With the sad demise of The Devil's Blood, I suppose Atlantean Kodex is now my favourite metal band. I love the heavy riffs, the long melodic songs and the pagan imagery. The band has announced a new album "The White Goddess - A Grammar Of Poetic Myth." This is kind of strange as their first album "The Golden Bough" has a track called "The White Goddess" on it. Anyway the new album is to be released in October.
What's really weird is that the band is picking titles from books I've owned since my teenage years as their album titles! Find out more about Atlantean Kodex at their new blog: http://thetrueatlanteankodex.blogspot.co.uk/
Earlier releases by the band are reviewed here and here.
Well, this is a real surprise! I never thought Beady Eye would amount to much, let alone produce a five-star album like this. Beaten by Black Sabbath's "13"to the top of the British charts, this is without doubt the better of the two albums.
This is basically Oasis without Noel. This time Liam and the boys have had pulled out all the stops, with some real quality songwriting, a tastefully psychedelic production and blissed-out artwork! Like many I had a love/hate relationship with Oasis. If I was in the mood, there was no more satisfying British group, but at other times Liam's whining voice and attitude were real downers. Here, on the cleverly titled "BE", his voice is more interesting, with more effort to his singing and less of his nasal whinge. All told, he sounds much more natural. It's the music that really steals the show, however. Building on the combined heritage of Oasis, indie, Britpop and Oxford's finest Ride, this is a really tight band. There's little of the sloppy swagger that blighted the first Beady Eye album "Different Gear, Still Speeding."
"BE" kicks off with the astonishing "Flick Of The Finger", surely the best opener of the year. It's short but immensely powerful, ending in a tirade by Kayvan Novak, reading a Tariq Ali piece. In under four minutes, I'm a little sad to say that this kicks into touch anything Noel Gallagher has produced in years. The You Tube item below doesn't really do the song justice. You need to hear it on uncompressed CD or vinyl to do it justice!
"Soul Love" (not the Bowie song) follows on in a similar groove, hypnotic and essential. I've read some bad press about "Face The Crowd", but I really like this poppy number. Should be great live. "Second Bite Of The Apple" may be a Beatles reference, and it shimmers in a Lennon-like way. Of course, the Gallagher Fab Four obsession is well known. "Soon Come Tomorrow", "I'm Just Saying" and "Don't Brother Me" are all finely crafted pop. The latter is no doubt about Noel, but it's not a bitter song, it's more reflective and retro in feel. "Shine A Light" is a song I didn't care for initially, but in truth it is a catchy number that's a real grower.
The album is available as Deluxe edition. This has extra songs which are all worth hearing, with the possible exception of the backwards song, which isn't in the Stone Roses ("Don't Stop") league. This album is a real keeper, and promises even greater things to come. I love it.
I was surprised by how much I liked this much-hyped new album by Ozzy, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler.
I've never been a huge fan of Ozzy's voice, much preferring other Sabbath vocalists Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan and Tony Martin. However, on this album Ozzy really shines and hearing him sing above Tony's killer riffs is indeed a nostalgic treat. The album starts off with the unpromising dirge "End Of The Beginning" with Ozzy crooning some of Geezer's most banal lyrics. Tony's riffing diverts attention from this, and he is ably supported by Geezer's fluid bass and guest drummer Brad Wilks. The lyrics are total dross though - what the hell is a 'cybersonic soul'?
The really good stuff starts with the powerful second track "God Is Dead" which has been used as a trailer to publicise the album.
