Kanye West just never fails to impress me with his keen sense of style. This is a dressed-down look worn superbly. White blazer, white tee, washed blue jeans, black loafers by Stubbs & Wootten.
He nailed it. Simple. Only the colorful jewelry is a subtle but noticeable plus.
Looks like people from the not-too-distant past are on the comeback. Remember 'Fancy' (Garcelle Beauvais) from the 'Jamie Foxx Show'?
Well, she's just as FANCY here on the cover of JET Magazine.
Whoever did Fancy's--err-- Garcelle's wardrobe and jewelry did a good job. The look resembles the edginess, the fearlessness, the liberation Garcelle displayed when she divorced her husband of 9 years for infidelity. But that's not all it is, when you're on the comeback, you gotta MAKE SURE PEOPLE OUT THERE KNOW THAT!!
I didn’t know what it was. My extremities moved uncontrollably. My ears rang. My eyes rolled back in their sockets and my head tilted upward. My shoulders bounced from side to side and I would mouth words but nothing would come out. I was sick and it was incurable.
I remember the day I caught this damn bug. I was sitting with three friends in a circle around an old turntable that could play 45 and 78’s in an old stucco house in downtown San Pedro, California. The turntable folded up into itself to form a handled lock case about the size of a hat box. Below the turntable was a built-in, treble heavy, blown 5 inch speaker from which the crackled sound emanated,
My grandfather had just given me his collection of old 45 and 78 singles he had acquired from the 1920’s through the early 1960’s. It was music I had never heard. It didn’t get airplay on the major commercial L.A. radio stations. I threw on one of the old 78’s - “Hootchie Coochie Man” performed by Muddy Waters and written by Willie Dixon. Suddenly, I had the illness.
When I first heard The 44s’ new release Boogie Disease I had a significant relapse and still have not recovered. Nor do I want to. This is a sickness with which I can happily live
The 44s are a Southern California blues band on the new independent Rip-Cat label. The band features a hot down and dirty blues singer and able guitarist, Johnny Main; a ripping blues harpist in Tex Nakamura; a dirty bump stand-up bass from Mike Turturro; and a very talented J. R. Lozano on drums. Blues guitarist extraordinaire Kid Ramos joins the band on four tracks to produce one of the hottest electric blues albums I have heard this year.
Boogie Disease contains nine tracks or, if you look at it another way, nine disease transmitters. Included among great original tunes by the band and Kid Ramos are inspired interpretations of blues classics - harmonica legend Lester Butler’s “So Low Down” and “Goin’ To The Church;” Willie Dixon’s “Take It Easy;” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Commit A Crime;” blues piano legend Willie Love’s “Automatic;” and mouth organ legend William Clarke’s lip-smacking masterpiece “Blowin’ Like Hell.”
If you don’t already have the Boogie Disease this release will give it to you. If you are a fan of the roots music of rock ‘n’ roll you will definitely want to get this one. Being sick has never meant feeling so good.
The Beeb is becoming a fashion statement for many young boys. this is what I'm talking about... swag at THE TOP RUNG. It's always cool--and a can't-go-wrong--to wear a nice blazer with jeans when one chills with friends on a night on the town.
Just as long as for guys, it's a fitted blazer in which the sleeves can be rolled up or scrunched up. And for ladies, it's an oversized blazer with a contrasting color dress (preferably SHORT) underneath.
Justin Bieber was wearing a blue Zara plush blazer for only $80.
Waveriders, recently some EP's have come in that just blew my mind. Or whatever it is that I call a mind. This is why we started the Ripple in the first place to spread the word on artists making music like this. All prog of sorts, each fills a different need in my music loving soul. Check em out.
Riverside – Memories in My Mind
Poland’s Riverside have been plying their trade for 10 years now, immersing themselves in gorgeous, atmospheric progressive rock full indebted to the Porcupine Tree-vein of creativity rather than the ELP-vein of pretension. In celebration of their 10 year anniversary and recent signing to The Laser’s Edge Records, Mariusz Duda and boys have uncorked this “mini” album that is really anything but. Not mini on length (at over 30 minutes spread over 3 songs) not mini in songwriting ideas, not mini in stellar musicianship and certainly not mini in atmosphere. Rarely ever escalating above a distant thunderous rumble, Riverside explore peaks and valleys of dense ethereal overtones and sinuous moods. Never rushed, each of these prog epics takes its time in exploring Floyd-ian keyboard progressions, serpentine guitar solos, crashing crescendos and emotionally moving lyrics sung in hushed vocals.
