Thursday, March 22, 2012

Rogue Sounds- Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite (Free Album Download)

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Rogue Sounds is an established instrumental rock trio from Anaheim, California with a desire to make instrumental rock more accessible to music fans. Combining the post-metal cinematic sludge of Isis, the astral and ethereal soundscapes of Junius, and the grandiose instrumental schizophrenia of Russian Circles, Rogue Sounds is an amalgam of experimental noise from some of the most respected mad scientists of moody metal.

On their new album, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite, Rogue Sounds deliver an onslaught of constantly evolving compositions that orbits one corner of the rock and roll universe to another in a matter of minutes, cycling from metal to industrial to space rock to drum and bass and back again. Songs like "Wormsign" and "25th Parallel North" illuminate the band's best attributes, which are soaring compositions laced with spacey guitar work and punishing hard rock percussion.


Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite is available as a free digital download, but can also be purchased (pre-ordered) on vinyl. From the same store, Rogue Sounds have a few awesome t-shirts and other records available for purchase.


Colour Coding- Perfect (Video & Free Download)

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There's nothing quite like the sound of youthful hope.

There's a certain buoyancy to the sound that instantly ignites a feeling of contentment and sends a blissful buzz throughout your body. This lovely feeling oozes out of the lead single, "Perfect", from Sydney, Autralia based indie-pop duo, Colour Coding. 


Wrapped in a blanket of silvery synths, fetching melodies, and an addictive whistling hook accompaniment, "Perfect" is a tender and addictive ode to puppy love. The single is from Colour Coding's brand new and self produced Proof EP; a debut exhibition of Tim Commandeur and Chris Holland's capacity for the catchy and propensity for pop.

Colour Coding is definitely for those with a sweet tooth, but it's hard for anyone not to smile and nod along with their "perfect" ode to innocent love.


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

This Week on BandSoup (3/5-3/19)

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Another week in the books and yet another week of great uploads here on BandSoup! Here are a few of the bands that you must hear according to an unanimous vote from the BandSoup blog team. Remember, new bands pop up on the site 1-5 times per day, so check back in with us. You might be missing out on your new favorite band!

* Click the band's name to hear their music.

We had a SXSW week last week, so here is a post with two weeks worth of our best new uploads.

Typhoon (Indie Rock)--  Check out our recent blog post for more info and videos. Typhoon's music has always been marked by complicated arrangements and careful orchestration. Live performances routinely involve 12 or more band members playing at once. "The group masterfully combines indie rock instrumentals and vocals with violins, percussion, hand claps, xylophone, horns and a choir of other instruments, making for inspiring and catchy songs." 

This Means Nothing in Mexico (Indie Rock/Pop)--  Vancouver trio that dares you not to groove to their single "Spirits" off of their brand new unveiling, Year of Thunder, now available as a free download.

Rogue Sounds (Instrumental Rock)-- Formed in the summer of 2008 to create more accessible instrumental music. The band currently resides in Anaheim, CA and has released 2 EP's, 2640 & Transmission. Most of 2011 was spent writing & recording 'Jupiter And Beyond The Infinite' which was released for free download/no minimum donation March 10th 2012.

Max & The Moon (Indie Rock/Pop)-- Max & The Moon's "Out of My Head" was our Soup of the Week last night. Check out the blog post and get your free download!

Coast Jumper (Indie Rock)-- Songs from their debut album, which is currently available as a "name your own price" download.

Literature (Indie Rock)-- Songs from the debut LP from Austin TX power pop madmen. Purchase here.

Tokyo Raid (Garage/Psych Rock)-- Serving up a ferocious, fuzzy, Rohyphenol-laced cocktail that fuels the bloody collision of neo-psychedelia, garage, post-punk and glam, San Francisco’s mercurial Tokyo Raid effortlessly pull off the difficult trick of being simultaneously iconic and fresh.

Equals (Instrumental Rock)-- "The densely layered songs all have their distinctive storyboard of moods and textures, each one a lovely surprise yet all five somehow melding together to form a cohesive, cinematic whole." Click here for a free download of their self titled EP.

