The new Joanna Gruesome album called Weird Sister is up for
preorder on the Slumberland Records page. The limited version is on pink and
white swirl. It is very pretty. This is their first full length album release.
Previous to this there was a single and a couple of other tracks on a
compilation. The two tracks on the single are on this album. The other two can
be found on the compilation called Family Portrait on Art Is Hard Records. The
7” version of this release is sold out but you can still get the CDr or
download versions from their soundcloud site. I will be talking about both of
these releases next week.
Slumberland is also running low on the yellow splatter
version of the new Weekend album Jinx. Get them before they are gone. While you’re
at it get a copy of the Red EP too!
Free for a limited time is the second single, Copy Of A, from
Nine Inch Nails new album Hesitation Marks. You can get it from Amazon MP3. If
you preordered the album directly from Nine Inch Nails web site you can get it
there through your receipt.
The fourth album, Somnambulist, from
abandoned pools is now available to purchase on CD. There are limited
quantities and all have been signed and numbered as an extra bonus.
Veronica falls will be putting out another single in the coming months. The single will be for Broken Toy. I am very excited to hear a new B side!
Here we go...
This is the second album from Empire Of The Sun. It was
released last June (2013). I was introduced to this group last Record Store Day
through the Astralwerks Music In 20/20 box set. I thought the track that was
included in the box set was very good. The song was the lead single from their
first album. I read that they were going to have a new album out at the
beginning of summer. I didn’t allocate the funds to get it until August. I am
very happy that I did so. I will have to get the first album at some point in
the future if it is as good as this one is. I sort of stayed away from it for a
while too as there were many comparisons of this album to the new Daft Punk
album. After being able to hear the both of them on their own separately I am
happy to say that they are completely different and should not be compared to
each other at all. Daft Punk has chosen a completely different rout from the
usual EDM (Electronic Dance Music) music that has been coming out. This album from
Empire of The Sun is more four on the floor. To me they are two different
styles of music and really should not be compared. There was a trailer for the
album that was produced by a division of Bad Robot. There was also a fictional
story related to the album described a world that is looked over by an Emperor
and a Prophet.
There has been officially only one single released from this
album but they are on the verge of releasing a second very soon. The first
single released from the album is called Alive. It is a very uplifting song
with a crowd chant style chorus that sings, “Lovin’ every minute cause ya make
me feel so alive!” The verse parts talk about little things that someone does
to make someone feel good about being around them.
The second single to be released very soon is called DNA.
This track is totally four on the floor. The vocals are a little more on the
side of Passion Pits normal vocals. The synth part reminds me of early 2000s
electronic music but it is a very cool track that is easy to dance to.
There are a few other stand out tracks I would like to
mention as well. These may end up being future singles or not. We shall see.
I think that the title track, Ice On The Dune, has the potential to be a
single but would probably be released later than earlier if that were the case.
I feel the same about awakening. It is a great song with big sounds but doesn’t
quite that that hook that makes for a great single.
I’ll Be Around on the other hand has a great opening hook in
the guitar. The chorus is just as good. They sing, “So I made up my mind, I
will be around for a while.” The line is sung a few times with slight variation
to the first part. Some of those variations are, “You can bet on your life,
time after time, this time tonight” etc.
The song Old Flavours is totally single worthy. The bass
line for the song is so awesome. It supports the whole song with multiple synth
parts on top of the bass line. There is even a sound that is reminiscent of
something that Fleetwood Mac had done in the 70s. It is just huge.
The last song that I really like from the album is called
Surround Sound. It has a big bass sound that works well. The vocals are
somewhat unintelligible but sonically make the song work with the bass line
very well.
This is a good electronic album. If you’re interested in
electronic music then give it a shot. If your not then give it a pass.
Man or Astro-Man? / Huevos Rancheros – The Various Boss
Sounds From Beyond The Far Reaches…And Them Some!
This is a split single released in 1994 on Get Hip Records.
It features two tracks from both Man or Astro-Man? (MOAM) and Huevos Rancheros.
This is one of the last few items that I am missing from my collection of MOAM
music. I was lucky enough to find this 7” record in the rare color of Coke
bottle clear green. It looks very cool. The outer sleeve for this release is
just heavy card stock folded over. The inside of the card stock has printed a
listing of other releases from Get Hip Records. It is an advertisement for the
company really. The plastic sleeve that the record came in has a pink sticker
that reads Color Vinyl.
Man or Astro-Man? contributed the two tracks called A MouthFull Of Exhaust and Rovers. I always thought that A Mouth Full Of Exhaust was
cute because of the coughing that happens in the middle of the song. At the
same time it is cool because of the references to racing or driving fast. It
makes me think of what it may have been like for my father who grew up during
that time where cars and cruising were the thing to do in your off time. Rovers
on the other hand was kind of a spacey styled song with an interesting sound
clip that is heard a few times during the song. A mouth Full Of Exhaust can be
found on Destroy All Astromen. Rovers can be found on either of the Australian
releases; What Remains Inside A Black Hole or Beyond The Black Hole.