After the swirling keyboard intro, acoustic guitars bring us into the opening melody of “Goodbye Sweet Innocence,” echoing a distant familiarity with Iced Earth’s “I Died For You.” But whereas that song exploded in metallic fury, Riverside expand their power, bringing in bridging keyboard passages courtesy of Michał Łapaj, complex time keeping via Piotr Kozieradzki, and the spear-to-the-heart guitar of Piotr Grudziński. “Living in the Past” and “Forgotten Land” follow suit, mixing Floyd-ian space rock, jazzy inflections with muscular prog metal reaches, all bathed in one dripping wet melody after another. A true “mini” masterpiece of prog.
A rare and beautiful album. Listening to this, I just can’t help feel like I’m listening to something important. Epic, sure, but more than that. Quicksand Dream’s take on metal is stark, powerful, disturbing, and incisive. Not so much metal in the traditional sense of monster chords, power, and pain, but still heavy in tone and atmosphere. The closest reference I can toss out would be some of the better work of Sentenced, another band that didn’t do metal in the normal way, but crafted some works of ugly elegance just the same. Perhaps they sound like early Fates Warning or Candlemass, perhaps not. Quicksand Dream is the brainchild of Patrick Backlund, who plays all the instruments, supported by Göran Jacobson on vocals (and guest keyboarder Henrik Flyman). A totally D.I.Y., effort, "Aelin..." is a concept album of magic and dreams, where the young sorcerer-to-be, Aelin, is thrown between the choices of following his heart and sail the oceans or follow the path destined by The Mighty One, to study sorcery under the supervision of the Old Sorcerer. Epic storytelling, that never stumbles under the weight of its concept. Limited to 500 copies. Not to miss.
It's amazing to watch a band grow right before your eyes. To witness amazing leaps and gains in songcraft and dynamic. Sound & Shape is one such band. After the dynamite, complex The Love ElectricSound & Shape come racing back with an aEP burst of unrelenting, driving composition and stunning musicianship. Each song is a mini-epic, all glued together by undeniable melodies and phenomenal playing.
More straight ahead than The Love Electric, Sound & Shape have taken their inherent power, passion, and creativity and wrapped them in melodies infectious enough to eat holes into my brain. While the concept of employing more “straight ahead” structures may sound like Sound & Shape are playing it safe, trust me they’re not. Each song, particularly the frenetically complex “The Sacred and the Profane,” and the beefy “Bells at Twelve” marry intricate riffs, stop-start time changes, and walls of sound into soundbites of neo-prog perfection. Lush vocal harmonies and constant surprises make these four songs a true blessing for my iPod.
A band everyone should know about. A band few could imitate
A while back I raved like a drooling lunatic over The World Concave’s last album, Harbor. Soon thereafter, I received an email from one of the band members asking if I’d check out his other project, (Damn) This Desert Air. Of course I agreed, then immediately forgot about it. And there it sat. For an eternity.
When I finally rediscovered the file, I hesitated to play it. This World Concave was an artistic triumph of sublime beauty that took me eons to get “into.” I wasn’t really in the mood to listen that hard again. Then I hit the play button, and it all faded away.
Much more immediate than TWC, (Damn) This Desert Air is quite simply a fantastic modern prog EP. With moments raging from inspired splendor to chaotic aggression, DTDA mix it all into the prog pot, stir that baby up, and come up with a concoction sure to satisfy even the most discriminating palate. The gorgeous melodies I expected, as I did the intense playing and stellar musicianship. What I didn’t anticipate was how hard this EP rocks (at times) and how immediate the songwriting is. Forget the hard listen, songs like “Trembles” and “Your Atlantis” grab me by the cerebellum and pull my brain instantly into the music. Complex. Intricate. Dynamic. And beautiful. (Damn) This Desert Air is a keeper.
Big, black, heavy, furry, and ugly. Loud, massive, beastly, foreboding. Devastating, gruesome, grizzly, and ominous. Words. All descriptors of a band called Death Wolf. All words that sum up in no small part the sonic brutality that makes up the band’s self titled album. Is it a debut? I don’t know. I don’t care. The album is easily one of the most intense metal listens I’ve had in awhile. That doesn’t mean that it’s the most musically interesting or compositionally exceptional records out there . . . simply fucking intense. Pure, unabashed and uncompromising heavy metal . . . arguably encompassing all of the characteristics a heavy metal record should have. Music that’s so heavy and discordant, so filled with testosterone, tension, and gusto that one must respect it in fear that it will overwhelm their souls.
Death Wolf were apparently once know as Devils Whorehouse (I know . . . cool name, huh?) and are manned by one of the dudes from Swedish Black Metallers Marduk . . . ultimately, none of that means much to me. Well . . . except the Devils Whorehouse thing. I’ve never listened to Marduk and only know them by reputation, but this much can be said for one not in the know . . . Death Wolf sounds nothing like Marduk. They incorporate these great elements of doom, and stoner, and sludge, and thrash, and speed , and balls-out, fuck-you metal. Combine the demonic crooning of Danzig and mix it with sheer heart attack of Motorhead and then the tonal weight of Neurosis and you get something sorta’ like Death Wolf. At times, Death Wolf remind me of fellow Swedish uncategorizable metallic rockers, Transport League. More rock than metal, but more metal than anything else. Y’know? Yeah. Me either.