Planet Asia (Hip Hop)-- New music from underground hip hop legend Planet Asia's latest record, Black Belt Theatre.

More awesome new bands/solo artists on the flip side!

Ben Rector- I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston Cover)

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If there is one artist that proves musicians do not need major label aid to find success in the digital age, it's Nashville's Ben Rector. Rector pummels the iTunes charts with every release and has built an enormous fan following by doing what he does best-- sing and perform. Combining influences from John Mayer, Ben Folds, and Bruce Hornsby, Ben Rector is the multi-talented poster boy for the new era of digital DIY artists, where talent and close connections with fans reign supreme.


Here is a Whitney Houston cover that was recorded by Ben before her untimely death. Rector's latest album, Something Like This, is available now on iTunes and other online retailers.
Rector is a 24-year old nobody. He's never been on a label, he's never spent a dime on promotion, he's never been on national television, and he's literally topping the iTunes charts. There's no catch; just listen to the music. With a rich voice and skillfully crafted songs that both befall his age, it's no wonder he's no longer a secret. In a world where everything is only a click away, the opportunity for a uniquely talented artist to take off is unprecedented. And so is the success of this up and coming Singer-Songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee.

Rector released "Into The Morning" in February of 2010, and it quickly climbed to #5 and #10 on the iTunes Pop and Overall charts. In a year and a half, the record went on to sell 15,000 albums, and over 60,000 singles independently, due solely to word of mouth and consistent touring. Rector is no stranger to the road; he has toured incessantly the last four years, rapidly growing a legion of fans and selling out most dates on his previous two headline tours. This rapid growth culminated in the release of "Something Like This" on September 13, 2011. The record was the #1 Singer Songwriter album 5 minutes after its official release, it climbed above Lil' Wayne's "Tha Carter IV" to the #4 spot on iTunes overall album charts, bested only by Lady Antebellum's same-day release, Coldplay, and Adele.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Billy Corgan Interviews at SXSW

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Billy Corgan's interviews were a hot topic around SXSW. Some agreed with what he said and some (surprisingly) did not. Here are both interviews: the first one with with Google Play and the second summary video with Brian Solis.

What do you think about Corgan's views? Agree or disagree? State your claim as a fan or artist!
In this interview with Google Play, Billy brings up some very relevant points about regressions in music as an art form and its influence on culture and society. He also discusses the many struggles that bands face in today's music business. He stresses how a band's focus on just creating singles is very record company centric and that it hinders artists from building any kind of integrity. Overall, he seems very concerned by the lack of "great bands" since the 1970s. To him, they are few and far between and people are more likely to name Led Zeppelin as a great band instead of naming a more contemporary musical act.

More importantly, he mentions how it is a social crime that music as an art form has become an accessory or a good. He also states that due to the mass commercialization of music, its cultural impact is no longer there since people cannot emotionally connect to something inauthentic. To him, the proof of this phenomenon can be seen in the lack of record sales across the board.

In terms of the music industry, he calls it "one of the biggest business failures in the history of mankind". He also attributes the lack of progress in music and its forms of distribution (especially compared to movies) to the constricting and protective nature of record labels.

On current trends, he calls for a change in the way people support their favorite bands. To him, it is equally important to financially support artists for the music that they create and for fans to be proud of doing so...that it is not a "dirty" thing to do.

Typhoon

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Typhoon is an 11-14 piece band based out of Portland, Oregon led by lead singer Kyle Morton.

Typhoon's music has always been marked by complicated arrangements and careful orchestration. Live performances routinely involve 12 or more band members playing at once. "The group masterfully combines indie rock instrumentals and vocals with violins, percussion, hand claps, xylophone, horns and a choir of other instruments, making for inspiring and catchy songs."

