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By staff
Saturday November 16, 2013
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Sam Levin (synth bass), Timo Ellis (guitar, vocals), Dave Burnett (drums)
Describing the music of Brooklyn-based Netherlands is hardly an easy task. Erik Wunder (of Cobalt and Man’s Gin), who gets the credit for introducing me to these guys, defines their style as “hyper-noise-punk-electro-psychedelic-metal.” This seemingly convoluted tag oddly fits the outfit that doesn’t shy away from embracing divergent styles in a high-octane manner. The trio’s second full-length Silicon Vapor is one of the most invigorating rock records of the year, juxtaposing eccentric musical ideas with enticing melodies deeply ingrained in the rock tradition. These qualities are combined with extremely fuzzed-out tunings of instruments that certainly distinguish Netherlands from the pack. Here’s my interview with Timo Ellis, the trio’s frontman whose impressive resume includes collaborations with Yoko Ono, Melvins and John Zorn over his extensive 20-year career as a session musician.
What motivated you to form Netherlands?
I’d had a band called Bird Of Doom in the early 2000s. After its natural dissolution, I really wanted to maintain an outlet for my weirder rock inclinations!
Your music is rather difficult to pin down as you combine many different subgenres of rock, punk and even metal. How would you define your style?
I’ve made loads of dramatically different types of records besides the rock stuff. I think I’m up to 33 albums at this point: 17 LPs and 16 EPs. So, I think other styles of music end up naturally coming out a…
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By staff
Tuesday November 5, 2013
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 5, 2013. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Alice Rose – each is a DREAM (Manual Music)
Avril Lavigne – Avril Lavigne (Epic)
Bryce Dessner & Kronos Quartet – Aheym (Anti Records)
Celine Dion – Loved Me Back to Life (Columbia)
Connan Mockasin – Caramel (Phantasy/Because Music)
Cut Copy – Free Your Mind (Loma Vista/Republic) – Rudy K.
DJ Rashad – Double Cup (Hyperdub)
Eden’s Curse – Symphony Of Sin (AFM Records)
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (Aftermath)
Guido – Moods Of Future Joy (Tectonic Recordings)
Hellogoodbye – Everything Is Debatable (Old Friends Records)
Howe Gelb – The Coincidentalist (New West)
James Blunt – Moon Landing (Atlantic)
Luscious Jackson – Magic Hour (City Song)
M.I.A. – Matangi (Interscope Records)
Melodic – Effra Parade (Epitaph)
Melvins – Tres Cabrones (10 Spot)
Midlake – Antiphon (ATO Records)
Scott Stapp – Proof Of Life (Wind-Up)
Sore Eros & Kurt Vile – Jamaica Plain (Care In The Community Records)
Steven Wilson – Drive Home (Kscope)
Stryper – No More Hell To Pay (Frontiers Records/Universal)
Submotion Orchestra – 1968 (Circus Records)
Weekend Nachos – Still (Relapse)
A Wilhelm Scream – Partycrasher (No Idea Records)
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Album Streams:
Avril Lavigne – Avril Lavigne
Bryce Dessner & Kronos Quartet – Aheym
Celine Dion – Loved Me Back To Life
Connan Mockasin – Caramel
Cut Copy – Free Your Mind
Eminem…
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By staff
Thursday October 31, 2013
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Kim Pack (violin, vox), Christian Creek (bass), Rebecca Vernon (guitar, vox), Andy Patterson (drums), Sarah Pendleton (violin, vox)
There are enough qualities that distinguish Salt Lake City’s SubRosa from their doom metal brethren. Aside from ingeniously incorporating violins into their ultra-heavy sound, the quintet excels in songwriting that’s singular in its brutally honest depiction of tenebrous themes. Their new staggering full-length More Constant Than The Gods (Profound Lore) centers around the topic of Death and its numerous implications. Instead of alienating the listener with such a serious subject matter, the album manages to sound visceral throughout, delivering a series of expansive tunes that ebb and flow with admirable precision. Here’s my interview with the band’s charismatic mastermind, Rebecca Vernon.
What inspired you to be a musician? Were there any particular moments in your life when you thought that you couldn’t live without creating music or was the whole process of becoming a guitarist, singer and songwriter more fluid?