Opening volley, “Circle of Abomination” is heaven wrapped up in a three minute metallic chestnut. Firing off with a high speed, up tempo tirade accompanied by a wall of distorted instrumental chaos and a vocal performance that has me thinking of Glenn Danzig hopped up on something darker and heavier than even the darkest moments of Samhain. Listen close enough to the rolling pattern of the drums and you’ll practically visualize a runaway locomotive barreling down the tracks. The utterly brilliant moment of this song is at the 1:40 mark when the bottom drops out this beast and the song chugs along at a dastardly and drastically reduced tempo. The little wah effect on the guitars, the chiming of the bell, the ominous vocal and instrumental tone . . . all weaved around each other to create that perfect amount of tension before fading into the crimson fog from whence this whole creature came from in the first place.
“The Other Hell”, heavy as hell and just as sinister, has me clutching my bedspread close to my throat with eyes wide open in terror. This track wavers back and forth between huge walls of dissonance to moments of sparseness, and once we get to these quieter passages, the vocal performance, like the icy fingers of death brushing softly across the skin, sends chills up the spine. Then is dissolves into waves of feedback and the howl of wolves, becoming the haunting and ominous “Morning Czar Shineth”. What a captivating nugget of sound! Again, sparse when it needs to be and creepy as all fuck when it is, then filled with more notes so heavy and oppressive . . . it’s a classic track that will, like the chorus suggests, will have you beg and beg for more. The bass tone is unreal. The vocal performance is otherworldly. The overall power of this song is the creaking of the gates of hell as the passage slowly opens and the smell of brimstone assails the nostrils. A sudden blast of heat and fire, and we’re reduced to a pile of ash.
“Sword and Flame” picks up the tempo once again. We’re not talking about blackened blastbeats in terms of speed, but a nice and steady, upbeat tempo with instruments chugging away to keep pace. I like that Death Wolf mix up the tempos throughout the album . . . I never get too stuck in one groove. One minute, droning at a slow groove, the next exploding within a fast paced fury. We get to go back to that slower groove on “Wolf’s Pallid Sister”, and we get to experience the closest thing to one of those massive thrash riffs that seem to move a mosh pit from one wall to the opposite. Heavy and throbbing, the groove on this track is dense, but executed with some deftness. Listen to some of the intricate licks these guys slip into the midst of this riff . . . that, my friends, is some tasty stuff! I also love the vocal performance, specifically at the chorus. Great dynamic shift at the midpoint, as well. Again . . . well executed to capture the most tension and intensity possible.
Death Wolf’s self-titled disc is one of those albums that on first listen I thought, ‘This rocks,’ but I wasn’t sure just how much. That first listen was definitely compelling, hell . . . compelling enough for me to want to listen again. And then, by listen number six hundred and sixty-six, it was all I could do to peel the headphones from my head (I’m sure some skin was removed along with the ‘phones)and stop listening to this thing. I mean . . . for as much as I’ve listened to this album and think it rocks, I know deep down in the darkest darkness of my now darkened soul that this thing rocks infinitely more than I think it does. I started this review off with a boatload of adjectives and descriptors of this album, and while they all suffice, you might want to quantify just how big, black, heavy, furry, and ugly . . . Loud, massive, beastly, foreboding . . . Devastating, gruesome, grizzly, and ominous this thing really is. I’d go as far as to say that if you apply a number to any of these words, you’ll need to multiply it . . . by a hundred . . . and then that still may not be enough. One cannot truly describe Death Wolf, one must experience that album, and then no amount of words will accurately depict what that experience was.
Check out Hilary Duff going shopping in her rather mature look. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it's quite a mature look for someone so young. And it's PERFECTLY OK for young women to dress like this... as long as they don't make themselves look like their very own school teacher.
I can say that this is a HOTT and SAFE look for any girl who wants to be on their 'grown woman' status.
Also, check out Hilary's notable labels: A cream Chanel bag, Victoria Beckham's 'Audrey' sunglasses for $470, and a Hermes leather wallet for approximately $1,150.
Hello Wave Riders!! On the ole' Ripple Effect I am known for reviewing my fair share of Metal and Hardcore albums. Non stop Brutality is just one side of the many facets of my musical make up. Today I want to share a kinder more heart felt side. Today I bring you City and Colour's new album, Little Hell.
Canadian born Dallas Green is the master mind behind City and Colour. The name City and Colour comes from his own name: Dallas a city, and Green, a colour (color for the Americans). Most people know Dallas as the clean singer in alexisonfire but Dallas has been doing solo work and writing material as early as the age of 18. Little Hell is City and Colour's third release and second proper release in the United States. His debut album Sometimes was only released in Canada through Dine Alone Records in 2005 and re-released by Vagrant Records in the states in 2009, a year after his follow up album, Bring Me Your Love was released.
