Perhaps not the greatest moniker for a band, potentially excluding animal lovers, but the Nottingham outfit are certainly making a name for themselves in all the right ways musically. "Two Devils" takes a slightly dark, more Noah and the Whale direction than previous outings, including gothic style video.
Catch up with the March reviews on Mudkiss as the fragrant Chumki provides a floral tribute the Spring singles and EP releases and album stalwarts Callum and Josh are joined by new contributor Phil from Belfast, with his first review for the site, taking on a British music icon.
Worried about the lack of metal festival opportunities with the sad demise of Sonisphere this year. Fear not, there are still a whole host of incredible line-up's available over Summer to satiate your extreme tastes.
The rumours are true and Sonisphere 2012 has been cancelled. Announced initially through Adam Lambert, Queens guest vocalist, an official statement has been released today.
Reading between the lines, it's likely poor ticket sales the main reason and taking a look at the line-up of a festival regarded as one of the U.K's finest in relation to extreme music, is it really that much of a surprise? Festivals while potentially great value for money, aren't cheap, could it be expected the majority of discerning rock and metal fans would part with hard earned cash for the privilege of witnessing Queen headlining with some bloke from American Idol, the antithesis of all we hold dear in our musical world.
Elsewhere the bill resembled a pantomime, Kiss, Marilyn Manson and even The Darkness, the only additional requirement, Spinal Tap with Widow Twankey on vocals to round everything off nicely. At least Tim Minchin promotes himself as a joke act.
Organising a festival can't be easy, particularly in the current economic climate, the expectations of fans, competition so intense within the U.K surely leading to sleepless nights awaiting confirmation of the biggest and best acts. Sonisphere unfortunately appear to have succumbed to the pressure, announcing headliners so removed from it's core audience it defies belief. I genuinely hope this doesn't prove the end, metal, rock and punk need Sonisphere, they can't afford the loss of one of their finest supporters.
I can't imagine Adam Lambert has enamoured himself to many via his ham fisted leaking of the news, ah well, every cloud etc, etc.
Three albums re-issued from the back catalogue of the legendary, Ronnie James Dio this month. Nearly two years since we lost one of rock's finest vocalists. R.I.P.
Great new Tom Williams and the Boat video, enhancing the Country vibe around the title track from forthcoming album "Teenage Blood" released on April 23rd, which is available for pre order through their website.
If you enjoyed the debut "Too Close" this certainly won't disappoint and if you aren't aware of Tom Williams and the Boat........where have you been..........time to play catch up.
A couple of recent Mudkiss interviews from completely different ends of the musical spectrum. Phil King and Shay Rowan chat Country and Western with Lindi Ortega, while I take on rock n roll sleaze merchants The Icarus Line, in particular, front man Joe Cardamone.
Music doesn't come much more hot off the press. Brand new track from
Kindest of Thieves, with Chris Fox performing "The Dream (Stranger Home)" acoustically, prior to a
full band version hopefully appearing very soon. In the meantime, enjoy
the lyrically dexterity within a supremely catchy little number, guaranteed to be embedded in your brain for days to come.
If you haven't sampled the delights of the brilliant Vintage Trouble as yet, here's your chance with a free 4 track EP via NoiseTrade. The EP includes the absolutely storming "Blues Hand Me Down", a live track of their song "Love With Me", an
acoustic version of their song "Nancy Lee", and a recording of their
song "World's Gonna Have To Take A Turn Around" feat. the vocals of
Trouble Makers (Vintage Trouble fans)"
Go get it now people, these guys are one of the hardest working and best live acts on the circuit. Check out the video I took last year at their Manchester Academy show and Mudkiss review.
Modular Recordings really do produce some extremely interesting music, a category Jonathan Boulet fits perfectly. Tribal rhythms mixed with chanted vocals, ending via thrashed distorted chaos in true Akron / Family style. Another short, although brilliant track.
A new album 'We Keep The Beat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart' will be released in June.
