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If you’re going to have a Gorilla drumming to Phil Collins to try and sell your product consider me sold.
Not only is this a Gorilla playing drums but it’s playing one of the best drums intros ever.
After doing a quick Google search I found that this is actually an advertising campaign from the UK dating back to 2007… go have a read over at Wikipedia for more.
While most of the world is currently obsessed with all things Olympic (Come on Australia!), a few items of music news have recently caught my attention.
I’m really pumped to hear that Brand New have announced that they’ll soon be working on a new album after they finish touring in September. Their last sublime release The Devil & The God Rage Inside Me is probably my favorite album of all time so I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table for their latest release.
Bloc Party have surprised everyone by announcing that an online version of their new album Intimacy would be available this Thursday. Despite the new age of digital downloads it still came as somewhat of a surprise that a high profile band like this would release their latest record with no fanfare or buildup. If you purchase it online, they’ll also send you the hard copy of the album (with some bonus tracks) when it’s released way later in October (27th). I’ve given a listen to some of the new songs on their myspace page which all seem to have the same industrial synthesiser sounds as Mercury did. While this isn’t a bad thing it does look like the new album is going to be a lot less commercial accessible than A Weekend In The City was.
Lagwagon have recently released their 7 song EP wittily titled I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon. While my initial listen only left me wanting more (why not a full album?), it’s a short but sweet release that should appeal to anyone who likes the Lagwagon of old. In other Joey Cape related news, the man himself will soon be releasing his solo album titled Bridge. While Cape is no stranger to branching out into other areas (Bad Astronaut, Me First & Gimme Gimmes), this is his first solo attempt at a full acoustic album. Even though I’m generally not a fan of this style, his previous EP split with Tony Sly (No Use For A Name) and a quick listen to an early release track (No Little Pill) from Bridge both show that he’s got the chops to go it alone. Look out for it’s release on September 29th.
In October Rise Against will release their highly anticipated new album titled Appeal To Reason. The recent release of the cover art & 13 song track list, containing song titles like Collapse (Post Amerika) & Re-education (Through Labor) indicate that the album will be politically charged. The later song is currently streaming through their myspace site & should tide you over until the full album is release on October 6th. Everyone who orders the album on iTunes will receive this single and a live track now and an exclusive b-side after the album is released. I can’t wait to hear more heavy hitting punk metal goodness for this Chicago foursome and if the rest of the songs are as good as this one then we’re in for a treat.
Earlier in the week, The Academy Is… released their new record Fast Times At Barrington High which is currently being streaming online at Muchmusic.com. While the band have always walking a tight line between pop punk & pure power pop, it sounds like they’ve finally crossed over into full blown commercial territory with their latest effort. I was actually pretty disappointing after my first listen as all the tracks sound like they’ve lost their rock edge and are filled with sappy romantic lyrics. However since their last album Santi took a lot of listens before it finally grew on me, I’ll hold my judgment until I’ve given it a few more spins.
I’ve also given an advanced listen to Anberline’s new album New Surrender, (set for release on September 30th) & am pleased to say that these Christian rockers have delivered the goods yet again. Apart from the baffling inclusion of a re-release of their old hit The Feel Good Drag, the rest of the album is chock full of great tracks and highlight the fact that the band is yet to release a bad (or even average) album. Stay tuned for my upcoming review.
One recent release that has really impressed me is The ’59 Sound from The Gaslight Anthem. The album was released a couple of days ago & I highly recommend that you rush out & buy this one. Their debut album Sink Or Swim was my favorite album of 07 and this New Jersey foursome just seem to go from strength to strength with another solid folk/rock/punk record. After recently seeing them play an awesome gig at the Arthouse it comes as no surprise that they’re now embarking on a massive tour supporting Rise Against, Thrice & Alkaline Trio (surely the best lineup ever!). I was lucky enough to have a quick chat with Brian Fallon after the show & was surprised to hear that the Australian crowd left such an impression that they had to come back for two encores. It was also great to hear that they’re a great bunch of genuine guys that love what they’re doing and have worked hard to get were they are. Even though they have a relentless touring schedule here’s hoping that they hit our shores again soon!