Riff-heavy "Loner" follows and Ozzy cackles just before the acoustic intro to unusual ballad "Zeitgeist" kicks in. "Age Of Reason" is another great title for a Sabbath track, or even a Killing Joke one! Ozzy sounds world-weary and Brad's intro and contribution here are solid in a way Bill Ward may not have been able to match. "Live Forever" follows, and no, it's not the Oasis song! Tony lets rip on this one. A highlight, for sure. On "Damaged Soul", Tony goes further and sounds a lot like Jimi Hendrix in places. An unexpected treat! "Dear Father" closes the main album with the sound of a thunderstorm. So, we have eight tracks which have captured the public's imagination so well that it's entered the album charts at Number One. The eight song version is available as CD, double vinyl LP and download formats. There is a deluxe edition with with three more tracks "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" (not the Boston song) and "Pariah." These are all worth paying the extra for either as a double CD or an expanded download. However, the real news is that there is a twelfth track available only in certain territories and outlets. "Naievete In Black" is a fast rocker in the "Time Machine" style. It's available in the USA from Best Buy stores on a special 2CD set featuring an 8-song CD and a 4-song CD. Lately, it has been announced as available in Germany and Japan too. Perversely, the German version tacks the extra track onto the main album rather than the second CD. So you get a 9-track main CD and a bonus 3-tracker.
You can probably find the extra track as a legal download, but I know a lot of fans have been hacked off by this tacky piece of marketing, which almost encourages illegal downloading. The extra track isn't even included in special edition box set pictured above, which costs the princely sum of £69.99/US$74.98! It's pretty shabby to think that this track is not available in the band's home country. No doubt it will appear at some stage, perhaps on a "Tour Edition" CD release? One last point - all twelve tracks would fit on one CD!
There is some great material here, but the package as a whole is unsatisfying, so I am giving it four stars out of five. It's another cheapo multi-CD set from EMI. The box contains my favourite Tangs albums: "Phaedra", "Rubycon" and "Ricochet". You also get the less essential albums "Stratosfear" and the vocal "Cyclone". There are also inessential 7" mixes, pointless bleeding chunk edits and bizarrely, two radio adverts. It's quite a mess in terms of presentation. I prefer the CBS/Sony "Original Album Classics" packaging where individual albums come in separate card sleeves.
There is a further Tangerine Dream set of later Virgin material, and a more tempting Edgar Froese solo set incluing his seminal "Aqua" and "Epsilon In Malaysian Pale" albums. I recommend the latter.
At this bargain price, this set is worth the outlay if you are a fan of the fat analogue synth sounds the band pioneered. Check out the vintage footage below. It could convert you!
A day trip to Marlborough allowed me to have a good look around outstanding record shop "Sound Knowledge." Of course, I had to buy something, so I plumped for "Indigo Meadow," the new album by The Black Angels. It's psychedelia. American, retro, 60s-ish. I adore it. I can hear all those great Summer Of Love sounds, plus the 13th Floor Elevators, the Doors, maybe even the B-52s! The songs are quite poppy and surprisingly short. There are 13 tracks here, yet the total playing time is around 46 minutes. Curiously, I could have sworn that the songs and album were longer. I'm taking this as a good sign; that the album is satisfying. Lead release "Don't Play With Guns" is here and still sounding damn fine. It could almost be a hit, such is the pop sensibility only partially hidden by the grungy psychedelic veneer. All the tunes are strong; there are no duds here at all. Of particular interest to me is the track "I Hear Colors (Chromaesthesia)" which covers a topic I have been interested in ever since I discovered the works of Russian classical composer Alexander Scriabin many years ago.
My copy is the standard CD. It comes as a three-panel digipack. It's rather more substantial than the House Of Love one, with the booklet fitting nicely into one of the sleeve panels. A vinyl version is also available, and if all else fails there is the download option. The band are touring. Keep up at http://theblackangels.com/
I bought this on Tuesday from my local record retailer. Ever since, it's been on constant rotation here at Trisectorman Towers. It's a very good album, stronger than 2005's "Days Run Away." They should have called this one "More Songs About Eyes And Guns", as lyrically there's nothing new here. It's the singing and guitar from the Bickers/Chadwick axis that makes this album so very special.
There are twelve fine songs here. The album kicks off with "A Baby Got Back On Its Feet", familiar as a single and video release. The video omits the band's fantastic rhythm section of Matt Jury and Pete Evans, which seems a shame as they are well worth watching.
