Monday, February 25, 2013

Haunting Truths

In a previous post, I had covered the new album by Adler, Back From The Dead.  In the post, I talked about the vintage 80's style sound that the record had.  Well, if that wasn't enough for you, then this next post is just for you.

Adler has recently announced that they will be going on tour.  The "Back From The Dead" tour will start its U.S. leg on March 2 and make it's way east as the summer closes.  The European crowd isn't left out in the cold either. The European end of the tour starts in September.

Under My Skin cover
Speaking of 80s kinds of sounds, here is another "classic" sound for your enjoyment.  Modern Superstar takes pages from a number of hair-metal bands such as Bon Jovi's gang vocals, Motley Crue's  guitar sounds, and shades of Axl Rose in the vocal melodies (including a great falsetto).  My personal favorite part of the mix goes to the drums - naturally.  The drum mix is really solid, and has a great snare sound!  Overall, the record - called Under My Skin - has some good things happening.  There are sonic walls of sound, but you aren't overwhelmed.  The album has nice breaks in the sonic profile that allow you to digest what you're hearing.  Depending on how you look at it, Modern Superstar may be one of the only bands I've ever known to mention texting in a song.  Not just in the song, but the chorus! The title even reflect the culture, "Txt U Gud'Bye"...nice guys.

Modern Superstar
Not everything is perfect on this album though. Some of the stylistic choices fall flat, as well as some of the guitars solo work. The second half of the album, in general, seems slower than the first, and some of the effects are overdone or awkward.  Overall, the lyrics seem lethargic in nature. I was hoping for more energy in the vocal lines, especially with a Motley Crue influence.



Be sure to check out more of Modern Superstar on their website, Facebook, Reverb Nation and Twitter!




While we're on the subject of "classics", allow me to mention some reunions that are currently happening - which in my opinion, SHOULDN'T!

Wang Chung, most noted for their extremely "poppy" snare sounds and the song "Everyone Have Fun Tonight", has come back.  Tazer Up released in December of last year.  This is the first all new album from the group in 23 years!  If you're interested be sure to give it a listen here.

Also making the comeback list is Black Sabbath.  They are currently in the studio working on a new record.  I'm honestly not sure about this piece of news. I've never been a fan of Ozzy, but I know a lot of people are.  My honest question is, can he still do it?  Not only him, but the rest of the band, do they still have it?  I guess we will find out.  If you want to hear about the album, and read some interviews with Sabbath's members, be sure to check out Revolver Magazine.
Black Sabbath comes back


That's all for now!  With all these comebacks, and classic styles coming back, I wonder when grunge and punk are coming back?  Got some thoughts?  Leave some comments!




East Coast Showdown

Hello again everyone!

This post is going to be a little different than the usual routine.  Instead of just covering the news, you guys are going to participate in a vote.  I will present two bands on the East Coast, and you get to decide who you like better. Votes can be in the comments on the blog, or on the Pop Deflators Facebook page.

A Criminal Risk
First up is a newer band called A Criminal Risk.  Hailing from New Jersey, these guys are bringing back an old-school punk sound.  Their debut disc, The Art of Dropping Names, features a sound that is very similar to Less Than Jake.  For those who may not know what that is, they have a very late 90's indie-punk sound to them.  It reminds me a lot of my own days playing pop-punk (thanks for the memories, guys!).

Since this is their debut album, some allowance for vocal improvement is needed, and their track "Stand Alone" is appropriately named as the only real slow song on the record. Be sure to give them a listen by  checking out their website, http://acriminalrisk.bigcartel.com/.  You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Be sure to keep an ear out for A Criminal Risk's new single due out on 3-31, appropriately titled "331"!


Prospect Hill
Three cheers for Boston!!!  The next group, Prospect Hill, calls Boston home, and has created quite a unique blend of sonic goodness.  Their third album, entitled Impact,  debuted in August of 2012. It features fantastic musical journey in the way the disc flows from song to song.  They also have a great blend of sounds and textures laced through the entirety of the album. The only real hit-or-miss feature was the track "Say Uncle" felt more like filler than an actual track.  On the other hand, it did serve as a nice intro into "Come Alive".