While tour announcements have been fairly scarce at the moment, I was excited to hear that Streetlight Manifesto will be heading to Australia again on November the 2nd. These guys blew me away with their energetic ska sets when they supported Less Than Jake/Reel Big Fish last year, so I’m expecting even bigger things when they headline their very own show at The Corner Hotel. Tickets only cost $37 (considering there’s seven band members that means they’ll only pocket ~$5 each) & can be picket up from the Corner box office.
Last night I was lucky enough to witness the phenomenal live show of Socal punk legends Unwritten Law at the Palace. If you missed a chance to see what was basically their ‘Best Of’ show, then keep an eye out for their first live CD/DVD combo titled Live & Lawless recorded at The Key Club in Los Angeles. The album is set for release on September 16th and contains 16 live tracks and a DVD featuring 22 songs, including a five-song acoustic set.
Next week (Saturday 30th) I’ll be continuing my trend of checking out at least 3 bands a month and can’t wait to see Thrice at The Corner Hotel. There’s also the Horsell Common gig at The Hi-fi bar on the 5th September and The Matches will be playing at The Corner Hotel (I love this place) on the 13th September. I’ve yet to book my ticket to the Gyroscope/Shihad show at The Ferntree Gully on Friday 12th September (woo, 2 gigs 2 nights) but this one promises to be HUGE.
Just a reminder to the Pennies crew to let me know if you plan on seeing any of these bands, as I’m getting pretty sick of being a lame o and having to see all these awesome bands by myself. Come on people get off your lazy arses!
Well that’s about all for the Crazyman music news wrap up, so till next time (when I can be bothered), keep on rocking!
During the 90s there was a little thing called Britpop that came out of the UK. At the forefront of the Britpop invasion were Pulp, Oasis and Blur.
Now this isn’t going to a history lesson (I just don’t have the time) but if you do have a moment go read up on Oasis vs Blur (wiki link) and Britpop (wiki link) in general. It’s great reading and a little Britpop should be part of any music lovers music collection.
Blur are my band of choice closely followed by Oasis but Blur were just so damn interesting and creative where Oasis were good at what they did and stuck to it like glue.
So the reason for this post is that for whatever reason Parlophone one of Blur’s record labels has created a YouTube thingamajig that has 23 of Blurs music videos that are featured on the Blur: The Best of compilation which I have two copies but not the elusive release on MiniDisc.
Anyway if you want a crash course in Blur and Britpop in general sit back and have a listen to some of Blur’s finest.
I suggest She’s So High, There’s No Other Way, For Tomorrow, Girls and Boys, Parklife, Country House, Charmless Man, Beetlebum, M.O.R, Tender, Coffee and TV, The Universal just to name a few…
It is not often that I go to see a band live and after seeing them continue to play their songs on my iPod. I can say after seeing these guys live and picking up their EP Señor and the Queen that they are currently my favorite band of the year.
If you have never listened to The Gaslight Anthem then I highly recommend that you pick up this 4 track EP. I don’t normally like EP’s as they don’t have enough songs but this EP really just smashes you with the sound that is The Gaslight Anthem. Now after 15 plays of this EP I still can’t stop listening to it. Their sound is hard to describe but I guess I would call it folksy punk.
The Gaslight Anthem have just released their second album called “The 59 Sound” and this follows on from where the great EP leaves us. Gaslight are getting rave reviews for their live act that I can agree with as they were simply amazing live and even stayed on after the show to chat to the fans. The quality of Gaslights work is so high that they were the first band in history to make the cover of UK magazine Kerrang! the UK’s number one selling rock weekly, without the publication having previously written a single word about them. Kerrang! called them “The best new band you’ll hear in 2008″.
I would agree with this they are one of the best new bands and not just more of the same old shit they actually have their own sound. Check them out I promise you won’t be let down.
95 Pennies.
Highlight track: Track 1 – Señor and the Queen
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I must admit that I hadn’t actually heard of Trial Kennedy until I read a great review for their upcoming album on Bombshellzine back in June. Despite a couple of EP releases (Present For a Day & Picture Frame), and frequent support tours with the likes of Gyroscope, Kisschasy & Fall Out Boy, its taken them about four years to finally release their first album. After receiving a record deal with Sony BMG, these four Melbournites headed over to Atlanta and worked with producer Nick DiDia (Stone Temple Pilots, Powderfinger, Incubus & Audioslave) to develop their debut album New Manic Art.