Favourite tracks are closing track "Eye Dream", "Money Man", "Sunshine Out Of The Rain", the title track and the aforementioned "Baby". It's hard to imagine the band without prodigal psychedelic guitarist Terry Bickers as he is once again fully integrated into the sound. The production is by the band and ex-Vibrator and Boyfriend Pat Collier. It seems that every album he is involved with is a true gem. This album is very easy to listen to, with no modern digital abrasiveness. The album's not long at just 39 minutes or so. This does mean you can burn both it and the even shorter predecessor album "Days Run Away" onto one CD-R for in-car listening! The album is available on CD, limited edition red vinyl and download. The recording is owned by the band, but licensed to the Cherry Red label. I chose the CD which comes in one of those vastly-overrated digipacks and with childish artwork. My copy was torn around the area where the booklet is inserted. I suspect that this will affect other copies, as the fit is too tight. Frankly, for the £11 I paid, I would have hoped for something a bit more robust and with more collector appeal. Don't let that put you off buying a copy, as this album is a keeper and really rather special.
The band are doing a short British tour next month. Unfortunately, domestic issues may mean I have to miss out, but hopefully the momentum from the release of this album and the re-issue of their Creation debut will last and lead to a further tour. A couple of festival dates have also been announced, so maybe the band will have a higher profile than of late. Keep up with the band at their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheHouseOfLoveOFFICIAL
Sad news that my favourite psychedelic metal band, The Devil's Blood, have split. Fortunately, there will be a few final releases including a DVD. Finding clips that capture the full jaw-dropping majesty of their blood-stained shows has been difficult, so the DVD will be most welcome. I consider myself very fortunate to have caught two of the band's three shows over here. More details of the final releases are at the band's site http://thedevilsblood.com/
Here is the promo video for the new House Of Love single "A Baby Got Back On Its Feet", from the brand new album "She Paints Words In Red", out on Monday. Mainman and vocalist Guy Chadwick looks a bit rough here, while Terry Bickers on effortless guitar appears to have been drinking from the fountain of youth. Treat yourself to a copy of the album, available on CD and red vinyl LP from all good record shops. If all else fails, compressed mp3 downloads are also available.
Sometimes you hear a band and fall in love with them instantly. It happened to me when I heard The Black Angels debut album "Passover" playing in my local Fopp shop. The band's 4th album "Indigo Meadow" is imminent, but for now enjoy the video for the single from it "Don't Play With Guns." It's American psychedelia at its very best. I hope the band will play a few dates here in the UK. Check out their website at http://theblackangels.com/
I don't have much enthusiasm for "tribute bands", but in the case of The Ramonas, I am happy to make an exception. After all, we will never see The Ramones again, and this British all-girl tribute act is simply irresistible. They are fun, fun, fun and genuine fans of the originals. I've been trying to see them for a while, but an upcoming gig near where I live gives me the chance at last! Check out the numerous videos on the band's site at http://www.ramonas.co.uk/index.htmand see whether they're playing near you.
Just to celebrate its brilliance and for no other reason, here is the video for The Stone Roses classic "I Wanna Be Adored." It was filmed in Lanzarote, the Canary Islands.
I must say that the wait to hear some new songs from the reformed band is excruciatingly long. The interplay on this track of Mani and Reni is astonishing, while John Squire's guitar has a groove all of its own. Meanwhile everyone's favourite monkey, Ian Brown, manages to look like the king of cool as usual. Which is just as well as his vocal doesn't kick in until 1'45" in the video...
What's the song like? Well, pretty standard Suede fare, that is to say, rather good if not terribly original. People have been comparing it to Simple Minds (which I can't hear), but as usual there is no doubting its Ziggy heritage.
Bowie's on sale again! This rather weird ballad is his first real new product in ten years. A fatalistic quality runs through the track, although it is oddly uplifting. The song refers back to his Berlin era, and there are echoes of "Heroes" in the synth work. More surprising are the video typos on the street names, and Bowie's very poor pronunciation of them. It's almost as if he hadn't ever been there. Production is by the incomparable Tony Visconti and the track features on the otherwise "rockier" album "The Next Day", due in March. With Earl Slick on guitar again, this could be special. The album will have 14 tracks in standard form, and 17 in Deluxe. Sounds rather a lot to me, so I hope the quality control is up to scratch. Currently, the track is only available as a download from the usual suspects.Best place to catch the HD of the video is on Bowie's site http://www.davidbowie.com/vision?videopremiere=true .