After the sheer brilliance of "Kodiak Bear" Blind Atlas have only gone and done it again, releasing another absolutely gorgeous, heart string tugging piece of music, available as a free download.
I believe there's an album due around June, which on this basis, that will be absolutely essential listening.
Brand new track "Wind was the Wine" from the brilliant Woods, warped psychedelic folk at it's most endearing. Very short, but also, very, very sweet. Just a precursor to a new split album with Amps for Christ.
March and April prove interesting for album releases, a number of more mature acts airing new material. Can they still cut the mustard? Are their ideas vibrant or just tired and going through the motions? Read on : http://www.mudkiss.com/andysmarchretroalbums.htm
The Albion Band- Vice of the People
The Wedding Present - Valentina
The Stranglers - Giants
Killing Joke - MMX11
Sinead O'Connor - How About I Be Me (and you be you)
Electro, Psychedelic, Prog Blues!! outfit The Phoenix Experiment appear once again from within the furthest reaches of the Cosmos with their latest demo / work in progress "Sundance"
Can't wait for an album to appear, that's going to be one eclectic mix of spaced out tuneage.
Now here's an interesting idea from Cosmo Jarvis through Soundcloud. I'll let him explain, very honestly, how it works.
Hello there. I have lots of music that will never be released. The
quality (on various levels) of some of it may not be up to regular
standard because I was much younger when some of these tracks were badly
recorded by me. I mean seriously, some of this stuff is a little bit
shit but some of its OK. According to Facebook you all have 9,573,323
friends. 9,553,392 people don't know i exist but you can help me change
that a little bit by unlocking songs from my vault. Every week I’m going
to release two songs in the vault through Soundcloud. If the post I
make reaches 200 shares then the song with the most support in the
comments will be given away as a FREE download, the other will remain as
a stream. So all you really gotta do is share it with your friends by
clicking the share button and hopefully enough of you share it.
It's dark, it's ragged and real insight into the inner workings of The Phoenix Experiment, eight and half minutes of psychedelic blues within "Bad Vibration" made available as a free download.
Originally a twenty minute jam, probably recorded in the early hours of the morning I'd guess, "Bad Vibration" provides a snippet from the cosmic musical mindset of Mike Bee and cohorts. Who knows, what or even where this may end up going.
You find one great track from an artist you've never heard of and suddenly you're pointed in the direction of more. Check out Dead Flamingoes, another James Walbourne project with Kami Thompson and the gorgeous folk based track "Hold Your Fire."
There are occasions you come across the name of a musician you've never heard of, wondering how the hell did that happen, where have I been. Such is the case with James Walbourne.
An incredible guitarist who's played with The Pogues, still records and tours with The Pretenders and has undertaken recording sessions and shows with Jerry Lee Lewis,
Shane MacGowan, Death In Vegas, Saint Etienne, Ray Davis and Edwyn Collins amongst others.
I happened across an absolutely stunning track today "Gypsy Gate" from his "Drugs and Money" EP, a beautifully dark and melancholic piece of country folk, inclusive of incredible guitar work and gorgeous backing vocals provided by Kami Thompson, daughter of Richard and Linda.
Gypsy Gate is one of those tracks you just need to hear, and a perfect introduction to an incredible talent.
The
band's sophomore album sees them breaking far away from the acoustic
roots of their debut. Sons of Noel and Adrian's immersion in folk music
was always more informed by guitarists like Dave Pajo, David Grubbs and Jeff Parker
than by traditionalists. These influences, rooted in the city of
Chicago’s pre-millennial post-rock, jazz and avant-pop scenes, are
explored on Knots to their fullest. At times soft and orchestral, at times crass and loud, Knots is always infused with beauty and tenderness: soulful, taunt, honed and with a new found love of kosmiche experimentation. Knots’
expanded sonic tapestry is marshalled and woven with growing stature by
SONAA’s chief song-writer, Jacob Richardson, whose meditative lyrical
concepts and melodic craftsmanship mark him out as musician
of genuine depth and gravitas whilst remaining as arcane and beguiling
as Palace.