Music is my number one passion and has always been in my blood. There are times when I’ve been distracted by other things, but those periods never last long.
I started taking music lessons on violin at the age of 9, then learned piano and drums around age 12. I played these instruments in school orchestras and marching bands, and later, in college, real bands.
Becoming a guitarist, singer and songwriter, though, was very abrupt. I had wanted to start a band for about…
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By staff
Monday October 21, 2013
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 22, 2013. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
AFI – Burials (Universal Republic) – Adam Thomas
Best Coast – Fade Away (Jewel City)
Brandy Clark – 12 Stories (Slate Creek Records)
Cage – Kill The Architect (Eastern Conference)
Dead Gaze – Brain Holiday (Fat Cat Records)
Def Leppard -Viva! Hysteria (Frontiers Records)
Drop Electric – Waking Up To The Fire (Lefse Records)
Emphatic – Another Life (Caroline (Universal)
Hell – The Age Of Nefarious (Nuclear Blast)
Katy Perry – Prism (Capitol Records)
Linda Thompson – Won’t Be Long Now (Pettifer Sounds)
Lita Ford – Bitch Is Back (Steamhammer/SPV)
Meek Is Murder – Everything Is Awesome Nothing Matters (Meek Is Murder/MetalSucks)
MEN – Labor (Men Make Music)
Metal Church – Generation Nothing (Rat Pak Records0
Motorhead – Aftershock (UDR)
NOIR – Darkly Near (Metropolis Records)
Omar Souleyman – Wenu Wenu (Ribbon Records)
Poliça- Shulamith (Mom & Pop Music)
Ryan Hemsworth – Guilt Trips (Last Gang Records)
The Strumbellas – We Still Move On Dance Floors (Six Shooter Records)
The Twilight Garden – Reconcile (Metropolis Records)
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Album Streams:
Beast Coast – Fade Away
Brandy Clark – 12 Stories
Dead Gaze – Brain Holiday
Katy Perry – Prism
MEN – Labor
Motorhead – Aftershock
Omar Souleyman – Wen Wenu
Poliça- Shulamith
Ryan Hemsworth – Guilt Trips
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SputnikMusic’s Most Played Artists of the Week (according to Last.FM):
Staff :…
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By staff
Tuesday October 15, 2013
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 15, 2013. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Anberlin – Devotion (Big3 Records)
Anneke Van Giersbergen – Drive (Inside Out US)
The Avett Brothers – Magpie And The Dandelion (American Recordings)
Beats Antique – A Thousand Faces: Act 1 (10 Spot)
Black Milk – No Poison, No Paradise (Fat Beats Records)
Bloc Party – Tapes (Retrofit/!k7)
Boardwalk – Boardwalk (Stones Throw)
Cass McCombs – Big Wheels And Others (Domino)
Courtesy Drop – Songs To Drive To; Cray And Make Love To (Animal Style Records)
Crystal Antlers – Nothing Is Real (Innovative Leisure)
Cults – Static (Columbia) – Rudy K.
Death Angel – The Dream Calls For Blood (Nuclear Blast US)
Diane Birch – Speak A Little Louder (S-Curve Records)
The Dismemberment Plan – Uncanney Valley (Partisan Records) – Adam Downer
Doomriders – Grand Blood (Deathwish Inc.)
Ereb Altor – Fire Meets Ice (Cyclone Empire)
Fall Out Boy – Pax AM Days (Island Records)
Field Study – Feverland (Nine Mile Records)
Friendzone – DX (Self released/Bandcamp)
Gary Numan – Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind) (10 Spot)
Gavin DeGraw – Make A Move (RCA)
The Head And The Heart – Let’s Be Still (Sub Pop)
Heavenly Beat – Prominence (Captured Tracks)
I Am King – Onehundred (Rise Records)
Icon For Hire – Icon For Hire (Tooth & Nail Records)
James Ferraro –…
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By staff
Wednesday September 25, 2013
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 24, 2013. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Andrew St James – Doldrums (Fortune Records)
Au Revoir Simone – Move In Spectrums (Instant Records)
Audio – Bag Of Bones (Blackout Records)
Bleach Blonde – Starving Artist (Rise Records)
Buried Beds – In Spirit (Devinyl Records)
Cher – Closer To The Truth (Warner Bros.)
