Tag: prog rock

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Currently comprised of Brigid Dawson (vocals and tambourine), Petey Damnit (a.k.a. Petey Damnit!) Mike Shoun (drums) and led by the band’s founder member and creative mastermind, John Dwyer (vocals and guitar),  San Francisco-based quarter Thee Oh Sees have developed a reputation both regionally and nationally for being incredibly prolific, as they’ve released over a dozen albums since their official formation back in 2004 — and for being relentlessly experimental, as each album they’ve released has been decidedly different, while remaining true to their garage rock/psych rock origins. And naturally, as result of their prolificacy, their reputation for sweaty, raucous, and punishing live set and their ability to craft mind-melting power chord-based rock, the Bay Area-based outfit has become a JOVM mainstay and blogosphere darlings.

 

2015 has been a big year for Dwyer and associates as they released the critically acclaimed Mutilator Defeated At Last, arguably one of the heaviest and hardest hitting efforts the band has released in recent memory. And they’ll close out the year playing a number of live shows — including a two night benefit concert for L.A. Kitchen, a Los Angeles-based charity, whose mission is to provide healthy meals to the area’s homeless and help unemployed and unskilled men and women for jobs and more. But they also will close out the year with the announcement of the release of the “Fortress”/”Man In A Suitcase” 7 inch, slated for a February 12 release through Dwyer’s renowned Castle Face Records.

The material for the new 7 inch is culled from the Mutilator Defeated sessions and acts as an addendum of sorts to the album, as well as a teaser for a full-length slated for release sometime in 2016. A Side single “Fortress” is probably the most prog rock-leaning song Dwyer and associates have released in some time, as the song consists of propulsive and forceful, motorik-like groove, a throbbing bass line, breakneck, mind-melting guitar chords and falsetto vocals — all of which give the song an anxious, buzzing and nightmarish feel that evokes the sensation of restless tossing and turning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Dates 

Wednesday 12/16 Los Angeles, CA (L.A. Kitchen benefit) – Buy Tickets
Thursday 12/17 Los Angeles, CA (L.A. Kitchen benefit) – Buy Tickets
Thursday 12/31 Palm Springs CA, The Commune at Ace Hotel
Friday 1/8 Brisbane, Crow Bar
Saturday 1/9 Gold Coast, Shark Bar
Sunday 1/10 Byron Bay, The Northern
Wednesday 1/13 Newcastle, The Small Ballroom
Friday 1/15 Sydney, Newtown Social Club
Saturday 1/16 Wollongong, Wollongong Uni Bar
Tuesday 1/19 Geelong, Barwon Club
Wednesday 1/20 Melbourne, Howler
Saturday 1/23 Fremantle, Mojo’s Bar
Friday 2/12 Solana Beach, Belly Up Tavern
Wednesday 3/23 – Sunday 3/27 – Boise ID, Treefort Music Festival

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Although they’ve had a number of lineup changes over the years, the Athens, GA-based quartet Maserati, currently comprised of Coley Dennis (guitar), Matt Cherry (guitar). Chris McNeal (bass) and Mike Albanese (drums), have developed a reputation for a sound that draws heavily from post-rock, psych rock and prog rock since their formation back in 2000. Over the last few years, the band has increasingly been pursuing a sound that meshes elements of space rock, krautrock and psych rock with a retro-futuristic leaning.

The band’s forthcoming album Rehumanizer slated for an October 30 release through Brooklyn-based label Temporary Residence, Ltd. marks the first album that the band completely self-produced, as well as an effort in which the band openly employed technology as a songwriting tool.

As a result, Rehumanizer’s first single “End of Man” meshes a trippy motorik groove comprised of cascades of buzzing and shimmering synths, forcefully propulsive drumming and angular guitar chords played through layers of reverb and delay pedals paired with vocals fed through vocoder to craft a song that sounds inspired by Kraftwerk, Hawkwind and The Sword simultaneously. The album’s second single “Rehumanizer II” meshes propulsive and undulating synths, angular guitar chords reminiscent of A Flock of Seagulls‘ “I Ran ” and U2‘s “Wire,” and four-on-the-floor drumming to craft a furious and tense composition that clearly draws equally from 80s synth pop as it does from krautrock, complete with a chugging motorik groove. Both tracks are taut yet incredibly cinematic, as though they should be part of the soundtrack of a post apocalyptic, sci-fi thriller.

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Originally starting as a solo home studio project in 2010, the Hull, Quebec-based band Scattered Clouds eventually expanded to it’s current lineup – a trio comprised of Philippe Charbonneau, Pierre-Luc Clément and Jamie Kronick. And as you’ll hear […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

The Dublin-based trio of No Spill Blood originally started as a side project with each member of the act bounding over a mutual love of Devo, Trans Am and The Melvins when they recorded their […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their debut effort, the Philadelphia, PA-based trio of Busses, comprised of Dave Brett, Jason Bachman and Nick Apice, the trio won attention for an effort that sonically speaking, effortlessly and defiantly […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Originally comprised of Matt Hedigan (bass and vocals), Ruadhan O’Meara (synths) and Lar Kaye (drums), the Dublin, Ireland-based trio of No Spill Blood started out as a side project, with each member bonding over a mutual love of Devo, Trans Am, The […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Silber Media, the label home of the Durham, NC-based Irata and best known for an emphasis on experimental acts that specialize one drone have enlisted a number of bands on their roster in an interesting […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their debut effort, Everything Is Not Going To Be Okay, the Washington, DC-based trio of Black Clouds quickly developed a reputation for a quasi-nihilistic post rock sound and aesthetic. And interestingly enough, the […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Dave “Squids” Kerzner is a Miami, FL-based musician, songwriter and producer, who was once a member of Sound of Contact with Simon Collins, the son of 80s pop star and Genesis frontman, Phil Collins. After […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Gum Takes Tooth are a London,UK-based duo comprise of Jussi Brightmore (synthesizer, programming, electronic instruments and vocals) and Thomas Fuselgang. And whereas their debut effort, Silent Cenotaph, learned heavily towards metal, their forthcoming sophomore effort, Mirrors Fold has […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

The Chicago, IL-based quartet of Raiders of the Lost Art specialize in a sound that’s highly unusual for most indie rock bands – hell, for most acts these days as it’s heavily inspired by jazz; […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Since forming in Hamburg, Germany four years ago, Collapse Under the Empire, which consists of the duo Chris Burda and Martin Grimm have received attention internationally for a unique brand of prog rock that manages to be at […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Formerly the vocalist for the Bay Area-based shoegaze band, Whirr, Kristina Esfandiari writes, records and performs under the moniker of Miserable – a band name that will likely have your search engine wheezing and struggling […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2729023148/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/ Formed last year, the UK-based quartet of of Gold Codes have a sound that they’ve described as being “situated somewhere between Texas, Lagos, 1960s London, and the Congo.” In other words, it has elements of psych rock, […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

A Q&A with Three Wise Monkey’s Brad “Kypo” Kypriotis

As a blogger, i frequently receive tons of emails from PR firms and labels touting a new band or someone’s latest project and on occasion I hear from a band or an artist personally. Sometimes […]