Archive for the ‘Suggestions’ Category
‘Suds’gestion: Language Room
For this edition of ‘Suds’gestion, Jonathan offers up the band Language Room.
Hailing from Austin, Texas, they play bread-and-butter hard-driving modern rock. But like most of the bands that have been showing up in our inbox, there’s just nothing special about these guys. They don’t do anything to make you dislike them, but neither do they do anything to make you love them. They’re just kinda there.
Their new self-titled album is out now. Check out their video for the song “In Lines” and tell me if you disagree.
-Sam
I’ve been going back over my music library over the past couple of weeks, and I realised that I have amassed so many albums that mean the world to me. So I’ll begin with what, in my mind, is a bona-fide classic: American Football from “way back” in 1999. 
I’m gonna get all personal with you now. This record is one of my favourites, and one that has managed to stay with me since I first heard it at 14. It’s an album that still gets me misty-eyed and nostalgic for summer vacations (I know everyone has at least one record that provokes a similar reaction). It makes me recall all those times I did things that I regret, things that I wished I could do again and. most importantly, people I’ll never forget. I’ve had a lot of “what if…?” moments in the past, even if they were just teenage dreams and crushes, and every person (read: girl) I’ve ever gotten goofy over has been contemplated, studied and worshipped with American Football playing on my stereo.
Formed in 1997, these guys only managed 12 songs (9 on this release, 3 on a previous EP) of recorded output and a handful of shows, but it’s clear that they had something special going here. This album is pitched somewhere between the jangly indie of Death Cab For Cutie and the sombre tones of Jeniferever. Guitars twang and intertwine on a permanently clean plane, creating a swishing soundscape littered with perky harmonics and off-kilter melodies. The orchestration seems so intricate that it seems overwhelming to know American Football are a 3-piece band. Polyrhythmic structures, tight drumming and a wistful vocal performance from indie golden boy Mike Kinsella combine with the astonishing guitar work to create something truly unique and truly wonderful.
My taste in music was so malleable when I was a teenager that it’s a testament to American Football that they managed to remain a band that I still return to now that I’m almost 23. I’ve grown up and away from so many different artists and genres of music that, for me, it does take something truly brilliant to survive the passing of time, especially considering how crazy and fickle teens can be. I implore anyone who actually reads this to hunt this album down and take the time to love it as much as I do. This album will always be as important to me as it has been for the past 8 years, even if it’s never the soundtrack to a crush/love/break-up ever again.
OK, so this is kind of a dual post. First and foremost to inform anyone who visits Suds about the awesomely talented Rolo Tomassi, and secondly (more importantly) to review their second album: Cosmology.
Having been active in some way or another for close to 5 years now, these guys have built up a solid fanbase and live reputation in the UK, famous particularly for their jarring, synth-infused rhythms and frontwoman Eva Spence’s ferocious roar. They’ve been tearing up venues up and down the country, including high-profile support slots with The Dillinger Escape Plan and slots at the big summer festivals. A worthy live reputation causes problems for a lot of bands. The main issue being the difficulty of capturing the raw passion of a live performance on record. Rolo Tomassi, however, have no such issues.
Their spazzed-out tech-metal meets dance sound is perfectly captured on Cosmology, which is a real relief considering just how easy it is to lose individual instruments and subtle arrangements amongst such a racket. Effortlessly switching back and forth from pummelling brutality to dreamy soundscapes, Rolo clearly have the musical tightrope walking down. The beauty of title track/closer ‘Cosmology’ sits easily alongside the discomforting lurch of ‘French Motel’, and both are high-points. Lead-off single ‘Party Wounds’ is an absolute killer, displaying the prodigious vocal talents of Eva Spence, who straddles the line between angelic choir soprano and feral beast with a confidence rarely seen in metal music. When you throw in the fact that she’s barely out of her teens, it’s quite a remarkable performance. Throw in brother James’s yelping, and it makes for a fine dual-delivery that gives the album’s heavier moments real variety.