Chvrches – The Bones Of What You Believe (Glassnote) – Eli Kleman
Deals Death – Point Zero Solution (Spinefarm)
Deer Tick – Negativity (Partisan Records)
Drake – Nothing Was The Same (Cash Money) – Adam Thomas
Elton John – The Diving Board (Capitol Records/Universal)
Frankie Rose – Herein Wild (Fat Possum Records)
Ghostpoet – Some Say I So I Say Light (Play It Again Sam)
Gov’t Mule – Shout! (Blue Note/Universal)
Ha Ha Tonka – Lessons (Bloodshot Records)
Huerco S. – Collonial Patterns (Software)
Icona Pop – This Is… Icona Pop (Big Beat/WEA)
The Internet – Feel Good (Odd Future)
INVSN – INVSN (Razor & Tie)
Jesu – Every Day I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came (Shellshock)
Kelley Stoltz – Double Exposure (Third Man Records)
Kings Of Leon – Mechanical Bull (RCA)
Lovers – A Friend In The World (Badman Records)
Matthew Good – Arrows Of Desire (Frostbyte) – Irving Tan
Mazzy Star – Seasons Of Your Day (Rhymes Of…
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By staff
Monday September 23, 2013
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As the clock ticks down to the release of her sophomore record (Nocturnal; due Oct 29th on Verve), the next milestone in what has been an absolutely phenomenal year for Ms Yunalis Mat Zara’ai, the pint-sized Subang Jaya native must be feeling that life simply can’t get much better than this. And who can blame her? Just a few years ago the Universiti Teknologi MARA graduate was still playing to tiny audiences for free at humble acoustic venues in the margins of her home city. Yet, earlier this month she did no less than perform for four sold-out nights at Kuala Lumpur’s Istana Budaya, the Malaysian equivalent of London’s Royal Albert Hall. Were you to plot this on a time-based graph, the resulting curve would probably appear asymptotic.
Yuna’s decision to uproot herself to the United States, effectively the introductory chapter to her spellbinding rags-to-riches tale, has been a journey of wonders thus far. Having released her excellent debut album stateside under the Fader label (whose representatives flew all the way to Malaysia to convince her to sign for them), the Malaysian lass appeared on the radar of world-renown producer David Foster and was subsequently signed to his Verve Music Group – the same label that plays host to the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, and Carla Bruni. Her star shone brighter still when she was contracted to perform both a cover of The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” for Oliver…
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By staff
Friday September 20, 2013
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Wo Fat are one of the most acclaimed stoner rock acts today. The Texas-based trio have rapidly risen to the forefront of the genre, blending fat, fuzzed-out riffs with hints of psychedelia and Southern rock flavors. The success of their latest effort, The Black Code, allowed the band to reach a wider audience, touring Europe for the first time. Amid a busy schedule, guitarist/vocalist Kent Stump found time to answer a couple of questions for SputnikMusic.
For those unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe it in a few words?
Basically speaking, our music is heavy, riff based, and blues influenced, but one thing that is a very important part of our music is the balance that we have between structured riffing and song writing on the one hand and improvisation and jamming on the other. Both things are important to us and we try to strike a balance between them. We also really believe in the importance of the groove, and, above all, we try to make music that grooves and feels organic and earthy. I think that some heavy music has lost that important primal element of funkiness and groove that originally came from the blues, and, which was really also a key part of the early days of heavy rock and metal. Listen to early Sabbath and it’s inescapable. That’s the roots of it all, and we try to keep that tradition going in our music.
