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.

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

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.

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:

Click here to view the embedded video.

-Sam

Here they are playing their track “Resistance” live:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

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

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.

Tino Coury.

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. 

Music Video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcs595_tino-coury-diary-official-music-vid_music

“Diary” Lyrics

I read your diary, and it said
That you weren’t in love with me, And your leaving
And I wish that i didn’t see
That you fell in love with him, him, him
But I read your diary

I saw a book wit lock and key right next to your name
I, I, I, I couldn’t help myself cause things aint just been the same
Can you please tell me cause this sh** is so insane
My heart is bleeding
Papercut from reading, reading

Page 1
Says that your falling in and out of love
Page 2
Says all them things I do just aint enough
Page 3
No I couldn’t see, Page 3 says you don’t know how to explain it to me

But I read your diary
And it said
That you weren’t in love with me
And your leaving
And I wish that I didn’t see
That you fell in love with him, him, him
But I read your diary

Oh Oh Oh
Your diary
Oh Oh Oh

I turn the page and see a picture of you and him
No, No, No, that was the night you told me you were out with your
friends
And now I know that my kiss was just S, Second
My heart is bleeding
Papercut from reading, reading…

Page 4
Says your addicted to sexin him every night
Page 5
Has all the reasons you know that this isnt right
Page 6
I cant handle this
I feel just like JT on that cry me a river sh**

Cause I read your diary
And it said
That you weren’t in love with me
And your leaving
And I wish that I didn’t see
That you fell in love with him, him, him
But I read your diary

Oh Oh Oh
Your diary
Oh Oh Oh

Lets make a list
(check)
Broken promises
(check)
How you always told me you loved me right after every kiss
(check)
And you, you always talkin shit
On them other chicks
(check)
And now its obvious that we know who the real b**** is…

I read your diary
And it said
That you weren’t in love with me
And your leaving
And I wish that I didn’t see
That you fell in love with him, him, him
But I read your diary

Oh Oh Oh
Your diary
Oh Oh Oh
Your Diary

This week I wanted to give a nod to the sophomore release of Robert Randolph & The Family Band. The best way to describe this group is  funk jam band. I know there are a lot of negative connotations that come with both funk and jam bands, but these guys are the ones that do it right. Led by Robert Randolph on the Pedal Steel guitar,  his band filled with both family and non-family members make some of the most dance-able and sincere music around. All of that is a nod back to their roots as a house band for their local church.

More about the album after the jump

This album has one of the most solid openings that I have ever heard. “Going In The Right Direction” sums up the album, its all about spirituality and good times.  What is even more impressive is that they manage to keep that energy throughout the album, even during the slower songs like “Soul Refreshing” and “Smile” . They manage to have pockets in the album where they slow it down but just long enough for you to catch your breath before going off on another high energy song. Robert Randolphs’ Pedal Steel will keep your toe tapping the entire time, it is easy to hear why he is considered one of the best Pedal Steel guitarists around. His opening riffs on “Good Times (3 Stroke)” is some of the best string work I have ever head, its no wonder why gets many comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughn or even Hendrix. Even though their music is pretty thick with spirituality, it never comes off as peachy or too heavy and gets in the way of the music.  Once this album starts coming through your speakers, you will wonder where the past 47 minutes went as you hear the final notes of the album.

I could go on and on as to how much fun their live shows are….but that’s another post for another day but I will say this….it was one of the funnest performances I have ever been to.

Here is a performance of  “Going In The Right Direction”

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is the video for “Doubtful Comforts” by Blue Roses. What makes this video special though is their attempt to make a 3D video using “Wiggle Stereoscopic” techniques. While it may not be true 3D, it is supposed to trick your mind into thinking that it is in 3D. Apparently the way it works is there are two cameras that film at slightly different angles, and the images jump between them. It usually works pretty well in still images, and there are moments of here that work really well but the effect isn’t as good as I hoped it would be.

Check out the video. Did it work for you? Would you want to see others try this……or should we just pass?

Click here to view the embedded video.