As is the case with some of the more experimental works of art, Cosmology is at times a hit-and-miss affair. ‘French Motel’ is an impressive piece of music, but it manages to display both the strength and weakness of the band’s approach. One section sees the most unusual use of the synth amongst a discordant mess that really doesn’t add to proceedings – an example of how difficult Rolo can be to listen to at times – but that section precedes the brilliant use of the synth to emphasise the heavy riffs with a distorted effect, which absolutely pummels the ears. In fairness, those wrong turns are very few and far between. Rolo have polished their sound, focused their efforts, and produced an album which is a real step-up from mental debut ‘Hysterics’.
If you like your music difficult, dense and experimental, then this group of Sheffield youngsters will be right up your street. If you’re into hooks and melodies, steer clear if you don’t fancy a challenge. I like my music either way, and I enjoyed this album. Recommended.
‘Suds’gestion: The Will
Reader Amanda sends in today’s suggestion.
She says,
The band goes by The Will and they have a rock sound influenced by Hot Water Music, Nirvana, Against Me!, and Chuck Ragan.
Well, I don’t see the Nirvana influence at all, but the other three fit. I’d hazard a guess that these guys were influenced a bit by Sublime too (and hey, waddaya know, they have a cover of “Badfish” posted at their MySpace). Hailing from California, you can definitely hear the Pacific sound all over their music.
It doesn’t really do a whole lot for me, but you can check them out at their MySpace page.
-Sam
Today’s suggestion comes from regular Suds reader Elliott.
Elliott suggests Eugene, Oregon’s The Underlings, who he describes as such:
I would describe them as indie but that’s not really doing the band justice. They are a really good rockin band led by former garden weasel guitarest ed on guitar and vocals. If i have to categorize this band I’d say rock with a little punk mixed in for flavor.
That’s a good description. I’d call them “garage-punk” but with a definite pop aesthetic. Not the kind of bubblegum pop that is played on the radio, but pop in the sense of easily recognizable melodies and rhythms. Think Rancid or Foxboro Hot Tubs. The singer’s got a nice voice and I’m digging the chunky bass lines.
It’s a shame that these guys have so few plays on their MySpace page because they are a pretty fun band, so head on over there and give ‘em a listen.
Today’s tip comes from Eileen, who suggested that we check out A Million Years who are, as she puts it, “A Brooklyn indie band actually from Brooklyn!”
She then goes on to say,
The music is experimental and sonic, equally pleasing to the coolest hipster or the most sci-fi geek….but will definitely get you out of bed.
First off, after listening to all the songs the band has posted on MySpace, I wouldn’t exactly say this is the kind of music that will get you out of bed. It’s got more of a “lively chill” vibe going on – like an idling engine rather than one in ignition.
And as far as being pleasing to the coolest hipster…well, that’s up to you to decide whether that’s a good thing or not. When I think of hipster music I usually think of douchiness incarnate, so that might not be the best descriptor for drawing in new fans.
The bottom line is that A Million Years sounds like a perfectly decent college band – nothing more, nothing less. If that sounds like you’re cup of tea, their debut album, Mischief Maker, will be released in August. You can check out video of them playing two songs live after the jump:
A reader named Eric sent us an email recently suggesting that we check out Diablo Royale, a New York-based hard rock band. Well, your wish is our command.
Here they are playing their track “Resistance” live:
It’s pretty obvious that this group grew up listening to a lot of Alice in Chains. The singer even tries to sound like Layne Staley, which works some of the time and sometimes it doesn’t. Of course, Diablo Royale don’t exhibit nearly the amount of depth as AIC, but they readily admit that, saying “This band is all about the music and giving fans something they can get off listening to it, not something deep and intellectual you need to take hours to understand.”
OK, that’s fine. I’d much rather hear a band admit that up front than pretend to be something they aren’t. They make easily digestible, if not very filling, generic radio rock. At least these guys are ten times better than Nickelback and Hinder.