I’m always curious to hear how others describe our…
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By staff
Tuesday September 17, 2013
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 17, 2013. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
The Band In Heaven – Caught In A Summer Swell (Decades Records)
Bill Callahan – Dream River (Drag City)
Billy Currington – We Are Tonight (Mercury Nashville)
Carcass – Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast America)
Chris Young – A.M. (Sony Nashville)
Cloud Control – Dream Cave (Votiv)
Crystal Stilts – Nature Noir (Sacred Bones)
Delorean – Apar (True Panther Sounds)
The Devil Wears Prada – 8:18 (Roadrunner Records)
The Dirtbombs – Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey (In The Red)
Factory Floor – Factory Floor (DFA Records)
Felix Martin – The Scenic Album (Prosthetic Records)
Five For Fighting – Bookmarks (Wind-Up)
The Flatliners – Dead Language (Fat Wreck Chords)
Grouplove – Spreading Rumours (Atlantic)
Gwar – Battle Maximus (Metal Blade)
Islands – Ski Mask (Redeye)
Jack Johnson – From Here To Now To You (Universal Republic)
JD Eicher & The Goodnights – Into Place (Rock Ridge Music)
Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back (Hyperdub)
Justin Moore – Off The Beaten Path (Valory)
Keep Shelly In Athens – At Home (Cascine)
London Grammar – If You Wait (1-2-3-4-GO!)
Mark Lanegan – Imitations (Vagrant Records)
Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands – Tess (Candy Cross)
Maybach Music Group – Self Made Vol. 3 (Atlantic)
MGMT – MGMT (Columbia)
Múm – Smilewound (Morr Music)
The Naked & Famous – In Rolling Waves (Republic)
Nightmares…
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By staff
Tuesday September 10, 2013
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 10, 2013. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
2 Chainz – B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time (Def Jam)
Arctic Monkeys – AM (Domino)
Babyshambles – Sequel To The Prequel (EMI Import)
Balance & Composure – The Things We Think We’re Missing (No Sleep Records)
The Black Watch – The End Of When (1-2-3-4-GO!)
Body/Head – Coming Apart (Matador Records)
Covenant – Leaving Babylon (Metropolis Records)
Earth, Wind & Fire – Then, Now & Forever (Sony Legacy)
Emiliana Torrini – Tookah (Rough Trade US)
Farewell, My Love – Gold Tattoos (Standby Records)
George Jones – Amazing Grace (Welk Records)
Gloria Estefan – The Standards (Sony Masterworks)
Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us (Mute)
Human Parts – Human Parts (No Idea Records)
J. Roddy Walston & The Business – Essential Tremors (ATO Records)
Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady (Bad Boy) – Greg “the booty doesn’t lie” Fisher
Joanna Gruesome – Weird Sister (Slumberland Records)
Kaskade – Atmosphere (Ultra Records)
Katatonia – Dethroned & Uncrowned (Kscope) – Kyle Ward
Keith Urban – Fuse (Capitol Nashville)
Man Man – On Oni Pond (Anti Records)
Mark Knopfler – Privateering (Universal)
Miniboone – Miniboone (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)
Ministry – From Beer To Eternity (AFM Records)
Sam Cash & The Romantic Dogs – Stand Together, Fall Together (Cameron House Records)
Sheryl Crow – Feels Like Home…
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By staff
Thursday September 5, 2013
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My Metallica experience went something like this: I downloaded St. Anger on a whim in my first year of university, listened to them for the first time, and was blown away by how awesome it was (before I continue any further let me assure you that I know much better now). I then went on to borrow the band’s entire discography from a post-graduate friend – who still listened to them on his trusty old Discman – and proceeded to devour the entire thing over the next couple of months. All this happened when their soon-to-be ninth studio album was still in its infancy and Mission: Metallica represented the zenith of artist-fan online interaction. It was, as I now believe, a particularly good time to become a new Metallica fan, as the development of Death Magnetic – famously billed as Jaymz and co.’s attempt at constructing a second half to Master of Puppets – also brought with it a strong degree of hype that had been virtually absent throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.