Listen to Typhoon on BandSoup


Their early recordings reveal a greater degree of experimentation with various styles, including a number of "sea shanties", Country Western and Eastern European-inspired songs. Their more recent output, including their album Hunger & Thirst and its companion EP, A New Kind of House, show a more focused and consistent sound, and a greater focus on creating a cohesive thematic through-line. Many of the songs are preoccupied with mortality and directly reference lead singer and primary songwriter Kyle Morton's own struggle with Lyme Disease as a child.



Here are is an official video for the song "The Honest Truth" off their latest album A New Kind of House (above), a live video of their 2011 SXSW performance at The Driskill for NPR (middle), and a record session video of their epic song "Claws Pt. 1" (below).





Crozet

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2011 was quite a year for electronic and synthesized music as M83 and Cliff Martinez's work on the Drive soundtrack reignited mass worship of epic computer pop records. Now, in the wake of the subterranean explosion of bedroom chill wave and 80's influenced synth-pop, we are seeing numerous bands replacing their beloved axes with keyboards, midi controllers, and synthesizers, while attempting to capture the nostalgic noise that seems to be bringing generation x, the millennials, and the internet generation together. On top of rock and rollers experimenting with new sounds, this nostalgia-boom has also brought on a lot of copycats and flash in the pan laptop musicians that lack the musicianship of veteran artists like M83 and Toro Y Moi. This is proven with a few hours spent scouring synth laced sub-genres that lead you to many of the same sounds and samples floating over flaccid drums and over-worked vocals. Let's face it, there aren't many groups that can float with in the clouds with present gods of electronic pop music, but Crozet, a new duo out of Philadelphia that recently released their debut album We'll Be Gone By Then,  pack a divine punch strong enough to go toe to toe with their heavyweight competition.


What started out as a solo bedroom escapade of John Helmuth during his senior year of college eventually turned into a two-headed electronic monster with the addition of Sean Lee. On We'll Be Gone By Then, the duo masterfully blend gargantuan drums, luscious layered synths, dreamy guitar riffs, and reverb-soaked vocals into an ethereal enterprise of exquisite computer driven pop.

Crozet's tastefully crafted and sequenced records bleeds youth, romanticism, hope, spirit, and often sounds like a soundtrack to a futuristic Jon Hughes-esque coming of age film. I'm Lost, with it's blossoming guitar riffs and epic drums, introduces the introspective journey; Powerful tracks like Just Wait, Neon, and On the Line provide the rising action (obstacles, conflicts) with their grandiose arrangements and penetrating synth lines; Closed Shades and He's a Nomad provide the pace of the climax with a more melancholic vibe that's beautiful yet tragic and listens like a beach of sadness aching for a wave of hope to crash its shores; We Can See It provides the falling action (or the moment of final suspense before the dramatic conclusion) with its enthusiastic and hopeful spirit; and the title track, We'll Be Gone By Then, is the perfect accompaniment to the denouement-- the tear-jerking conclusion where our protagonist beats the odds, finds that the hard road was worth traveling for this outcome, and raises a fist in the air a la John Bender as we fade into black.

Crozet's well crafted debut shows signs of brilliance and a group that is far beyond their bedroom bandcamp counterparts.  We'll Be Gone By Then is a mature synth-pop record that shows Helmuth and Lee's knack for composing emotional and infectious pop records that will inspire, motivate, and invigorate a multitude of listeners and 80s babies.


Thursday, March 15, 2012

60 Second Review: Mac Lethal- Irish Goodbye

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What can I say about David Sheldon aka Mac Lethal? Mac is a veteran hip hop artist from Kansas City, Missouri that did the impossible and became a viral sensation twice in late 2011 with his classic "Look At Me Now" pancake rap video (below) and his controversial "Texts From Bennett" Tumblr (which is now a smart phone app). After years of subterranean grinding, Mac Lethal has been hit by the internet lady luck and is now chillin' on top of his viral throne awaiting the world of television and advertising to kiss his rings.



But this is no gimmicky, flash in the pan MC.