After an initial fade in Sunday Warning jumps straight into the fray with a self titled chorus that’s accompanied with catchy cries of “Hey! Hey!” and melodic vocals. After a deceptive fadeout at the 3 min mark the band hits back in the final minute to leave a lasting impression. This impressive sound is carried into the next track Neighbors which features a rise & fall structure supported by some crashing drum work from Shaun Gionis. This track is an obvious choice as their first single as it features one of those classic melodies that is liable to have you humming away at inopportune moments of the day. It’s understated chorus also alludes to the issue of global warming but thankfully it’s subtly inclusion doesn’t feel like the message is being crammed down your throat.
Colour Day Tours is another highlight (and their second single) from the album and features a fantastic buildup leading into a memorable rock chorus which is just begging to be played in the live arena. This song was actually written for fellow tour mate Mark Stewart (Horsell Common) to combat his homesickness while on tour. While the catchy “da di da da’s” are meant to remind him of his daughter, they actually end up sounding a little creepy when they’re sung by a four year old girl during the breakdown section. The track then belts back at the last minute with another fantastic guitar riff from Stacey Gray that just leaves you wanting more.
Hollowood is another rousing rock number that stands to attention with a tight pace & anger that comments on the nature of politics & justice. Sun Eyes also leaves an impression with an arpeggio style guitar intro, choral like vocals and a slow rolling beat that helps breaks up the pace of earlier tracks. Just when you think you’re getting comfortable with Trial Kennedy’s sound they diverge from their traditional rock roots with tracks like Mississippi Burn & Sweet Alley Rose. With haunting vocals, acoustic guitars & percussive and violin accompaniments these songs have slow yet dramatic build ups that may take a while to grow on you but effectively show that Trial Kennedy are capable of much more than the usual rock melodies. The strutting beat of The Great Escape,the jogging drum roll of War King and the synthesizer infused rock & roller Eldorado also help round out the track list with diverse & atmospheric melodies.
It’s obvious what an effect DiDia’s has had on the album as his engineering contribution really pushes everything to the forefront and lends everything a real epic sound that effectively showcases what the band is really capable of. The inclusion of numerous instrumental accompaniments such as lap steel guitar, piano, microsynth & mellotron also give the album an amazing level of depth, with every listen revealing even more layers that may have been missed the last time. The interesting and wacky addition of a tiny five key piano & the trippy Theremin (check it out on Wikipedia) also highlight the multi talented nature of the band.
The real strength of this album, however is Tim Morrison’s soaring lead vocals, which are perfectly showcased on the title track New Manic Art. His unique timbre gives everything a real powerful quality that brings to mind stadium filled arenas packed with thousands of fans singing to every word. Therefore to get the most from this album the songs really benefits from being cranked up loud in a good set of speakers or headphones. Speaking of which, the ‘podmix’ of tracks available from itunes are an Australian first and are said to offer a whole new spatial experience for headphone listeners by using left/right panning & high frequency effects.
While this itunes version is ridiculously cheap ($15), I would still suggest picking up the physical CD/DVD package currently available at JB-Hifi. The fold out cover art which was created by the Eye Candy Design company really looks fantastic & features personal pictures that revolve around the story of each song. This version also deserves a special mention as it’s undoubtedly one of the best valued packages I’ve ever seen and includes the 11 track album plus a great T-shirt and an interesting hour long documentary on the making of the album for only $18! After watching this DVD it was also good to see that Trial Kennedy are a great bunch of guys (maybe because in their downtime they love to play some 360) and hopefully after this album they’ll receive the recognition they rightfully deserve.
Final Verdict: If your a fan of stadium fueled rock anthems then I would strongly suggest giving the fantastic New Manic Art a listen. Along with Horsell Common this 4 piece band from Melbourne are really flying the flag for great locally produced music. The absence of any filler tracks & the perfect placing of a diverse set of memorable songs means this album comes a close runner up to Horsell’s The Rescue for my favorite Australian (if not internationl) release of the year.
88 / 100 Pennies
Highlight Tracks
(Pretty much all of them, but my personal favorites include
Color Day Tours
Neighbors
War King
There are a few shows returning in September and Dexter Season 3 is one of them. The teaser trailer above looks like we’re in for another killer (see what I did there) season and if the progression from season 1 to season 2 is anything to go by we’ll be expecting good things for season 3.
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