Little Hell starts off strong with the track, "We Found Each Other in the Dark". This opener sounds much like City and Colour's classic tracks. Full on acoustic guitars and minimal backing band. It has a very alt-country feel to it. The song it self seems to be about the act of getting married and staying together for ever and finding that true love.
The first single off Little Hell, "Fragile Bird" is by far my one of my favorite tracks on this album. I first had a listen to this song a few months back on a random fan made youtube video form one of City and Colour's Canadian tours. Instantly I fell in love with it despite the poor sound quality and granulated video. For me, City and Colour's music is not so much the music but the lyrical content in that music. He always seems to hit a cord with me. As if he knows what I am thinking or thoughts that I have had.
"When she sleeps there is a fever dream, yeah It brings the night terrors to harm this fragile bird She speaks in tongues, the words they come undone, yeah Then with a wayward mind she struggles through the night
All that I can do, is hope she makes it through the night Through the night
These cold nightmares they make her worse for wear Lost in the dark, she's got a heavy heart And when she wakes in her fragile state, Well, she calls my name hoping that I keep her safe
All that I can do, is hope she makes it through All that I can do, is hope she makes it through
Through the night Through the night Through the night Through the night
All that I can do, is hope she makes it through All that I can do, is hope she makes it through Through the night"
"Northern Wind" is the 6th track on this album. Again, it is a song that I can personally relate to. It hits a cord with me that makes me kind of sad but it's worth it.
"You're the Northern Wind Sending shivers down my spine You're like fallen leaves In an autumn night
You're the lullaby Singing me to sleep You are the other half You're like the missing piece
Oh my love Oh my love Oh my love You don't know What you do to me
You are all four seasons Rolled into one You're like the cold December snow In the warm July sun
I'm the jet black sky That's just before the rain Like the mighty current Pulling you under the waves
Oh my love Oh my love Oh my love You don't know What you do to me
I'm the darkest hour Just before the dawn I'm slowly sinking Into the slough of despond
Like an old guitar Worn out and left behind I have stories still to tell Of the healing kind
Oh my love Oh my love Oh my love If I could just find you tonight If I could just find you tonight Oh my love
Do do do "
The last track I want to touch on is the song, "Weightless". For older City and Colour fans, you may remember so of the lyrics from the song, "The Urgency". "The Urgency" was an un-released early track that many City and Colour fans got a hold of. The reworking of this song is pure bliss. It has the same heart felt pain that made "The Urgency" but feels like a totally different song.
"Come close, Lay next to me
Come close, Lay next to me I need to tell you something important
Stay close, Lay next to me I need to feel important
Because it's your eyes I don't believe And my heart, I know, you will deceive Do you know the consequence that comes with such confidence?
Holding all the weight in my life Now you turn and walk away from me
So what is this now, you ask of me? What's makes your pain such an urgency? Now I want out, so plain to see Once again my dear, a new tragedy
Holding all the weight in my life Now you turn and walk away from me Holding all the weight in my life Now you turn and walk away from me
Needing all the strength in my life Now you turn and run away from me Needing all the strength in my life Now you turn and run away from me"
Dallas Green has been my favorite artist since around 2003. As much as I like the screaming vocals from George Pettit in alexisonfire, I always loved Dallas' clean vocals the best. I am always happy when I hear a new City and Colour song or an alexisonfire song, let alone a new album. With that said, Little Hell has now become one of my favorite City and Colour albums. The album has a different feel to the previous ones. It's a little less sad and the songs are a bit more catchy...but that's a good thing. Normally I dislike people liking bands that I feel like I discovered long ago and no one knew about. I can honestly say it is time for the World to know about City and Colour. No longer will I be selfish and keep them to myself. I expect them to blow up this year. This album makes me happy, this album makes me sad. It makes me feel things I haven't felt in a long time. I hope it makes you feel forgotten emotions as well.
Little Hell is set to release this Tuesday, June 7th. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.
There's something special about black-and-white pics. They're classic and bring a sense of tranquility and sometimes an EERINESS since there's a VOID in color.
What's your feeling about black-and-white photos?
Check out Jaden Smith's black-and-white pics from his recent photo shoot. Man, this boy really is determined to be on the cover of GQ magazine. And judging by his pics, he just may get there.
Well, hello again READERS, check out another Chris Brown tattoo. As many of you know, Chris Breezy has tats on his chest and two arm sleeves, but none on his back.
Now he has a SMILEY SKELETON FACE on his back.
Uh-oh. What will Chris look like 5 years from now--- Lil' Wayne???!!!