Mac has been doing it for a solid decade, and to go along with his recent explosion of success, he has blossomed even more as a lyricist and a complete hip hop artist. His flow is unmatched by any other great white hype doing it today and his most recent LP, Irish Goodbye, is the best thing I have heard from any underground hip hop artist in the last five years. On Irish Goodbye Mac lets his tongue loose and battles the industry and life's cruel battles with a sardonic yet thoughtful outlook. The record has everything that is good about pop radio with the edge and heart that a lot of underground artists possess but fall short of delivering. It's odd and bittersweet how he blew up on a whim off of two seemingly crap shoot attempts at garnering attention because Mac Lethal's talent has no boundaries. This mid-western jerk has made a career out of making pasty hip hop fans feel like a bad asses while at the same time making them smile with sharp tongue in cheek one-liners.


I could sit hear and type to you a contrived review of a few key tracks, but instead I am going to list them and make you a promise-- If you even have the tiniest soft sport for hip-hop, check out these key tracks (The Palour, No Miracle, Vodka Tonic With a Lime, Aviator) and you will have yourself another amazing artist to add to your playlist. If the purchase price of Irish Goodbye doesn't tickle your fancy, Mac has a free mixtape from last year called North Korean BBQ that will hit the spot just as good as his renowned pancakes.
- Matt Bergeron

Monday, March 12, 2012

BandSoup Bands at SXSW 2012

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 There are quite a few BandSoup bands that are making numerous appearances at official SXSW showcases and unofficial freebie events around the Austin area. If you are in town for SXSW 2012, here is our quick guide to find shows featuring those artists.

Read More to get dates, times, and event locations. Show your support!  

Soup of the Week: Max and the Moon- Out of My Head (Free Download)

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Chino Hills, California based trio Max and the Moon are set to release their second EP entitled The Way I See on March 27th. Their highly anticipated sophomore effort is said to show the band's maturation into a songwriting entity and a collective that has learned to turn their large musical appetite into genre-bending feast for their audience. The Way I See features a bouquet of influences that include classical, jazz, pop, modern rock, and soul that has garnered them comparisons to early Coldplay and the beat-driven compositions of Passion Pit.


These boasts are immediately understood in the infectious, piano-driven pop parade of"Out of My Head", where Max and the Moon's forte of catchy harmonies and quirky beat propelled arrangements galvanize the rest of their arsenal. Max and the Moon were kind enough to release this Soup of the Week as a free download exclusively for the BandSoup audience, which you can download below and sit with before the release of their EP and accompanying series of videos. Stay tuned because beginning on March 27th the band will begin to release a series of short films/music videos, live performance videos, and an interactive web experience for their single "Lighthouse", which will be featured on the blog as they are released.

Friday, March 9, 2012

The Ghost Wolves- Curl Up & Dye (Video)

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Turn the White Stripes inside out and you have The Ghost Wolves-- Carley "Carazy" Wolf on the mic and guitar and Jonathan "Little Hammer" Wolf on the drums and backing vocals. This new Texas based duo blend gritty backwoods blues with hints of Pyschobilly and folk that are conjuring up garage ghosts from the 60's and demons from the Delta. Known around the city for their energetic live show and infectious on-stage chemistry, The Ghost Wolves have been relentlessly touring their debut album, In Ya Neck!, bringing the raw and rabid rock and roll sound from their digitally unscathed record to dive bars across the plains.


With songs like Curl Up & Dye (above video), Gonna Live, and The Snake and Jake Shake, The Ghost Wolves prove they are separate commodities not to be lumped in with The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, and other known blues rock hybrids. Carley and Jon are in their own swamp-world building their own boussilage of organic punk-blues blight. Now all that's left for us to do is get drunk, dirty, and dance.

The limited edition white vinyl of In Ya Neck! will be available on March 21st. You can pre-order it here (or grab the digital copy).

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Green River Ordinance- Under Fire (New Album)

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Listen to Green River Ordinance on BandSoup 

Forth Worth, Texas' Green River Ordinance recently chopped their major label chains and decided to do it themselves. The success of their new album, Under Fire, is a testament to the band's talent, dexterity, and durability, as they climbed to the top ten of the iTunes album charts on release day and remain steady today at #27.

