In some alignment of the stars, the weekend of May 26/27 saw the brilliant Slam Dunk Fest hit the UK in a ray of brilliant sunshine – two distinctly annual events for the price of one – as the two-day celebration of rock, punk and metal arrived in Leeds for its seventh year running. The festival, which also includes a southern leg at Hatfield University, welcomed an absolutely goliath line-up this year which saw Taking Back Sunday headline the main stage, supported on stages across Leeds Students’ Union by bands like Motion City Soundtrack, Architects, Mayday Parade and Fightstar frontman Charlie Simpson in his capacity as a solo artist.
So in the blazing heat of northern England (I just wrote that? Wow) Leeds was a buzz of Converse from the city centre up the hill to the Students’ Union. One of the things that strikes me about Slam Dunk now is how communal it all feels; a huge number of artists play the festival (and for a really good price) but there’s no great sprawl between stages and everything is close enough to feel like everybody present is a part of the same event. This year, the site layout (including a marquee stage: more on that later) was perfect for getting about quickly, and it needed to be, too, with the heat.
After watching Cartel play a stroke of an acoustic set in a secluded spot, the first band I got to catch was Lower Than Atlantis on…
Art By Numbers’ debut album, Reticence: The Musical, will be streaming on the site until the end of Tuesday, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, you better do it soon. They have been compared to everyone from The Human Abstract and Protest the Hero to Coheed & Cambria and The Mars Volta. Give it a listen here.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 29, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
2:54 – 2:54 (Fat Possum Records)
Art By Numbers – Reticence: The Musical (Art By Numbers)
Wade Bowen – The Given (Sony Nashville)
Crystal Bowersox – Once Upon A Time (Crystal Bowersox)
Brotherhood of the Lake – Desperation Is The English Way Vol.1 (Thirty Days Of Night Records)
Delain – We Are The Others (Roadrunner/Warner)
Dogjaw – Pilot (Solidarity Recordings)
The Dig – Midnight Flowers (Buffalo Jump Records)
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Here (Community Music)
Melody Gardot – The Absence (Verve)
Gotthard – Firebirth (Nuclear Blast Records)
Kreator – Phantom Antichrist (Nuclear Blast Records) Ladyhawke – Anxiety(Universal UK)— Davey Boy
Malice – New Breed Of Godz (Steamhammer/SPV)
Millencolin – Melancholy Connection [CD/DVD] (Burning Heart)
Marissa Nadler – The Sister (Box of Cedar)
Travis Porter – From Day 1 (RCA)
Public Image Ltd – This Is PiL (PiL Official)
Gemma Ray – Island Fire (Bronzerat Records)
Saint Etienne – Words and Music by Saint Etienne (Universal UK)
Sarah Jezebel Deva – Malediction EP [Digital…
With the exception of those looking to be comfortably seated, it is fair to state that most live music fans prefer their gigs in smaller venues where you can get up close to the performing musicians. Hell, many even automatically pass on 40,000+ stadium events and raise an eyebrow when even their favourite artists are booked at an arena. Exceptions are few and far between, but I recall an article from a couple of years back, where the live show reviewer wished that a NYC show had been held at an arena, rather than a club. Why? The singer was Florence Welch and the room was quite simply not large enough to do her booming voice justice. At the time, I thought “Codswallop”… Having now seen the flame-haired songstress perform live at the 10,000+ capacity Rod Laver Arena, I can understand where the writer was coming from.
First up, however, was Blood Orange… the solo side-project of Devonte Hynes (better known as Lightspeed Champion). Undoubtedly a strange choice as support, he clearly got the gig due to his sporadic writing and producing partnership with Florence + The Machine. Armed with nothing but a laptop (complete with the annoying lit-up fruit beaming into the audience), a keyboard & his guitar, Hynes struggled to garner any interest from the crowd apart from the strange images portrayed on his projector. In all honesty though, it was a decent half-hour set, with the sultry melodies & Hynes’ flamboyant guitar-work often shining through. It…
State Faults have been on the rise ever since the release of their debut EP Head In the Clouds in 2010, and now with their Tiny Engines release Desolate Peaks they are poised to go from California secret to post-hardcore darlings. We talked to them about their new album, what they see in their future, and, of course, about some old school video games.