So, I know this guy. His name is Joe. He is pretty damn awesome. He is attractive, smart and funny but there is one thing that really REALLY annoys me about him- he knows music. This guy lives for it. Breathes it. I swear he eats sheet music for breakfast. That is not the issue though. The issue is he seems to know every band that has ever existed and when I don't know the band he knows, can't play at least three of their songs, can't recite every lyric of their third song on their second EP it is met with a very loud, very long groan. A groan of disgust. A groan that tells me I am a disappointment, will never measure up and I am just not “cool.” This is frustrating for me because music has become an area of exploration for me. I don't know what I really like, I seem to like everything and there is so much music out there for me to discover it seems endless. So, I seek revenge. I seek revenge on the large scale, and Ripple along with Eldridge Rodriguez is helping me do that... Time to launch my first attack...
First step, find out about the artist. Eldridge Rodriguez is the front man of The Beatings and You Are Released is a solo outing from the bands reported legendary sounds of
Second step, fall in love with the music... This step was the easiest. You Are Released is creative. It has.. zing. It is electric and acoustic and the vocals are surprising at first, then comforting as the album progresses. It is quite a dark sound, perfectly appropriate for a revenge mission. Let me walk you through my favourites on the album...
I personally feel that the first song on the album tells you exactly what you have signed yourself up for, what each of the creative works that follow will explore deeper. “The Big Windup” has a heavy sound, is sort of blurry for your ears but is still so nice too... Hard to describe.
A few songs later came the anthem for my revenge mission“The Shame Of The Scene”. Well played Rodriguez. You are really helping me out here!
“Some day, I will be playing it smart, Some day, I will be stealing your heart”
“Run MF Run” is my favourite song. Yes, “The Shame Of The Scene” is the anthem but this song is more fun! In a dark, dreary sort of way. It starts off with a catchy sound that drags you into its depths, it is heavy and has really great moments when there are big loud parts. It is a song that you can sing along loudly to when you are in a dark mood or driving. (Am I allowed to swear in this? It is a direct quote.. If not, you will see Racer editing out the naughty words.)
“You gotta run mother fucker run, You gotta run mother fucker run... ...I can't get done what I need to get done I cant have fun when I need to have fun”
Not that there is much of a difference between my dark moods and how I drive...
“Miss Me When I Am Gone” is the song that I was first introduced to Eldridge Rodriguez and that was what made me first like him. It is also the second last song on You Are Released. It is awesome with its acoustic clean sounds and dark lyrics,
“You're gonna miss me when I'm gone, You're gonna miss me when I'm gone, Like a face that needs a fist, Like a razor needs a wrist, You're gonna need my when I'm gone”
Whats not to love? A dark album, sounds varying from clean to messy, and despite the dreariness it is fun.
Third step, launch attack... (Fades to black with evil laughing..)
I heard the voice of an angel. Her name is Lykke Li. For those not familiar with this Swedish goddess, immediately check her out. Without a doubt, Lykke Li is one the best female pop vocalists waiting to breakthrough. I first heard about Lykke Li in 2009, when she was rumored to be dating a certain Hollywood actor, but I never followed up on her. Now I am kicking myself in the head.
There have been times where I came across an amazing artist, but just never really delved into their music only to rediscover them at a later date. Lykke Li is a perfect example. For most of my life I unintentionally go through music listening trends, whether it’s primarily listening to early 80s punk music or shoegazing music. As long as the music sounds good, it doesn’t matter to me. Usually when I go through these music listening trends I discover cool bands that I never heard of and feel better for “going through a phase.”
Back in 2008, Franz Ferdinand, one of my favorite bands, was preparing to release their third album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. About that time I happened to discover some unusual, yet unique Scottish alternative bands that just rocked my world including Glasvegas and The Retrosexuals. Somehow I become mesmerized and fall into a trance whenever I listen to non-US musical groups because I always want to discover more awesome bands like the one I “just discovered.”
In 2010, I came across another Swedish superstar, Robyn. Three of the best albums I heard all of last year came from her: Body Talk Part 1, Body Talk Part 2 and Body Talk, which is practically a compilation of the two Body Talk mini-albums plus five new original songs (They were all tied for 13th place on my Top 20 Albums list of 2010). Robyn initially intended to release three mini-albums and issued the first two in June and September respectively, but decided to release a full length album in November 2010. I bring this up because I became enamored with Robyn and was shocked why I didn’t know about her sooner. You always have to be consistently and actively on the lookout for new bands. That’s how I rediscovered Lykke Li.
The first time I heard Lykke Li was in Amanda Blank’s song, “Leaving You Behind,” but for others it was a different kind of medium. Li wrote the song, "Possibility," for New Moon from the Twilight series and her music was recently covered on an episode of Glee. Also back in 2009, Drake sampled Li’s “Little Bit” on his 2009 mixtape So Far Gone Little Bit in his song also titled “Little Bit.” Needless to say, she has already made a strong impact in the world of music.
Inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s cult classic film Holy Mountain, Lykke Li delivers a stellar sophomore album, Wounded Rhymes, destined for greatness. Unlike her debut album, Youth Novels, Lykke Li has matured with a dark album capturing lost love and the torment of youthful romances. Easily this is one of the year’s top ten albums and currently my album of the year. The album is well balanced with indie rock, folk, alternative and dabs of electro-pop sounds solidifying a well-produced album (produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John fame).
Li’s tormented voice captures the darker aspects of love and appears to be the new quintessential breakup album everyone should own. From beginning to end, Lykke Li progresses from reality to fantasy discussing sex, obsession, unrequited love, and the vulnerable feelings one faces when they’ve been wounded by an ex. Wounded Rhymes is a poignant, powerful and passionate album that leaves an immediate impact on you.
The album opens up with “Youth Knows No Pain” and you’re immediately put into a trance. Lykke Li’s swagger swings your moods back and forth, but you don’t mind the dance. The combination of tambourine, tribal drums, and eerie organ, this song is the perfect song to clap along with. The second track, “I Follow Rivers” is phenomenal! Lykke Li’s lovely voice is accompanied by pitch perfect percussion in one of my favorite tracks. It’s a really romantic song that’s an awesome predecessor to “Love Out of Lust.”
“Love Out of Lust” opens up with the beautiful lyrics, “Rather die in your arms, than die lonesome/ Rather die hard, than die hollow/The higher that I climb /the deeper I fall down /I'm running out of time /So let's dance while we're waiting.” It’s another amazing song on this superb album.
“Unrequited Love” is a perfect example of Li embracing her heartache and happiness wholeheartedly without holding back on any of her emotions. The song also includes an awesome throwback with a 1950s doo-wop sound. The remarkable thing is no aspect of love is off limits for this breathtaking, beautiful popstar.
The infectious up-tempo “Get Some” in recent weeks has become a staple on the LA Radio. I couldn’t be happier because “Get Some” is my favorite song on this album and thus far, my favorite song of the year. Lykke Li is phenomenal with creating catchy lyrics and this is a perfect example in this song, “Like the shotgun need an outcome/I'm your prostitute, you gon get some.” I am completely ecstatic that friends who aren’t familiar with Li know this song.
With two awesome ballads like “I Know Places” and “Sadness is a Blessing,” there really isn’t anything Lykke Li can’t do. This is a must own for everyone who consider themselves a music buff. Not only do I own the vinyl, but the CD and the iTunes edition of the album. Wounded Rhymes is a mature modern masterpiece and an instant classic. Li is the bright future of music.
Check out the hott CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN designs I looked up. These are some hott looks for this summer. Keep it 100 ladies... with these kinds of shoes on your feet. And NO.... you won't need to shell out $800-$1000+ just to look good. There's plenty of places you can do that, and I'm sure you beautiful ladies know where...
But my place of choice for you is ALDO or STEVE MADDEN.
So it beings again. What is it about the EU technocrats and their mission creep. One step at a time they creep, grabbing bits and pieces subtlely until you wake up with no roof over your head and a bill for the privilege of losing it.
The one area that patently doesn't work in EU-world is fiscal policy. It is for the Northern economies of Germany and Netherlands not the PIGS.
While they scream out for some leeway, the North is concerned about over-heating.
So why on earth should it be a good idea for a finance ministry that can make decisions about a nation's fiscal policy - especially one that isn't even in the Euro?
Please can someone explain how the technos can make these leaps of logic that presumes that all will jump up and down applauding saying Capitol?!?
Begin the ritual: get some time to yourself, put on a good stereo or good headphones, and put the volume up slightly louder than you would normally.
Then wait--
It starts, and continues, with a bass-heavy air raid siren-- when the blast beats start, a London blitzkrieg later, you (seriously) might mistake them for machine gun fire.
So much bass on this; very cool and a nice improvement to the (already good) sounds of previous LP Wormwood.
Mortuus' vocals, unlike Watain's (rageful, exultant) or Nefarium's (just rageful), sound like he's rasping out his unfiltered, genuine hatred-- because he's being strangled to death.
He's dying, and he's got no reason to lie to you.
And Mortuus HATES you.
I love the plain cover, barely an image, but a powerful nearly-monotone one, with an Old English font title and the band's name as legible as can be-- old confidence for a black metal band. And for some reason, adding the "by" in by Marduk makes for seemingly subtle modesty, which makes them seem supremely confident, and is the crowning moment of awesome for the cover.
Track one, "Warschau II-- Headhunter Halfmoon," with it's bombastic five-tone riff, Track two, "Wacht Am Rhein Drumbeats of Death," culminates in what may be wolf howls, and--
Three, "Prochorovka - Blood and Sunflowers," is the "ballad"-- Marduk playing sludge/doom-- and it is fucking awesome. A combination of Marduk, Earth and Winter. I've read about this track being considered "filler," and while it is different from most other Marduk stuff, if it was in fact intended as filler, they should do that more often. I really dug this song.