At last, a new album from The House Of Love has been announced. Titled "She Paints Words In Red", it is due for release on April 1st. Production is by Pat Collier of "Underwater Moonlight" fame. More details are at the band's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHouseOfLoveOFFICIAL . There is even a tracklisting available:
1. A Baby Got Back On Its Feet 2. Hemmingway 3. She Paints Words In Red 4. PKR 5. Lost In The Blues 6. Low Black Clouds 7. Money Man 8. Trouble In Mind 9. Never Again 10. Sunshine Out Of The Rain 11. Holy River 12. Eye Dream
This is totally, totally gorgeous. A beautiful electronic instrumental by the prolific Adrian Von Ziegler from Switzerland. His stuff is available to buy as downloads (including in the top quality FLAC format) at http://adrianvonziegler.bandcamp.com/.There are also a couple of CDs available at http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/AdrianvonZiegler . Unfortunately, "Evocation" does not seem to be available to buy just yet, as it is a brand new track. It's worth waiting for. Many thanks to my friend Len for introducing me to this music.
Best known for his work with Journey and Bad English, wild axeman Neal Schön has a new solo album "The Calling" out now. The title track promo video above is a touch ridiculous, but hey, this is rock'n'roll so why not live the dream? It's a great track and it's made me think about getting my guitar out again. You can listen to the album at Neal's solo site http://www.schonmusic.com/
More Journey here and here. Beautiful!
Is there a more frustrating band to follow than The House Of Love? Since their re-grouping in 2005, there's only been one short album, and comparatively few gigs. This year, there's been just one appearance, at a festival in Poland! It's hard to find out what the band's been up to other than at their official Facebook page.
With such a rich back catalogue, perhaps the band can afford their casual attitude to their career. Anyway, the band's classic debut album is about to be reissued as a deluxe 3CD edition. This is the album that brought classics such as "Christine" and "Love In A Car". Demos, live and previously unreleased tracks and the entire "German Album" are included as well as the classic Creation album. There are nice takes of "Destroy The Heart", "Shine On" and the Stooges classic "I Wanna Be Your Dog". Pricing is very competitive for an indie release, so order it today!
"Somebody called me Sebastian..." Ah yes, I can remember listening to that epic debut single on the fading-prone signal of Radio Luxembourg back in the 1970s. The single flopped here in the UK, but was a monster hit in Europe. I had a bit of a love/hate thing with Steve Harley, depending very much on my mood. And now, as predicted here a long time ago, is a compilation celebrating the early Cockney Rebel line-up. You get 4 CDs for the price of 1! You get the classic albums "The Human Menagerie" and "The Psychomodo". You get all the early EMI singles including "Judy Teen", the edit of "Sebastian" and all the B-sides. You get a disc of early versions and demos. You get a BBC Radio 1 In Concert and Peel Sessions CD. You get a hell of a lot for your money. You get down your local record emporium and get yourself a copy!
"Your lips, ruby blue..."
Read all about Steve and the special live performances of the first two albums at
Regular readers will know that I am a big Simple Minds fan, having followed them since 1979. However, even I have grown tired of the continual re-hashes of old material and "Greatest Hits"-type tours. For a band that has allegedly got a lot of new material written, they are certainly acting oddly. So, I really can't summon up much enthusiasm for the recently announced "Greatest Hits+" tour and "Celebrate" compilation. There are 28 dates on the tour, but no London, Glasgow, Edinburgh or Birmingham shows yet!