SputnikMusic: Lyrically, the new album seems to be coming from a much darker place than your EP. What was the impetus for the shift and did it come into play when you decided on the title of Desolate Peaks?
State Faults: The lyrics of Desolate Peaks are very personal, we kind of left ourselves wide open and let a lot of negative feelings flow through while at the same time trying not to be TOO obvious about the subject matter. The song ideas came from introspective talks we’d have with each other, and Jonny would take them and weave em into lyrics, sometimes before all the instruments were even written. We’re all really goofy and light hearted guys, so when times get tough or we look back on times and experiences that leave us heavy hearted, we channel it into our music.
SM: I’ve been told that you’re very hands on when it comes to recording. What was the recording process like for Desolate Peaks?
SF: We had a lot much fun recording Desolate Peaks. We took five days to record drums, bass, and guitars…
Are you Canadian? Do you like Death Grips or just enjoy free stuff? Well, here is your chance to win the most recent CD by hip-hop artist Death Grips. We have a copy of The Money Store to give away to one lucky Canadian fan. The only thing that you need to do is use the words ‘Death’ and ‘Grips’ in a sentence (paragraph or story if you’re feeling overzealous). Make it witty, funny or sarcastic — the end goal is to be amusing. Contest is open to Canadian residents only and will end on May 29th.
E-mail your submissions here (make sure the subject is “Death Grips Contest”):
Sputnikmusic is streaming the upcoming album, Reticence: The Musical, by progressive metal artists Art By Numbers. They have been compared to everyone from The Human Abstract and Protest the Hero to Coheed & Cambria and The Mars Volta. Give it a listen here.
We are also hosting a give-away for hip-hop artist, Death Grips. We’ve got two copies of their album, The Money Store, to give away. Go here for details.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 22, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
12 Stones – Beneath The Scars(Executive Music Group) — Davey Boy
16Volt – Skin [Re-Issue] (Metropolis Records)
Kris Allen – Thank You Camellia (RCA)
Blue Foundation – In My Mind I Am Free (Dead People’s Choice)
The Bunny The Bear – The Stomach For It (Victory Records) Burzum – Umskiptar(Byelobog Productions)— Kyle Ward
Children Of Bodom – Holiday At Lake Bodom (15 Years Of Wasted Youth) (Fontana Universal)
The Cult – Choice Of Weapon (Cooking Vinyl)
Delta Moon – Black Cat Oil (Red Parlor)
Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora’s Pinata (Sensory Records)
Electric Wizard – Witchcult Today (Candlelight) El-P – Cancer for Cure(Fat Possum Records) –– Sobhi Yousseff
Tolga Fidan – Rogue (Vakant)
Freak Kitchen – Land of the Freaks (The Laser’s Edge)
Garbage – Not…
Art By Numbers haven’t even released their debut album, and they’re already receiving a lot of attention. This attention probably initially stemmed from the band’s connection with The Human Abstract, but there’s definitely more to it than that. For those that are curious, Brett Powell (The Human Abstract’s drummer) is the band’s manager and Art by Numbers guitarists Victor Corral and Dustin Georgeson studied with A.J. Minette (also of The Human Abstract). The thing is that any thoughts that the band might be skating by on posts such as the one on The Human Abstract Facebook page that declared Art By Numbers, “the most exciting up and coming progressive band out there,” are put to rest once you hear the album. The band’s upcoming debut, Reticence: The Musical, is deserving of the attention that it is getting regardless of any extraneous circumstances.