Iron Dawn is three songs, and it's the perfect length: enough to blow you away, not enough to desensitize you.
Speaking of which, fun Iron Dawn story:
I had been listening to an LP and reading. For some reason on my stereo the LPs have to be turned up more loudly than do CDs, so the volume was way up. A storm front was passing through, and it knocked out the power for about a nanosecond-- just enough to turn the stereo off and back on.
Now, if the stereo does in fact cut off, for whatever reason, it autoplays whatever CD is in it. At whatever volume it was on.
The record had finished a while ago, and I didn't even notice that the stereo had reset...
...until, at jet engine fucking volume, "Warschau II-- Headhunter Halfmoon" started playing (it intros, remember, with air raid sirens) and scared the HOLY LIVING JESUS SHIT out of me.
Ear-splitting air-raid sirens, just after a power outage, during a storm...?
I'm pretty proud I didn't piss myself.
The point IS-- Iron Dawn, three songs or not, is a mighty record.
Okily-Dokily Simpsons & AeroFans, get ready for the best-darn-diddily contest yet! Joey Kramer just returned to The Simpsons for the Season 22 Finale! We hope you poured yourself a Flaming Moe (without forgetting the cough syrup) and tuned in to catch Joey’s return to Springfield in an episode entitled “The Ned-Liest Catch.”
Not only does Joey hope that you tuned in, but he also wants to make sure that you have a chance to win a special collectors item! To paraphrase Comic Book Guy, "[Best] Contest Ever!" ENTER NOW!
Joey is giving away (3) framed The Simpsons "The Ned-Liest Catch" script covers, which are AUTOGRAPHED by the man himself, Joey Kramer!
You can't find this anywhere else, so hurry up and enter to win this collectors item (and piece of history!). This giveaway ends Friday, June 17th, so make sure to enter once a day to increase your chances of being one of the (3) winners!
Everyone keeps telling me, “Alex, listen to Tesseract, listen to TESSERACT!” So I listened to their MySpace awhile back, and honestly it didn’t do too much for me, so then it was on to the next thing.
Fast forward a few months, and I am holding a copy of their debut full length, One, which is out now via our friends at Century Media. I take back what I said earlier, because now I am literally doing backflips! Will definitely say now that I thoroughly enjoy these progressive metallers, and that I can continue to put One in my CD player on a continual basis. The use of dark, melodic, theatrical, and sometimes pop-like clean singing in progressive metal has been a hot trend lately. Many of you nobs are quick to think Tesseract and Periphery, but think back 4-5 years when The Human Abstract came out with Nocturne, and you can love or hate that band (I’m kinda 50/50), but at its time it was totally different and groundbreaking. Go back further and study up on the Swedish progressive metal movement of Katatonia and Opeth and the harmonic vocals that were used, maybe not in a pop fashion, but with a great sense of harmony. Now rewind back to the beginning where Queensryche and Fates Warning helped define everything that is progressive metal, taking influence from Rush to Judas Priest, and making something completely brain numbing at the time.
Anyways, the point I’m trying to make here is that I’m glad to see progressive metal keep progressing when a great band like Tesseract comes along. The term progressive metal is almost being taken for granite now, and I can’t fucking stand it. With every new band on the block cloning Meshuggah and calling themselves “progressive” really bugs me! I’m not going to namedrop a million bands here, nor am I even the biggest prog nerd in the world (my Uncle worships Queensryche religiously, so I’ve had my fair share of Tate [Geoff] growing up) , but what’s obvious is obvious – I want that real, rhythmic challenging, epic, and trend setting progressive metal that defines such a niche genre.
TESSERACT’s opus One album flows perfectly from start to finish, and you’ll easily get sucked into its rich concept.
“Acceptance - Concealing Fate Part One” is my favorite song on One, and is loaded with memorable melodies, thick overtones, an undeniable clean guitar rhythm, and plenty of low end, as AcieKahney and James Monteith’s guitars gently weep. The song buildup of “Acceptance - Concealing Fate Part One” keeps the listener engaged to the max, and is filled with a lot of down tuned drops, a gentle yet perfect-sounding clean guitar, Tomkins’ epic vocals, and even a few mosh worthy breaks. Complexity is a norm for Tesseract as all of their progressive transitions, sudden mood swings, and time signatures come so naturally. The ending is as epic as can be, with Tomkins is at his catchiest expressing his great harmonic vocal range. This song will move you.