Diablo Royale’s latest release Greedy Dogs can be heard in its entirety at the group’s Bandcamp page. And best of all, they are going the Radiohead route and letting their fans name their own price if they want to buy it. Which means you can spend as little as one red cent to get the whole thing. That’s pretty rad. So go check it out. What do you have to lose?
-Sam
We here at Suds get music suggestions and recommendations from time to time. Sometimes they come from the artists themselves or the label/management, other times they come from the readers. They are always welcome (and you can send in your own tips to tips@sudsonbleeker.com), but just be prepared for the possibility that we may say your suggestion (or your music if you’re the artist) sucks. Hey, win some lose some, right?
So with that said, let’s talk about Mister Fusty.
Mister Fusty (aka Rob Gibson) is a British dude who makes “lo-fi electronic/acoustic pop musical confections.” Well, I don’t know about that. It’s certainly lo-fi, but to me what it really sounds like is jazzy elevator Muzak mixed with mumbly lyrics, all desperately trying to sound something like slower Gorillaz stuff. Some of this music sounds like a crappy knockoff of the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack /a drugged-out version of the intro to the Land of Make Believe on Mr. Rogers. But that music was either purposefully ironic or genuinely retro . This stuff sadly isn’t.
Apparently, Senor Fusty has a new EP called Connect coming out next week. If what I’ve written thus far has actually intrigued you, well then go listen to the whole thing at his website. At least he’s donating all the proceeds to charity.
Hey, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?
-Sam
TRC (just a quick one)
I’ve been staying up late checking out some music TV the past couple of weeks. It yields some fruit (it’s the only time of day Suicide Silence will ever get airplay), but it’s mostly stuff I’m already familiar with, or stuff that’s just, well…crap
Imagine my surprise, then, when I stumble across a band slamming through some sweet hardcore grooves whilst a couple of nutters shout/rap over the top. Bewildering to say the least. The band was TRC (The Revolution Continues), the song was entitled “London’s Greatest Love Story”, and upon seeing the video again the very next night, I started to understand where the appeal lies. Clearly the band have a variety of influences, from the metallic bash of Hatebreed to the down n’ dirty sound of the UK grime scene, these guys channel all of their inspiration to create a furiously heavy combination of muscle and sleaze.
The obvious comparison would be Gallows. But the fact is, Gallows don’t threaten on record like they do in a live setting, whereas TRC’s sound stalks the speakers and blasts forth like an absolute juggernaut. Lyrically, there’s a lot of honest stuff going on and plenty of big shout-out moments that would doubtlessly make them a very entertaining live act. I’ll be looking to catch them wherever they may be touring next, but if you’re not lucky enough to do the same (head over to their myspace page to check out dates), then go purchase their latest, self-titled EP directly from them or from iTunes. Fans of dirty hardcore grooves will not be disappointed.
We have a good one for you pop and R&B fans; this guy will be all over your radio before you even know it. If you’re into the likes of Jason Derulo and Jay Sean, you’re going to be into this guy.
Tino Coury, hailing from Pittsburgh, has everything it takes. Coury is now six weeks into an eight week promotional tour. If you’re in or around San Antonio on May 23rd, get tickets for MixFest 2010. Coury will be there performing his incredible single, “Diary.”
For the song, Coury states, he had a concept in his head while writing it.
I had the concept in my head [of] “I read your diary,” and I knew it could mean so many different things. In today’s world, everything is in writing, whether it be a text, e-mail, etc., so I think everyone has been through a situation where they read something they didn’t expect to see. I [have] been through that situation and I’m sure a lot of people have, too. I poured all that emotion into one song that I think everybody can relate to. (PopEater.com)
Tino Coury is finishing up on his album, set to drop in September. He hopes the album will portray a story people can relate to with a unique twist. Additionally, he hopes his upbeat tracks will provide music lovers with a club feel – which his single “Diary” certainly does.
We have the lyrics to “Diary” after the jump (which SongMeanings has, too!). We also guide you to his music video. continue reading