When Death Magnetic eventually came out I jammed it so much and so hard – godawful mastering and all – I wouldn’t be surprised if this mild ringing in my left ear is a direct result of listening to that album a few times too many. Fast forward a few more months to November 2009, and the World Magnetic Tour was already on my chilly Ottawa doorstep. I recall turning up…
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By staff
Wednesday September 4, 2013
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 3, 2013. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Ariana Grande – Yours Truly (Universal Republic)
Califone – Stitches (Dead Oceans)
Celestial Shore – 10x (Hometapes)
Chelsea Wolfe – Pain Is Beauty (Sargent House) – Angel
Glasvegas – Later… When The TV Turns To Static (BMG Rights Management)
Gorguts – Colored Sands (Season Of Mist) – Sobhi Youssef
Grooms – Infinity Caller (Western Vinyl)
Holograms – Forever (Captured Tracks)
Jackson And His Computerband – Glow (Warp Records)
Jonathan Rado – Law And Order (Woodsist)
John Legend – Love In The Future (Columbia)
The Julie Ruin – Run Fast (The Julie Ruin Records)
King Khan & The Shrines – Idle No More (Merge Records)
Lonnie Holley – Keeping A Record Of It (Dust To Digital)
Modern Life Is War – Fever Hunting (Deathwish Inc.)
My Ticket Home – Strangers Only (Rise Records)
Natalia Kills – Trouble (Interscope Records)
Nedelle Torrisi – Nedelle Torrisi (Nedelle Torrisi)
Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You (Anti Records)
Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks (Columbia)
North Mississippi Allstars – World Boogie Is Coming (Songs Of The South)
Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium (ATO Records)
Pink Frost – Sundowning (BLVD Records)
Richard Buckner – Surrounded (Merge Records)
Ryuichi Sakamoto and Taylor Deupree – Disappearance…
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By staff
Saturday August 31, 2013
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“Anger and frustration can be really great vehicles to propel momentum and energy in music,” confesses Erik Wunder. He’s done precisely that with his two seemingly dissimilar projects. The sprawling progressive black metal of Cobalt and the potent dark Americana of Man’s Gin may occupy two different sonic spheres, yet they share the same sense of authentic, if bleak intensity. Erik’s latest accomplishment as Man’s Gin is aptly titled Rebellion Hymns. Adroitly elaborating on the outfit’s previous output, the album represents another resounding triumph for the Colorado native, ranking among the most powerful artistic statements in music this year. Here’s an in-depth interview that not only sheds light on the oeuvre of this immensely talented artist, but also depicts him as a fulfilled musician who’s genuinely committed to every endeavor he’s involved in.
I’ve always admired musicians who are able to divide their time between different projects. What was the reason behind forming Cobalt, and what motivated you to form Man’s Gin?
Well, Cobalt started out when Phil and I got back together and started working on new music after our previous band had broken up. We are both pretty intense, angry people. Especially in those days.
We had already been playing in bands together since we were young teenagers, playing punk/crust and metal music, so we already had a working relationship and obviously a friendship. Our prior projects had dissolved, with…
If you're thinking, "Hey, isn't this picture a little creepy?" please let me assure you that every picture of Ariana Grande is creepy. She's definitely like 8 years old.
Alright, folks, listen up, because I’ve got a cutting-edge pop music opinion for you all to devour and regurgitate elsewhere: Ariana Grande is awesome. She only has real two singles to her name: “The Way,” catchy and vibrant but with a bearable-if-you-sorta-just-ignore-him set of verses from Mac Miller, and “Baby I,” not completely new but still unreservedly awesome, the type of song so good it gets you pumped for an album by the girl from…Nickelodeon’s Victorious? Whatever: this thing sounds like Mariah Carey cosplaying as Sonic the Hedgehog, with mile-a-minute percussion, luxurious synths, and an astounding display of vocal agility from Ms. Grande herself, who may yet turn out to be the first new pop star worth the hype in quite a while.
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By staff
Tuesday August 20, 2013
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Antlered Man won me over last year with their debut full-length Giftes Parts 1 & 2. The London four-piece has an uncanny knack for combining dexterous heavy rock with decidedly Eastern melodicism. Their music has been likened to System Of A Down, Mr. Bungle and Future Of The Left, capitalizing on creativity rather than stale song structures. The band’s genre-bending tendencies find their presence felt on “GDZ.” The track integrates the massive walls of distortion with sudden moments of relief and an infectious bridge midway through, proving that Antlered Man can be irresistibly catchy in their wildly experimental output. Both gargantuan in scope and highly infectious, “GDZ” is a fantastic indicator of what’s going to follow on the outfit’s upcoming album The Devil Is Them set to be released on October 14th through New Heavy Sounds. Stream and download the song for free via bandcamp.
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