Other great songs like “Deception - Concealing Fate Part Two” and “The Impossible - Concealing Fate Part Three” have their moments. Tomkins’ vocal prowess is quite intriguing, and there’s plenty of low end and interesting time signatures for all you djent lovers! The clean guitar passages and the atmospherics again is what really separate these boys from the pack. These two songs showcase more of the heavier side of Tesseract as well as introduce a tribal side of the band, and at times sounding very similar to fellow UK progressive metallers Sikth in the instrumentals.
Tesseractcan also put on quite the jam session in “Epiphany - Concealing Fate Part Five” and “Sunrise”, and show the band a tad heavier than their other songs. In “Sunrise”, the song is brutal yet equally unique with its ambient passages, and the intro chugging reminds me of old Sevendust for some reason. Vocally, Mr. Tomkins I swear starts to morph into Maynard James Keenan when in clean singing motion, and screaming, yeah, a little bit like Morgan Rose of Sevendust. The percussion truly shines in “Epiphany - Concealing Fate Part Five” and talk about quite the Meshuggah jam session in that one. You definitely hear a heavy Meshuggah influence, and if you’re a fan of the almighty Fredrik Thordendal then you’ll probably like “Epiphany - Concealing Fate Part Five”. Tight and heavily syncopated riff work at its best on One.
One is easily one of my favorite progressive metal releases of the year. Overall, Tesseract does a great job enveloping the listener, and taking them into their own world. I’m curious to see what Tesseract has up their sleeve next, because a band as creative as this has always got something neat in the works. Yes, I’ll say it right now: I think Tesseract is better than Periphery. Anyways, would anyone like to come to the 4th dimension with me??
Supermodel EVA MARCILLE is unmistakably the beauty of this summer with her VIBE MAGAZINE photo shoot which took place in a desert. GIRL was on point with her looks, clothing, and long, braided ponytail. The ponytail shot reminded me of Willow Smith in 'Whip My Hair,' but Eva still made it her own.
Check out more pics... I'm just lovin' photo shoots, y'all!!! I'll have mine coming up real soon, or just check out Model Mayhem at http://modelmayhem.com/theonlyjaiden .
Crack is a helluva drug. Pentagram mainman Bobby Liebling was hooked on the stuff for a long, long time and saw many bands he’s influenced crawl past him in the doom metal sweepstakes. After decades years of fluctuating line ups, shady record deals and spotty releases he seems to have gotten himself straightened out and is back with a good new album, Last Rites on Metal Blade Records. I was on the fence about picking this up but knowing that long suffering guitarist Victor Griffin had rejoined Pentagram again was a big selling point.
Right off the bat, Pentagram comes out swinging hard on opening song “Treat Me Right.” For a band considered one of the pioneers of doom metal they throw down a Motorhead worthy scorcher. Victor’s tone is hella-huge as he fires up a killer speedy riff and the band kicks in. Bobby’s voice sounds stronger than it has in a long time and you can just see his Marty Feldman bug eyes popping as he spits out the lyrics. We’re off to a good start!
“Call The Man” returns to more familiar doomy Pentagram material and lets the stomping rhythm section of Greg Turley (bass) and Tim Tomaselli (drums) shine on this one. Tim and Greg have done time in Victor’s band Place Of Skulls and it’s obvious those 3 have a great musical rapport. The proof is in the groove. “8” starts off moody and tribal before shifting gears into a psychedelic headbanger. Hopefully they have some strobe lights and fog machines when they play this one live. Victor takes lead vocals on “American Dream” and unsurprisingly it sounds a lot like a Place Of Skulls song. The only song I’m not in love with on the album is “Windmills and Chimes.” For some reason when they go into the chorus “Baby I Love Your Way” pops into my head. It doesn’t really sound like the Frampton song but it bothers me enough that I have to skip past it every time.
Pentagram has a huge backlog of songs that were written throughout the 1970’s and Bobby usually revisits a few on each album. “Everything’s Turning To Night” and “Walk In The Blue Light” are on the First Daze collections that Relapse has put out. The arrangements are a little different and the fidelity is much improved on the originals. “Into The Ground” and “Nothing Left” go back to Bobby’s pre-Pentagram band Stone Bunny. I’ve never heard the originals of either of these but they’re both heavy doom mongers. “Into The Ground” has a 70’s Judas Priest feel with some nice Glenn Tipton melodic lead playing.
Last Rites is a solid metal album and hopefully Bobby will stay away from the pipe so he can keep his kick ass band. Even better news is that Pentagram will be touring and the Bobby Liebling documentary (also titled Last Rites) will be released later this year.
Crack is a helluva drug. Pentagram mainman Bobby Liebling was hooked on the stuff for a long, long time and saw many bands he’s influenced crawl past him in the doom metal sweepstakes. After decades years of fluctuating line ups, shady record deals and spotty releases he seems to have gotten himself straightened out and is back with a good new album, Last Rites on Metal Blade Records. I was on the fence about picking this up but knowing that long suffering guitarist Victor Griffin had rejoined Pentagram again was a big selling point.