On the new record, GRO continues to flex their strong foundation of beautiful vocal harmonies, infectious instrumental arrangements, and sincere lyrics, but with an expanded repertoire of instruments including the banjo, mandolin, accordion, lap steel and upright bass. These instruments add a dash of folk and alternative country to their pop rock stew, giving the band more depth of flavor. 

Many comparisons are made with Green River Ordinance and other popular radio friendly bands like Train, Matchbox 20, and The Fray, but GRO's genre-morphing abilities give them an edge on the aforementioned. Your ears are now under fire.



Over the decade-long journey from their first incarnation as kids in Fort Worth, Texas to the upcoming release of their latest album, Under Fire, Green River Ordinance has evolved steadily. The powerful five-piece’s message on their upcoming release evokes the challenges and triumphs of its members as they continue to grow personally and artistically. In 2007, GRO’s intensity and strong fan connection prompted EMI to sign them to Capitol Records. In 2009, Out of Our Hands, the band’s debut album shot to No. 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and catapulted two singles, “Come On” and “On Your Own,” into the Top 40. GRO shared stages with Bon Jovi, Train, Counting Crows, Gavin DeGraw and other headliners; earned press coverage from CNN, Billboard and Alternative Press and got their music played on 56 network and cable shows along with three films.

And then, in July 2010, they walked away to start anew.

Working with producers Jordan Critz, Chad Copelin and Jarod Evans, GRO recorded Under Fire at studios in Texas and Oklahoma. For this album, the band wrote all songs built on a foundation of strong, solid, high-impact music – walls of guitar, hushed and intimate acoustic moments and rousing harmonized vocals. Their search to find and communicate answers will guide GRO through years to come, beginning with their Under Fire North American Tour beginning Feb. 29 in Houston. But wherever their explorations take them, Under Fire may be the star that charts their course.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Flip Cassidy & The Junkyard Gospel- Lord, I Seen Evil (Video)

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How do you describe Flip Cassidy and his band of junkyard gospelites?
Rustic folk-rock. Gypsy blues-punk. A torrential sound created by musicians of wildly different backgrounds. Music from the rusty junkyards, from mystical sand dunes, from dirty streets and no cleaner conscience. From train tracks and hours on the road. From long drives through the desert where men face their demons and fears. From thin lines walked with confident swagger, and for those who drink whiskey in church. From a love of the old, oft forgotten, the obscure and magical. From a desire to revel in places and people, dented and rusty, dripping stories from the pores.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

This Week on BandSoup (2/27-3/5)

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Another week in the books and yet another week of great uploads here on BandSoup! Here are a few of the bands that you must hear according to an unanimous vote from the BandSoup blog team. Remember, new bands pop up on the site 1-5 times per day, so check back in with us. You might be missing out on your new favorite band!

* Click the band's name to hear their music.

Films of Colour (Indie Rock)--  Films of Colour are Andy Clutterbuck (vocals), James Hatcher (guitar), Jack Allinson (bass/synths) and James Rees-Flynn(drums) who together create a sound of remarkable density that incorporates layers of synths and emotive guitars that draw comparisions with the likes of Foals, Arcade Fire vs early Bloc Party, Radiohead, aswell as shades of Miike Snow and Muse.

Ben Rector (Pop Rock)--  Ben Rector is an American musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. His most recent record, Something Like This was released in September 2011. Through word of mouth the record charted at #1 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart, and climbed above Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV to the #4 spot on iTunes,albums overall, bested only by Lady Antebellum’s same day release, Coldplay, and Adele. Rector’s songs have been featured on One Tree Hill, Drop Dead Diva, Pretty Little Liars, Teen Mom, ESPN SportsCenter, and ABC’s Modern Family fall promo.