Here are the dates announced so far:
Waterfront, Belfast, UK 28th March, 2013 Sand Centre, Carlisle, UK 29th March, 2013
City Hall, Newcastle, UK 31st March, 2013
Music Hall, Aberdeen, UK 1st April, 2013
Caird Hall, Dundee, UK 2nd April, 2013
Cymru Arena, Llandudno 4th April, 2013
De Montfort Hall, Leicester, UK 5th April, 2013
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK 6th April, 2013
Dome, Brighton, UK 8th April, 2013
Pavilions, Plymouth, UK 9th April, 2013
Engine Shed, Lincoln, UK 11th April, 2013
Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, UK 12th April, 2013
O2 Academy, Leeds, UK 13th April, 2013
O2 Academy, Bournemouth, UK 15th April, 2013
Winter Gardens, Margate, UK 16th April, 2013
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, UK 17th April, 2013
Opera House, Blackpool, UK 19th April, 2013
Empire, Liverpool, UK 20th April, 2013
Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK 22nd April, 2013
G Live, Guildford, UK 23rd April, 2013
Hexagon, Reading, UK 25th April, 2013
City Hall, Sheffield, UK 26th April, 2013
City Hall, Hull, UK 27th April, 2013
Colston Hall, Bristol, UK 29th April, 2013
Guildhall, Portsmouth, UK 30th April, 2013
New Theatre, Oxford, UK 2nd May, 2013
University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK 3rd May, 2013
Regent, Ipswich, UK 4th May, 2013
Some interesting venues there. I can recommend Southend. I remember a wild time in the mosh pit last time the band played there! I have seen them at the Colston Hall, Bristol too and that's a good venue with a mix of seating at the back and standing at the front. Oxford is somewhere I don't remember the band playing before. However, the venue is a dump with cramped seating. Avoid! You'd be better choosing one of the standing venues, perhaps on the coast. I'm surprised to see Cambridge on the list after the notorious "Show some respect!" debacle when "Mandela Day" was played there last time.
Sadly, right now I'm bored with the band. I guess really I'm not in the mood to see Jim prancing around the stage, straining to hit the high notes. Perhaps a backing vocalist will be dragged in again to support his hoarser moments. Expect omnipresent guitarist Charlie Burchill to be there. Mel Gaynor is likely to be on drums (though I'm not a fan of his heavy style and much prefer original drummer Brian McGee). Ged Grimes is the latest in a long line of disposable bass players, and certainly not in the same league as Derek Forbes. There will also be a keyboard player, possibly Andy Gillespie, again no Mick MacNeil.
On the CD front, there are three new releases to report:
1. "Celebrate" a greatest hits album with a couple of new tracks, one of which will be "Broken Glass Park" - but wasn't that on the iffy "Hampton Court" live album? The artwork appears to be another tired re-hash of the "Empires And Dance" statue, first seen back in 1980, when it was genuinely iconic. This compilation is scheduled for March 2013.
2. A double live CD album from the disappointing 5x5 tour. Disappointing because this current line-up has little feel for the groove of this era. I didn't go to the shows, but I have heard the bootlegs.
3. A cheapo 5CD box of "New Gold Dream", "Street Fighting Years", "Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call", "Once Upon A Time" and "Sparkle In The Rain". This is an odd selection which duplicates some of the terrific 5x5 box. This new box is on sale now.
All this material is being released by Virgin, so perhaps the band has been dropped by Universal? That would be a shame as the last album of new material "Graffiti Soul" showed great promise, and returned the band to the Top 10 Albums in the UK. As a long-time fan, what I crave is new material, but it doesn't seem to be on the horizon at all. D'Oh!
STOP PRESS: All is not lost, however, as splinter band XSM featuring Forbes, MacNeil and McGee have recorded a new album which will be released early in 2013. Great stuff!
I need hardly tell you that The Rolling Stones are on tour, with tickets in the range of £100 - £400 each! Richard Branson is one of the promoters. However, a much better buy is the upcoming tour by Welsh rockers Panic Room. Click on the flyer below to see the full dates. Anne-Marie and the boys always turn out a peerless show. I was going to Winchester but London seems more likely now as I'd like to catch Morpheus Rising, support band for only a few of the shows. Two great bands for just £12! More Panic Room here, here, here, here and here! Accendo Astri.