Huevos Rancheros contributed the two tracks called Whiteout
In Wyoming and Hotel Loneliness. Both of these tracks are good but nowhere near
the power that MOAM puts into their music. That doesn’t make it any less valid
as surf music goes though. It is just a bit more mellow. I actually enjoy these
two tracks just as much as the MOAM tracks.
I am very happy that I found this 7” for a fair price. I
don’t think that it is very sought after but it is still good music.
This is the third album from The Smiths. It was released in
mid June of 1986 on Rough Trade Records in the UK
and Sire Records in the USA.
The album cover, designed by Morrissey, features Alain Delon from the 1964 film
L'Insoumis. This was a largely
unknown album for me growing up. I remember having a friend or at least a girl
that I had a crush on during one or two summers while I was still camping with
my family. She was really into the current goth scene at the time and was
enthralled with both The Smiths and The Cure. I was never all that into either
group at the time. I think that this was simply due to the fact that I only
listened to the top 40 station and they didn’t get played all that much on that
station. Now that I am older I can appreciate the music that both bands put
out. I have no idea what happened to the girl. People seemed to appear and
disappear frequently in my life during the time that I went camping with my
family. We always went to the same campground as family owned the grounds but
other people were only somewhat regular there and there were others that were
there every weekend like we were.
There were three singles released from this album. The first
single is called The Boy With The Thorn In His Side. Morrissey had this to say
when asked by Margi Clarke if the song was about Oscar Wilde, "No that's
not true. The thorn is the music industry and all those people who never
believed anything I said, tried to get rid of me and wouldn't play the records.
So I think we've reached a stage where we feel: if they don't believe me now,
will they ever believe me? What more can a poor boy do?" It is really
quite a lame song but for the time period it fit in well. It was never on my
radar because it wasn’t that interesting of a song.
The second single is called Bigmouth Strikes Again. From
Wikipedia, “The lyrics describe the protagonist's frustration of being hounded
by others for his comments, to which he replies "I was only joking". During the song, the protagonist
compares himself to Joan of Arc as the
flames rose to her Roman nose. The proceeding line, "and her Walkman started to melt'",
is often changed by Morrissey in live performances, to the more
technologically-current "and her
iPod started to melt". The high-pitched voice in the
background is actually Morrissey's voice altered to a higher pitch. The backing
vocal is credited to "Ann Coates", a reference to the Manchester district of Ancoats.”
This is my favorite track from the album as it is more bouncy and danceable
then most of the other songs on the album.
The last single from the album is called There Is A LightThat Never Goes Out. This single was actually released after the band had
broken up in 1992. This is another track that never hit my ears until I bought
the album a couple years ago now. It is a good song but not as good as
Bigmouth. It just doesn’t have the attraction for me to make me want to listen
to it over and over again.
It is a good album but not a great album. The reason that I
bought the album is that it does have history for me because of that girl I had
a crush on during those two summers. She was so cool and introduced me to some
new music. I never dug into that new music until about 20 years later but it
never left my mind.
This is the first album from Mumford & Sons. It was
released in early October of 2009. The album was titled after Shakespeare’s
play Much Ado About Nothing and the title track also takes lines from the play.
I got into them late as I was more interested in acts like Grizzly Bear and
Fleet Foxes. I finally realized what I was missing with the third single from
the album called The Cave. Uppon hearing that track I went out and picked up
the album. I have yet to get the second album though. With all of the
popularity that the group has suddenly gotten, I stayed away from the album. I
think I am nearly ready to get it though.
There were four singles from the album. The first single
from the album is called Little Lion Man. It was lauded by many to be one of
the best songs of 2009. This does make use of the swear word fucked in the
chorus. He sings, “And it was not your fault but mine, and it was your heart on
the line, I really fucked it up this time, didn’t I my dear?” I can understand
the emphasis that is needed to show the emotion. It is a very good song but it
is hard to let kids listen with the swear word included. I don’t really want my
kids to hear the bad words but I also want them to hear the music the way that
the artist intended at the same time. It is a tough call.
The second single from the album is called Winter Winds. It
reminds me of something that Beirut
would write and sing. I think that it is the use of the long notes that the
accordion and horns play that gives me this feeling. I have never liked what Beirut has created and
this song is not one of my favorites either. It was released as a single so it
must have made someone happy listening to it.
The fourth single from the album is called The Cave. There
is something special about the opening riff. It runs through the whole song
through multiple instruments and is supported by multiple instruments. The
chorus holds just as much interest even though it is simplified to make a great
hook. The lead vocals sound amazing. They are not gravely but do still have a
slight grit. They remind me of something that The Avett Brothers would have
sung (yes, I should have more from them too).
The last single from the album is called Roll Away YourStone. This one did not chart as well as the others. The song is just as fast
as the others, actually a bit faster I think. It is a fun song musically but
doesn’t seem to have the hook that the others have. I like the song though.
If your into the new folk music that is out there and have
missed this one, give it a shot!
That is all I have for now...
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