Green River Ordinance (Alternative Pop)--  This fall season marks the 10th Anniversary of Green River Ordinance as a band. In 2009 and 2010, GRO saw tastes of much sought after success: 2 Top 40 radio singles, songs on over 20 TV shows ("So You Think You Can Dance", "The Hills", "The Young & Restless"), 2 music videos on MTV and VH1, tours with American Idol winners David Cook & Kris Allen, Goo Goo Dolls, Collective Soul, Train, Lifehouse, and many others. GRO's Original Song “Rise Up” was featured on the AT&T Team USA 2010 Winter Olympics Soundtrack alongside Mariah Carey, 3 Doors Down, Train, Rascal Flatts.

Midway Still (Alternative Rock)-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_Still

Run on the Sun (Indie Rock)-- After performing alongside megastars Bruno Mars, The Black Keys, Cee Lo Green and Mayday Parade, appearing on Howard Stern, and playing festivals such as The Bamboozle and Virgin Mobile FreeFest, Run On The Sun has proven themselves to be a band that’s worth hearing.

Shady Maples (Folk)-- Bay Area singer, songwriter and guitarist Owen Roberts and San Diego's beer brewing lap steel wizard Greg Peters formed Shady Maples in 2010 after touring California as a duo. The band's dynamic sound is soulful and gritty with hard hits and bone shivering melodies. Influenced by artists from Iron and Wine to Radiohead, Ben Harper, Fabrizio De Andre and Sam Cooke, their music does not sit comfortably in any one genre but bends between rock, americana, folk and latin.

Kid Jerusalem (Alternative Rock)-- Alternative quintet from Carmel, NY.

Wiretap Crash (Alternative Rock)--  Long Island, NY post-hardcore rockers.

How To Operate Your Brain (Alternative Rock)-- We saw stars. We saw spaceships. We heard songs of the ages and saw lights in the eyes of our enemies. Now we see nothing. We sit in a cave in the dark and revel at the sound of dust settling. 

Opaque Nature (Folk)--  Opaque Nature are a Midlands (Leamington/ Coventry) based band. We play our own brand of new folk/ alternative music, full of energy and hope as well as some more mellowed out intimate music. It has been described by Pete Donaldson as "blissed out folky loveliness, like Kirsty Maccoll and Jeff Buckley all rolled into one."

Georgiana Acchione (Classical)-- A beautiful rendition of Domenico Scarlatti - Sonata in D major L46.

Dikembe (Alternative Rock)-- Gainesville rawk.

Flip Cassidy & The Junkyard Gospel (Folk)-- The Reverend Flip Cassidy is a rusty man who plays rusty songs on rusty guitars. The Junkyard Gospel is a howling, raging acoustic sound bellowed forth with a voice like a rusty saw blade. His solo performances are known to be highly energetic and infectious, surprisingly loud, and have even caused rippling, whiskey-induced fervors in audiences, fellow performers and bartenders alike.

Giraffage (Electronic/Instrumental)--  "...A blissful blend of dreamy and ethereal fluttering sounds sprinkled with glitchy effects, quirky drums, and beautiful vocal samples. This is definitely some of the flyest damn music around. Listening to the album is akin to dancing on a cloud while drinking the magic fermented nectar of wood sprites."

Monday, March 5, 2012

2 Free EPs from The Foot.

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I guess once you are hailed as one of Denver's top rock acts and one of URB's "15 acts you wish you saw at CMJ 2010" you can toss a period next to your band's name. The Foot., an absolute fucking nightmare for bloggers with severe punctuation OCD, is an emerging west coast band with a spirited live show and genre bending sound that has been captivating audience's since their unveiling in 2010. The lifelong musicians are old schoolmates, brought together at university from all corners of the country. They immediately took their shared love of 60s and 70s classic rock, early 90s alternative rock, modern pop and r&b and began rehearsing earnestly in a basement that seemed to flood on a weekly basis. The results of these aquatic sessions were what would ultimately become their critically acclaimed debut release, 2010's Primary Colors.
Last week the band continued their onslaught with the release of TWO free EPs, The Crowd Control and The Cloud Control, each spotlighting a different vibe and expertise from the foursome. The Crowd Control EP features more of an accessible alternative rock ethos in the first two tracks-- The Day We Danced Around is a sultry and soulful alt-pop nod while Dark Dark Ways contains a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque 90s radio rock influences-- but quickly takes a turn into the modern folk realm with the sleepy yet endearing mood of A Parting Lesson. 
The Cloud Control EP continues the schizophrenic trek through rock and roll and features The Foot. messing with funky acapellas in Ignorance; a more modern take on alternative/indie rock with the Black Keys-like Daisy Baby; and ends comes full circle into another infectious alt-pop cut like the opening track of The Crowd Control EP in The Huntress.


