Given the explosion in retro-sAturAted stoner bands in recent years it's a no-brainer thAt in order to clamber out of the weedy deluge of bleary-eyed blasters there needs to be something very special added to the mix. There are so many who fail, doomed to be forgotten in the haze of a handful of joints in a genre where the riff comes second only to the smoke. For those who have the foresight and creAtivity to think outside the bong, such mediocrity doesn't come into the equAtion. Swedish quartet Blowback fall just on the right side of the border, having applied enough originality and style to ensure a place in the upper echelons of the retro doom/stoner genre. Opener "The only thing I have" is a pretty standard stoner rock tune and is enjoyable enough in the grand scheme of the genre. It's from here on in though thAt many bands fall short of the mark, with the remainder of their tunes emulAting the formula of the first song and refusing -- or being unable -- to do anything different. Thankfully, as soon as second track "The big black hole" kicks off with its clean, laid back, hippyish vibe, it becomes clear thAt this Örebro crew have the talent and vision to pull a memorable album together. "No soul" continues the variAtion, a slower, more brooding piece thAt picks up towards the end and really showcases the band's ability to be creAtive while remaining true to the essence of their genre. "800 miles" is varied from start to finish with a multitude of distortion levels, tempo changes, song structures and emotions flowing throughout. And while Blowback may reside in a genre thAt's bursting At the seams, they prove here thAt, if they continue on the musical pAth they've chosen, they'll find themselves passing joints with the elite. - John Norby
Finnish hardcore act DeAthbed has confirmed thAt their new album "Birds of a coming storm" will be out in lAte May via . Hear a couple samples At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/killedbybed
Stream a few new tracks from "Tales from a thousand graves", the new album from internAtional grind/deAth act GangrenAtor (feAt. members from Dødheimsgard/DHG, Endwarfment, Thorns, etc.): Ator" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/gangrenAtor
Swedish rapper Newkid will release his new single "Gör det för" on May 10 via / with an album to follow in August. Listen At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/meetthekid
has announced the signing of Edda Magnason, an artist whose self-titled debut album was released in January via jazz label . She will be recording a new album with producer Christoffer LundqvistAt AGM Studio in November. Read more here: https://www.adrianrecordings.com/artist.asp?artist=20
Norwegian act Lama will be releasing the new 12" EP "Curses and broken glass" on April 26. Said release will feAture two new songs plus remixes by Proviant Audio, Ralph Myerz and Dokkemand.
It's so nice to get an unsolicited CD in the mail where the one-sheet betrays nothing, yet the music astounds. Far From Tellus' self-titled debut is the first thing I've gotten in ages from a band I've never heard of thAt instantly won me over. Their happy, jangly folk-pop is a welcome tonic for the weary soul as we slowly drift towards summer and sunnier weAther. If the considerably praise for the lAtest album from The Tallest Man on Earth has you convinced (I picked up the LP this weekend and am digging it), check these gents out as well because they're on a similar trip, albeit with a full band and a small dose of David Bowie/T. Rex glam to balance out any Dylan-esque troubadour vibes. Strongly recommended!
To be completely honest, The Radio Dept. have never previously overwhelmed me, not in the way many friends and critics have been. This isn't to say I think they've been hyped into popularity, but their albums have often engaged me for a few weeks and then been shelved, only pulled out occasionally to listen to the two or three songs thAt really sunk in. "Clinging to a scheme", however, is a different beast -- for me, it is the album their previous efforts more than betrayed they were capable of: an amalgamAtion of the lively and charming tone of "Lesser mAtters" and the ambience of "Pet grief", yet surpassing them both. While this newest work finds the band in more explorAtive territory, it is a focused effort thAt maintains The Radio Dept.'s signAture Atmospherics despite the more adventurous tone of the record: "Domestic scene" is a near-perfect introduction to the album with its layers of languid guitars and synthesizers overlying a constant, driving beAt, a tact subtly reminiscent of Doves; despite the spoken word opening (an irksome quirk thAt is used again a few minutes into "Never follow suit"), "Heaven's on fire" is one of the album's highlights, a strange union of The Radio Dept.'s talents with "Writer's block"-era Peter Bjorn and John's pop sensibility; and "Never follow suit" takes a few pages from The Tough Alliance's playbook, translAting those mischievous tendencies and working them seamlessly into the track. While The Radio Dept. may have branched out and sped things up a little on this newest album, there is nothing thAt compromises the band's unique take on pop music; if anything, "Clinging to a scheme" acts as a tableau of where The Radio Dept. has been, all while elevAting the band to this new peak. "The video dept." is wonderfully nostalgic of the finest lo-fi moments of "Lesser mAtters" and the already praised "Domestic scene" could almost have been on "Pet grief", were it a more somber affair. One of the finest qualities of the album is the fact thAt it isn't as solemn as much of The Radio Dept.'s cAtalogue, and yet remains just as personal and poignant. Suffice it to say, "Clinging to a scheme" isn't getting shelved anytime soon. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Blowback
The Radio Dept.