Rejecting
notions of a fixed line-up, Sons of Noel and Adrian is more of a
sprawling musical whirlpool centred around a few key members, not unlike
Broken Social Scene, with whom two members of Sons toured with last year as part of their horn section. The band includes members of The Mariner's Children, Eyes & No Eyes, and make up most of the renowned Willkommen Collective that spawned The Leisure Society, and the various members lend their talents freely to everyone from Damo Suzuki to Laura Marling.
Also don't forget the following shows:
April 2: CARDIFF – 10 Feet Tall | Last.fm | Songkick | Tickets | with Winter Villains & Emma Gatrill
April 3: BRISTOL – The Fleece | Last.fm | Songkick | Tickets | with Laish & Emma Gatrill
April 4: NORWICH – Arts Centre | Last.fm | Songkick | with Laish & Emma Gatrill
April 5: LONDON – Bush Hall | Last.fm | Songkick | Tickets | with Laish & Emma Gatrill
April 7: BRIGHTON – The Haunt | Last.fm | Songkick| with Laish & Emma Gatrill
Crap day? Feel the need for some honest to goodness, shit kickin rock n roll to blast all that general mundane bollocks away. Here's your tonic, a new track from Sweden's Airborne Enemies. Play it loud and play it fuckin proud.
Utterly brilliant psychedelic track and suitably bizarre video from Pond. "Fantastic Explosion of Time"
The band's fourth album, Beard, Wives, Denim is an audio
diary of ten friends' strange, terrible and blissful time in the country
trying in vain to be a wholesome family band. It sounds just like it,
distorted and woozy and fractured and ultimately nostalgic and loving.
Mixed by Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) and Rob Grant at Poon's Head Studio
in Perth, said record will be out on Modular Recordings March 2nd
(AUS), March 5th (UK/EU), and March 6th (US). Pre-order now, Mod Shop, JB Hi Fi.
Stream Beards, Wives, Denim in it's entirety here :
Pond will be touring across America with Oberhofer throughout March and April. The 5-week tour will take in SXSW, dates below.
US SPRING TOUR DATES
Tue March 6th || Black Cat Backstage || Washington, DC *!
Wed March 7th || Telfair Square, Savannah Stopover Music Festival || Savannah, GA *#
Thu March 8th || The Drunken Unicorn || Atlanta, GA *!
Sun March 11th || Fitzgerald's || Houston, TX *+
Sun March 18th || Low Key Arts || Hot Springs, AR *
Tue March 20th || Johnny Brenda's || Philadelphia, PA *
Wed March 21st || Bowery Ballroom || New York, NY *
Thu March 22nd || Brighton Music Hall || Boston, MA *
Fri March 23rd || Casa Del Popolo || Montreal, QC *
Sat March 24th || Cafe Dekcuf || Ottowa, ON *
Sun March 25th || The Drake Hotel || Toronto, ON *
Tue March 27th || Lincoln Hall || Chicago, IL *
Wed March 28th || Taylor University || Upland, IN *
Fri March 30th || Cactus Club || Milwaukee, WI *
Sat March 31st || The Maintenance Shop || Ames, IA *
Mon April 2nd || 7th Street Entry || Minneapolis, MN *
Wed April 4th || A Club || Spokane, WA *
Thu April 5th || Sunset Tavern || Seattle, WA *
Fri April 6th || The Biltmore Cabaret || Vancouver, BC *
Sat April 7th || Jinx Art Space || Bellingham, WA *
Sun April 8th || Squeak & Squawk Music || Tacoma, WA *
Mon April 9th || Mississippi Studios || Portland, OR *
Wed April 11th || Rickshaw Stop || San Francisco, CA *
Fri April 13th || The Echo || Los Angeles, CA