A new single from the Stones! Unsurprisingly, it sounds a lot like a typical Rolling Stones rocker, as you can hear if you click on the video above. It's featured on the "new" Stones album "GRRR!" which is yet another compilation. There is just one other new song on the album. After the overlong "A Bigger Bang" the lads have gone the other way and rationed the new product. You can find out more about the album and all things Stones at http://www.rollingstones.com/
The video reminds me of Prince's "Sign O' The Times" (no bad thing) as it is just computer-generated text and follows a similar topical groove. On reflection, I rather like this new single. It's not a classic, but that adds to its charm in a strange kind of way. The riff is good and Keefy and the rhythm is solid and beefy. I am a huge fan of the Mick Taylor years, and find Ron Wood's playing in the Stones to be surprisingly lacking in character, so I'd say there's no distinctive soloing guitar here. More importantly, Jagger's voice is remarkably strong on this new song. I like the harp too.
Heart are back! The Wilson sisters have a new album "Fanatic" out soon. Watch the promo video and the documentary above. I've been following Heart since the "Dreamboat Annie" album released here on Arista back in 1976. Never a hip band, I lost interest a little during their most popular period in the UK, around the time of "Alone". I think the ridiculous hair metal look (especially on the fellas) didn't help. Their Zeppelin riffs and covers have been in and out of fashion. Now, after a few years without much record company interest, Heart's star is very much in the ascendant again. I wish them luck with this new album and single. The sisters still rock!
I have to thank my very good friend Len for introducing me to the music of Dutch instrumentalist Arjuna Schiks.
There is a gorgeous free download of a one hour-long trancey piece entitled "Summer 2012" at http://soundcloud.com/arjunaschiks/arjuna-schiks-2012-summer-2012-paradiso Get it while you can! It's likely to appeal to fans of electronic music from the era of early Tangerine Dream to present-day disco outings. There are other pieces of his work to listen to at the same location.
It's very easy to take Europe for granted. A couple of years ago, I was blown away by their stage show and the album "Last Look At Eden". Despite this, it's taken me a while to catch up with this new album. If anything it's stronger and more consistent than its predecessor. The band are fairly traditional and sometimes sound a lot like Led Zeppelin or Whitesnake without the cock rock hilarity. There are eleven tracks here, and the album clocks in at just 41 minutes. In a sense, this is a strength and the album doesn't peter out towards the end like so many.
The album kicks off with "Riches To Rags" a cool rocker, and it must be
autobiographical to some extent. Next up is "Not Supposed To Sing The
Blues", the first single from the album. Here is the video, so that you
can judge the quality for yourself:
Third track is the new single "Firebox", reviewed here before. Just to recap, this is built around a Zep-type riff and has the most amazing psychedelic break mid-song. Check out the video here:
Title track "Bag Of Bones" is an interesting bluesy number, and features guest Joe Bonamassa on slide guitar. "Requiem", a short instrumental courtesy of keyboard player Michael Michaeli, leads into another bluesy track "My Woman My Friend". "Demon Head" is another rocker and "Drink And A Smile" has a more acoustic feel with Joey's vocal sounding rather strange. "Doghouse" is a fun rocker track which may be familiar from the Shepherd's Bush live CD/DVD/Blu-Ray (of which more soon) but sounds rather more together here. An even better riff kicks off "Mercy You Mercy Me" which has a guitar tone to die for, courtesy of original guitarist John Norum, now firmly back in the fold. Final track is the ballad "Bring It All Home".
So, all in all, a great album mixing rockers and bluesy numbers to devastating effect. While writing this review, I came across the interview below in which Joey explains the album in detail, and is quite honest about the influences on the band. Joey is an anglophile, and his command of our language is second to none.
This album is an essential purchase and is available on vinyl, CD and as inferior download mp3s. Get a copy now, and give some thought to the upcoming shows. The band's website is at http://www.europetheband.com/home.htmland is well worth a visit.
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