials, mostly My Mind's Eye songs. Stephen Fellows' mature tunes and soulful singing carry the day even more assuredly than when backed by full-on echo guitar and super bass/drums, as evidenced by tinkling looks at "Field of Tall Flowers" and "Beautiful Monster." Even better, old ones from their 1979-1982 glory period sound as piercing as ever. A cover of the Rolling Stones' "Citadel" is better realized than the 1985 version, and "Cutting Edge," a cut from their "rock comeback" Chasing Shadows -- after a decent but ill-advised two-LP dance-pop period that's ignored here (fine with us) -- turns out to be the most stirring number "unravelled," the piano as luxuriant as if you were sitting on the stool next to Andy Peake. There's also the fine "SS100X" (nice riff), and the three "fully plugged" ones cap things off in furious fashion, the stunning "My Mind's Eye" beaten to a red pulp, and "Driving" and "Shiva Descending" as big as a bonfire. If you don't have My Mind's Eye, their best LP since Fiction, that's cheaper and easier to find by virtue of its U.S. release on Caroline. After that, Time Considered and Unravelled are as crucial, some of the most intense listening demanded of anyone.

The Comsat Angels - Unravelled (Dutch Radio Sessions 93-94) (255mb)

01 After The Rain 3:52
02 Always Near 3:18
03 Beautiful Monster 2:41
04 Cutting Edge 5:02
05 Field Of Tall Flowers 3:17
06 SS100X 3:49
07 Our Secret 3:53
08 Storm Of Change 4:21
09 Citadel 3:48
10 Driving 4:20
11 My Minds Eye 3:38
12 Shiva Descending 4:11

The Comsat Angels - Unravelled (Dutch Radio Sessions 93-94) (102mb)

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elsewhere

Comsat Angels - Fiction (^ 98 mb)
Comsat Angels - Land (^ 92 mb)

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Source: http://rho-xs.blogspot.com/2012/02/rhodeo1206-aetix.html

The June Brides The Wedding Present Hello Operator McCarthy

Styx - The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight: Live

Styx ? The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight: Live
2012, Eagle Rock Entertainment

From 1977 to 1981 there wasn?t a bigger name in American Rock N Roll than Styx.  The first group to ever score four consecutive multi-platinum albums, Styx dominated AOR and pop radio, and tour box offices, like few others up until their first breakup in 1984.  Times change, and musical styles move on.  Styx has never recaptured the commercial success they had in their prime, and the revolving door of band members and side projects since the band?s reunion in 1996 has made for a sound that is dynamic but altered from the signature sound of the band?s heyday.  In 2011, Styx put on a short concert tour that included complete live renditions of the band?s classic albums The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight.  That tour is memorialized now on DVD, Blue-Ray, and combined DVD and 2-CD set. 

The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight: Live is a visually stunning and musically surprising performance.  Some of Styx? greatest hits were featured on these two albums, including ?The Grand Illusion?, ?Fooling Yourself?, ?Miss America?, ?Come Sail Away?, ?Blue Collar Man? and ?Renegade?.  While the vocal mix has changed over the years, and Lawrence Gowan will never quite replace the voice of Dennis DeYoung, Styx managed to capture the same zeitgeist that made them the kings of Arena Rock for close to a decade.  The video presentation and audio quality are perfect, and Styx is entirely on their game on-stage.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Styx continues to be one of the highest grossing live acts in the U.S., and it?s easy to see why on The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight: Live.  So while lesser acts are ensconced in the Rock N Roll Hall of Jann Wenner?s album collection in Cleveland, true Icons of rock music such as Styx continue to do what they do best:  Rock and roll.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Styx at www.styxworld.com. 

   DVD/2-CD               BluRay                      DVD

Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Source: http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2012/01/styx-grand-illusionpieces-of-eight-live.html

Ladybug Transistor Brooke White The Mood Statistics

The 23 String Band - Catch 23

The 23 String Band - Catch 23
2011, The 23 String Band

Eastern Kentucky is the home base ofThe 23 String Band, an acoustic quintet consisting of Chris Shouse (guitar,lead vocals); Curtis Wilson (banjo, vocals); David Howard (mandolin, vocals);Scott Moore (fiddle, vocals) and T. Martin Stam (bass, vocals). In spite oftheir acoustic approach, the band brings electric energy to modern songs withtraditional bluegrass stylings. A live set from The 23 String Band could easilyfollow a traditional bluegrass tune with a Beastie Boys cover; theunpredictable nature of the band has earned them a significant following in ashort time. And their "original hillbilly music" has earned them therespect of bluegrass fans both modern and traditional. The band released Catch23 earlier this year. The only surprise here is that they haven't receivedwider acclaim.

Catch 23 opens with "Fat Frankie", the frenetic tale of asmall time drug dealer. The dark and urgent modern bluegrass arrangement iscompelling, and The 23 String Band has created a classic story song. The violinwork of Scott Moore is particularly amazing. "Long Hot Summer Days"features solid, deliberate pick work. Shouse gets soulful on the lead vocal,and there's a distinct blues feel blended into the bluegrass arrangement."Catch 23" is a dynamic instrumental that breaks out into a jazzifiedbreakdown. Once again, fiddler Scott Moore is a standout. The band is forwardand fun on "Leave Everything To Me", an amusing little love song witha memorable melody.

