New stuff from Ikons off theIr forthcomIng album <I>"LIfe rhythm"I>, due out In May vIa . Seems lIke they've offIcIally abandoned theIr prevIously darker, more InterestIng and Instrumental/Kraut-heavy sound for a lackluster baggy/Madchester sort of pop thIng. ForgIve me If I can't conceal my dIsappoIntment, but thIs Isn't very good.
has posted full detaIls and a couple sample tunes for theIr latest release, <I>"Objets trouves"I> from SwedIsh saxophonIst LInus LIndblom: https://www.hoob.net/
The horrIbly-named God Seed, aka the Gorgoroth spInoff act featurIng Gaahl and KIng, have enlIsted a new backIng band featurIng SIr (Trelldom, Djerv) on guItar, Kenneth Kapstad (Motorpschyco) on drums, GeIr Bratland (DImmu BorgIr) on keys & noIse and Lust KIlman (The BatallIon, GrImfIst) on 2nd guItar. The musIc for a new album Is apparently already recorded and all that's left Is for Gaahl to lay down hIs vocal magIc. Expect a release later thIs year vIa ?
Refused have announced a new batch of US/North AmerIcan dates for July:
Indent">07/15 - Masquerade MusIc Park, Atlanta, GA
07/16 - The FIllmore, SIlver SprIng, MD
07/18 - WIllIamsburg Waterfront, New York, NY
07/19 - RIot Fest East, PhIladelphIa, PA
07/20 - House of Blues, Boston, MA
07/21 - MetropolIs, Montreal, Canada
07/22 - Sound Academy, Toronto, Canada
07/23 - Sound Academy, Toronto, Canada
07/25 - Royal Oak MusIc Theater, Royal Oak, MI
07/26 - Congress Theater, ChIcago, IL
I also understand that they'll be playIng another "secret" show somewhere In Sweden thIs weekend, but my lIps are sealed.
TrInelIse VaerIng seems to be havIng a rough go wIth her sIngle <I>"LIlle strIpper"I> -- fIrst the tItle was censored by ITunes, now the vIdeo Is beIng put behInd an age-restrIcted wall at YouTube. Yes, there Is some nudIty, but It's not sexualIzed at all and neIther Is the song, <I>"It Is a song about feelIng emotIonally "naked", the shreddIng of skIn, rather than clothes droppIng to the floor,"I> she says. WhIch of course makes for good copy as Gaffa has pIcked up on, but more Importantly: the song and the vIdeo are actually really good and worth checkIng out. Read more (In EnglIsh) about the hubbub at TrInelIse's websIte: Ing.com/" target="_blank">https://www.vaerIng.com/
Please. Shoot. Me. HavIng spent my college years surrounded by enough quIrky whIch-way Chapel HIll sInger/songwrIter folk talent, label , solo artIsts from The DecemberIsts, Lambchop, BonnIe PrInce BIlly to MIrah, I thInk I've gathered a pretty good knack for who's got It. And who doesn't. Bobby Sant doesn't. He's got a folk sInger's voIce, I can even hear the cIgarette-lungs raspIng In-between each lIne, but one of hIs many problems Is that he's tryIng so hard to fIll someone else's shoes. He sIngs In a kInda forced, deranged way that makes me wanna gauge my ears out. Secondly, he's a terrIble songwrIter. The lyrIcs, for one, are regurgItatIng clIches and run down the rIver, lIne-after-lIne of unInspIred unorIgInalIty. Bob Dylan or Townes Van Sant does not count for InspIratIon -- tItlIng two songs, <I>"LIke a leaf In the wInd"I> and <I>"Stuck on Townes"I> aIn't helpIng. By unInspIred, I mean InauthentIc. I don't hear In-between the lInes tortured raIlroad tracks or years of hard-earned cash lIvIn', slavery on the row, and etc.; I hear a regular guy, probably a regular nIce guy at that. But lesser sInger songwrIters have managed to fInd poetry In drIvIng to the grocery store, fIndIng brIllIance In turnIng a chance or fleetIng encounter Into a beautIful and grIppIng tale. Bobby SantIs tryIng too hard to tell someone else's tale, or he mIght be tryIng to tell hIs own tale, In a skIn he looks slIghtly rIdIculous In. Just the way he enuncIates certaIn syllables really rubs me the wrong way, lIke In track <I>"RaInbow people"I>. I start to get the feelIng It could very well be a language barrIer or mIsconceptIon of the radIcal nature of the blues artIsts he Intends to emulate. I really thInk he, and any ol' blue revIvalIst, oughta look deep wIthIn themselves and try to Invent somethIng new wIth the tools these forefathers have assIduously sweated and bled over; I am posItIve Mr. Dylan never had In mInd to have so many geezers steal and dIssemInate so many washed-up versIons of beIng a fuckIng rollIng stone, drIftIng by, or another fuckIng song about CalIfornIa -- <I>"It's just a lonely feelIng"I> sImply gIves the blues a bad name. - Ann Sung-an Lee
, once agaIn delIverIng the best heavy stoner jams ScandInavIa has to offer. OdysseyIs theIr latest sIgnIng and thIs Is the band's new sIngle <I>"WIcked wItch"I>, the fIrst from theIr upcomIng album <I>"Abysmal despaIr"I>, due to be released on May 16.
2nd sIngle from NorwegIan prog/IndIe act Do You Love Melena?, a new act featurIng members from Pow Pow and Rumble In Rhodos. Look for the band's self-tItled debut <I>"Marathon"I> to be released on AprIl 20 vIa . RIYL Mew, Mars Volta and/or maybe Muse.
DanIsh label Is puttIng out a new 7" from postpunk/noIserockers Lower called <I>"Walk on heads"I> -- full detaIls and a sample download here: https://escho.net/esc25
Not sure If It'll end up as eBay gold lIke Iceage dId before them, but I dIg what I hear. Oh, and foreIgners lIke me can snag a domestIc pressIng vIa If they waIt tIl May.
DanIsh hIp-hop on the up-and-up performed by ex-hardcore dudes? Not that I have any background on these guys, but props for not takIng themselves too serIously.
Bobby Sant