This Fresno, California five-piece definitely bring a technical, yet melodic, style of progressive metal that will have people comparing them to everything from The Human Abstract and Protest the Hero to Coheed & Cambria. The thing is that they still have their own sound. For one, the band bring a prominent sense of melody and catchy vocal arrangements that occasionally remind me…
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What is there to say about this song? I’ve never heard of the band before, but I’m digging what they’re doing here. It’s like a cross between trip hop, chill jazz and gothic rock. The song comes from the band’s three-song EP of the same name and was released through Pale Noir Records. The other two songs even seem to add just the slightest bit of shoe gaze to the mix — good stuff.
Forget your indie revolution, this is a hostile takeover. All your base are belong to us
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 15, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
American Gospel – Tall Tales Vol.1 (American Gospel)
Beach House – Bloom (Sub Pop)
Bersarin Quartett – II [Physical Release] (Denovali Records) Best Coast – The Only Place(Mexican Summer)— Robin Smith
Blaq Dahlia – Dark Flower (Skinny Entertainment Records)
BT – Laptop Symphony [Digital Only] (Black Hole Recordings) Cherri Bomb – This is the End of Control(Hollywood Records)— DaveyBoy
City Rain – Watch Out [EP] (Self Released)
Cornershop – Urban Turban (Ample Play Records)
The Cribs – In the Belly of the Brazen Bull (Wichita)
Will Dutta – Parergon (Just Music)
Fixers – We’ll Be The Moon (Mercury Records)
Garbage – Not Your Kind of People [iTunes Exclusive] (StunVolume)
Godsmack – Live & Inspired (Universal Republic)
Hasta La Vista Social Club – Melt (Inverse Records)
Hospitals – Asleep [EP] (Tangled Talk) Hot Water Music – Exister(Rise Records)— Adam Thomas
Josephine Foster & the Victor Herrero Band – Perlas (Fire Records) Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music(WILLIAMS STREET)— Sobhi Youssef
Lahmia – Into the Abyss (Bakerteam Records)
Meiko – The Bright Side (Fantasy) mewithoutYou – Ten Stories(Pine Street)— Robin Smith
MV & EE – Space Homestead (Woodsist)
Nachtvorst –…
Winter has come way too early to South-Eastern Australia this year, and by the sea was the last place I would usually want to be on a frigid Wednesday evening. On this particular night, however, the short tram ride out of the Melbourne CBD to St.Kilda’s charming Palais Theatre would be well and truly worth it, with City & Colour adding warmth to the first of two sold-out performances. The venue itself is an odd one for concerts: an all-seated bona fide theatre which plays home to everything from stage-shows to film festivals, and from comedians to rock gigs. Usually, I’d prefer my venues a little more – shall we say – beer-soaked, but complementing one of the world’s truly great voices with the acoustics of a high ceiling & some beautiful architecture (which was brought to life by a genuinely unexpected light-show) seemed very appropriate… Even if a portion of the strange cross-section of folk and hardcore fans may not have seen an actual theatre in their lives!
First up this evening would be the act known as Bahamas – aka 31 year old Toronto singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen. Having just joined the touring City & Colour quintet as lead guitarist, Jurvanen casually paces out all by his lonesome tonight, with nothing but an acoustic guitar, his voice and a spotlight. In front of a half-capacity audience, he initially seems uncomfortable, taking two or three songs to truly find his rhythm and win over a crowd who most…
If it seems like only last year that Marissa Nadler was releasing her self-titled fifth album, it’s because it really was only last June. Having never been one to just sit around, she is already back with an album titled The Sister which is set to be released on May 29th. If this new song is any indication, her upcoming album is going to pick up right where the previous one left off — and that is definitely a good thing. ‘The Wrecking Ball Company’ is yet another hauntingly beautiful song which mixes minimalist musical accompaniment, strange lyrical imagery and Marissa’s evocative vocals to excellent effect. The video adds an extra layer of peculiarity over the course of its five minute run time, featuring Marissa Nadler engaged in… I don’t even know… digging, staring, standing, sleeping. Marissa explains it as such, “the song references the walls that can grow up between two people and how painful that distance can be.” In the video, “the couple is sharing the same desolate, unadorned house, but they are apart, and looking for a hopeful sign to bring them back together.” Well okay then; I’ll just take her word for it.