"Listen To Her Heart" is asoliloquy sung to a romantic interloper; an attempt to hold on to the one heloves. The arrangement here is pure gold, with tremendous instrumentalinterplay and absolutely gorgeous vocal harmonies intertwining throughout. The23 String Band goes old school on "Bees Knees", getting back to deepbluegrass roots so completely you'll think you're in a time warp. "HeyPretty Mama" is a tongue-in-cheek come-on song that's fun andentertaining. It's followed by the vibrant instrumental clinic of "DeerTick". It's the barrelhouse for "Raleigh & Spencer", aprohibition era fiddle tune that's relentlessly entertaining. The band getsreal props for their original read on "Cripple Creek", in a renditionthat's vaguely reminiscent of the Grateful Dead's version, but has a more lyricfeel.

The 23 String Band are a marketer'sdream. Riding the high energy of youth, this finely tuned musical machineapproaches traditional bluegrass with great reverence, but can also kick outthe jams and update their sound to the minute. With the rise of Americana musicas an over-arching pop form, it's a matter of time before a band from its ranksbreaks out into pop-culture stardom. That band could easily be The 23 StringBand, and Catch 23 could be just the vehicle to take them there.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The 23 String Bandat www.the23stringband.com or www.facebook.com/the23stringband.

Source: http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/23-string-band-catch-23.html

Mates of State The Notwist Passion Pit Kings of Leon

New Heavy Metal CD Releases: September 13, 2011

September 13, 2011
Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare (Universal)
Anterior - Echoes Of The Fallen (Metal Blade)
Anthrax - Worship Music> (Megaforce)
Anubis Gate - Anubis Gate (Nightmare)
Arabrot - Solar Anus (Fysisk Format)
Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance (Metal Blade)
The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne (Ferret)
Doro - 25 Years In Rock DVD/CD (Nuclear Blast)
Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events (Roadrunner)
Edguy - Age Of The Joker (Nuclear Blast)
Einjerher - Norron (Indie)
Elks - Destined For The Sun (TeePee)
Evil United - Evil United (MVD)
Only Flesh - From The Gutter To The Grave (Rotten)
Pathology - Awaken To The Suffering (Victory)
Sabaton - World War Live: Battle Of The Baltic Sea (Nuclear Blast)
Untimely Demise - City Of Steel (Sonic Unyon)
Vader - Welcome To The Morbid Reich (Nuclear Blast)
Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage (Southern Lord)
Wolves Like Us - Late Love (Prosthetic)

Source: http://4metal.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-heavy-metal-cd-releases-september.html

of Montreal Lush Miike Snow Lola Dutronic

Requiem Rising presents "REBEL YELL!!"

The Legendary Party of the 80s "REQUIEM" is back in MANILA. REQUIEM RISING Presents "REBEL YELL". Witness the return of IDENTITY CRISIS!! After 25 years, IT"S BACK! A new wave concert/dance party featuring the reunion of IDENTITY CRISIS. KUDOS LOVES 80s with special guests JETT PANGAN & NICOLE ASENSIO of General Luna. Music mixes by DJ JON TUPAZ, MODE ZERO, and guest DJs from popular 80s mobiles. This is on SEPTEMBER 9, 2011!! Btw, I have already featured REQUIEM, DJ JON TUPAZ IDENTITY CRISIS, and MODE ZERO here on "The Doctor Is In" before so just check out my archives. I guess It's about time to see IDENTITY CRISIS again in the music scene.


WATCH the TRAILER here:



REBEL YELL!!
-DR. STIRRING RHOD

Source: http://docmuzic.blogspot.com/2011/08/requiem-rising-presents-rebel-yell.html

Sambassadeur Lights Ida Maria The Shins

Missing The 80's? Try The War On Drugs

THE WAR ON DRUGS want to turn back the clock and make believe that all music ended in about 1985. Drawing on touchstones such a vintage BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, TOM PETTY and later day BOB DYLAN, the War on Drugs craft an ode to Reagan era pop music that ends up sounding a lot like the most recent ARCADE FIRE album.

This is not meant as a slam on the bands most recent work, "Slave Ambient". In fact I quite like the record and have a deeper appreciation for it each time I dive into it. But it's hard to get passed the comparisons. Lead singer Adam Granducial morphs his voice to imitate Petty in one song, then Bruce, then Dylan. One the opening track, the medium paced "Best Night" he takes Petty's southern twang out for a spin. "Brothers" actually sounds like a BRUCE HORNSBY song minus the piano (which is saying something since that was his signature instrument.) "Your Love is Calling My Name" and "Baby Missiles" are where the Arcade Fire comps come in. The mix of keyboards, driving drums and Granducial's yelping vocals would have been very much at home on "The Suburbs". "Come to the City" has a touch of 80's era U2 with the chorus like remnant of "With or Without You".

The joy of listening to this record is not in a sense of originality but in how the band takes such care to honor their musical heroes without totally falling into outright karaoke. It's a high wire act for sure, but one that they pull off with admirable ability.

(mp3) The War on Drugs -- Baby Missiles

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sQBf/~3/0IpS8FLnoIU/missing-80s-try-war-on-drugs.html

Pulp The Magnetic Fields Free Energy SoKo