Judging by these two EPs, Jeff McCollister, Phil Barrett, Noah Shomberg, & Drew Sowell are obviously onto a something. By providing a masterful blend of the past, the future and everything in between, The Foot. has forgone the mess and confusion of genre and scene and has instead focused on fun and connecting with their audience. That's why these guys are worth a listen. Period.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Quiet Hounds

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Masked in plastic hound faces and a fog of mystery, Atlanta's Quiet Hounds stirred up quite a noise locally with their endearing ethos and ingenious outlook on self promotion and DIY work ethic. All band members have been apart of successful bands from the southeast and wanted this project to be heard with an open mind and absolutely no bias. To execute this response, the Hounds' sniffed out their own anti-traditionalist route by releasing everything via the internet, hiding their identities, and throwing their own events to create intimate experiences for an audience instead of playing bars and clubs. I recently e-mailed Quiet Hounds to get more information about their recent live event/unveiling and the reasons behind the masks:


"The masks are all about imagery and mystique. Up until this past Saturday we had only ever shared or released anything through internet sources so we had been pretty much a mystery. We hosted an event here in Atlanta at a very cool cultural arts center called the Goat Farm. We used a secret room where no one had ever performed, built our own stage, did our own lighting and sound and Packed out 400 people with only internet promotions. It was a very rewarding experience."

In an over-saturated industry where the biggest challenge is separating yourself from the crowd, the Quiet Hounds have set the precedent for outside the box promotions and innovative ideas to gain interest and engage an audience. On top of their forward thinking philosophies on marketing and performances, the band understands the value in releasing their music for free on the web. "Moving forward we will always be releasing the music for free and remaining anonymous other than "Quiet Hounds", a member of the band said. "Our Album was released August 19th 2011 and it's all available for free on quiethounds.com. Another release is coming very soon." The free download allowed the mystery and music to unravel and settle within their local community and the internet before their unveiling last week. This risk had a huge reward and turned into a perfectly organized execution of internet buzz and new age innovations that undoubtedly cultivated 400+ die hard lifers.

Their business creativity and deep understanding of audience experience isn't the only thing that is inspiring. The Quite Hounds' self titled release cannot be found behind bars of a certain genre or sound; instead, it's a visceral gasp of creativity and life experiences orchestrated by established artists pregnant with acute pop sensibilities and consonant charm. Despite being recorded in two weeks without any preconceived notions of what they wanted to accomplish, their debut unravels like an intensely calculated blueprint full of well designed melodies and sturdy instrumental structures. Songs like "Night Parade", "Hemlock", and "Gigantic" are both poetic and approachable and serve as great indicators of what Quiet Hounds are all about-- intelligence, honesty, and beauty, minus the pretentiousness. Listen loud.


Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Nico Blues- Die Happy (Free Album Download)

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The Nico Blues are back with yet another free download!

Their 2011 release, Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements, was one of my most played rock albums of last year and I'm interested to hear how the band has progressed after getting MTV buzz and internet acclaim. Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements obviously made my nostalgia meter explode while writing my review:
A few flanneled and forgotten fossils of the early 90s were recently discovered in a basement in New York by an unknown yet quintessential alternative rock quintet known as The Nico Blues. Mixing the classic distorted roots of alt-rock with hints of Pavement, Mudhoney, and the more recent Silversun Pickups, The Nico Blues' debut album, Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements, is a sublime combination of vintage college rock grunge and new era alternative pop. 

Let's see what they came up with in their basement this time...

 
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