The Sisterwas recorded and produced by Brian McTear at Miner Street Studios in Philadelphia. The Sister is a companion record of eight new tracks subtly linked to last year’s self-titled critically acclaimed LP, out May 29 via her own Box Of Cedar Records.…
Sputnikmusic is proud to be hosting a free giveaway to coincide with the upcoming new Keane release, Strangeland. Head over here for details and don’t forget to check out the review as well.
We’re also still hosting an exclusive stream from the band Trioscapes. Trioscapes is the instrumental side-project of Between the Buried and Me bassist Dan Briggs and also features Walter Fancourt (tenor saxophone/flute) and Matt Lynch (drums). We will be streaming the eleven-minute title track right here for one more week.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 8, 2012. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Ab-Soul – Control System (TopDawg Ent.)— Sobhi Yousseff
Allegaeon – Formshifter (Metal Blade)
Angelus Apatrida – The Call (Century Media)
At The Skylines – Secrets To Life (Roadrunner Records)
Big K.R.I.T. – K.R.I.T. Wuz Here (Green Streets Ent)
Dana Buoy – Summer Bodies (Lefse)
Mariah Carey – The Essential Mariah Carey (Sony Legacy) Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity(Metal Blade)— Kyle Ward
Chasing Claymores – Hindsight’s 20/20 (Authentik Artists) Daytrader – Twelve Years(Rise Records)— Adam Thomas
Heavy Blanket – Heavy Blanket (Outer Battery Records)
Here We Go Magic – A Different Ship (Secretly Canadian)
I Self Devine – The Sound of Low Class Amerika (Rhymesayers)
It Bites – Map of the Past (InsideOut…
In anticipation of Keane’s fourth studio album Strangeland (to be released this Tuesday, May 8th), Sputnik will be hosting a prize pack giveaway. The contest is based upon the music video to their latest single, “Disconnected”, which was filmed by directors Juan Antonio Bayona and Sergio G. Sanchez inside a haunted house in Barcelona while following a distinct 70’s horror aesthetic. The contestant who submits the best movie slogan/tagline in 15 words or less (i.e. Jaws‘ “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water”) will receive the following:
-Strangeland CD
-Strangeland 12” vinyl record
-Strangeland poster
The winner will be chosen based on originality, cleverness, and/or humor, as well overall quality of the slogan. All answers should be sent via email to sowingsputnik@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, May 13th.
The music video can be viewed below. Good luck to all of the contestants involved!
There is something about the Beastie Boys that goes beyond the records and CDs, songs and music videos. That something is that after all these years they’ve managed to keep the fire that burned beneath them as snot nosed kids from Brooklyn burning as bright as it ever did. From their rise to prominence, to being deemed cultural icons, to their being crowned the elder statesmen of an ever evolving form of art, it was never about the money and status that came with their platinum records. It was always about an enduring friendship put to tape. It is that energy that the Beastie Boys will be remembered for long after the shock of Adam Yauch’s death cedes from memory. But furthermore for the people like me who grew up with the Beastie Boys as an ever present force in the constant media barrage that accompanied the childhood of anyone who is currently under the age of 35 or so, their music progressed in a way that gave us a blueprint for growing up into functional human beings. In youth it was easy to latch on to the sarcastic rebellion of Licensed to Ill. Even though I was born in the later half of Reaganomics, that album remained everywhere well into when I was first becoming aware to music as expression. While I was too young to fully grasp the drunken machismo that surrounded it, Licensed to Ill was the b-side to my grade school discovery of bands like…