The group sounds a lot like 12 Stones, with the lower guitars, and baritone vocals. However, I find them to be slightly more "mathy" in their approach to music.  "Mathy" is good, it means that they know how to count and keep interesting rhythms, much like Thrice (I still miss them).

I thoroughly enjoy listening to this, and I hope you do to. You can find Prospect Hill on their website, http://www.prospecthillmusic.com or on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.


















So here it is - the moment of truth.  You, the reader/listener, gets to decide who wins the East Coast battle.  Will it be A Criminal Risk or Prospect Hill?

*********************************************************************************

Just so you all know that I haven't completely forgot about the world of music news... here's a small tidbit of information...

Travis Barker, drummer for Blink 182 and a personal influence of mine, has recently announced that he will not be touring with the band on their Australian tour.  When asked why, he replied that he is not quite over the plane crash that almost claimed his life almost 5 years ago.  A replacement has been hired to fill in for Barker and assume the drum duties.  Why can't I get on that list for tryouts?  Oh well....

Still to come....

Some haunting details of comebacks and reunions.  Until then....

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Love, Death, and Some Really Good Music

This post goes out to all the fans, metal-heads, or rockers - whatever you choose to call yourselves.

Ladies and gentlemen... I give you LOVE AND DEATH and the review of their album Between Here & Lost.

Between Here & Lost 
The thing I appreciate the most about Brain "Head Welsh, and the rest of the band, is that they kept that deep "throaty" sound that has become a signature of "Head's" style.  You know an album is good when, while listening to it, you have an insatiable urge to break stuff!  That is definitely the case when it comes to this record.  "Meltdown" is a great example of this.  In the first four measures of the song I was ready for a moshpit.

Another plus on the album's style is the surprisingly melodic chorus that appear on spots of the album, in songs like "The Abandoning" and "By The Way".  It creates this great euphoria when you are cycling through minor chords, and then all the sudden burst into a melodic chorus... nicely done boys!  Coupled with that are some great stylistic choices in the music, and some amazing effects.  Hats off to the producers and post-production team on developing that sonic magic!

Above all, the message of the music is clear. God is still represented in all the lyrics, and the life-changing power that comes with Him.   As an added bonus, be sure to keep an open ear for a pretty cool, fairly original take on "Whip It" - originally done by Devo.


Love And Death
You can find Love And Death in stores, on YouTube, Facebook, and their website.



Trust me when I say, that much much more is coming your way...including some reunions that should NEVER happen.

Stay tuned....

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Stars Come Out At Night

Well... I know I said I would cover the Grammys, but I took a look at the line-up and decided in wasn't good for my health.  That said, let's move on!

Through The Suface
On the up and coming scene is a band called Vestibule.  Hailing from New Jersey, these guys specialize in the unique fusion of various styles of music.  With influences in Latin, Punk, and other genres, this group shows a lot of potential for their future as musicians.  Their debut album,  Through The Surface, featured an early 90's indie-grungy-type of sound.  Because of their multiple influences, the sonic profile is constantly changing and leading the listener on a musical journey of their imagination...which means that's it's cool for all you hipsters out there.  Personally, I found their sound to be reminiscent of Fighting Jacks, or Lucerin Blue (for those who know those bands).

Positives include everything I've talked about already and some very cool, moving bass lines that walk up and down the fretboard like it's child's play.  Negatives include the panning of guitar tracks, and the variants in tempo from song to song.  First, the panning part.  The guitar tracks are panned hard left and hard right on the disc.  Normally this isn't a bad thing for producers to do, but in this case, it made them stick out a little too much and covered up the rest of the band on solos.  It just felt weird.  Secondly, the tempo between songs, as a whole, stayed relatively medium to medium-uptempo.  It would have been nice to have some slower spots on the sonic journey.

Regardless of my opinions, I will let you form your own.  Vestibule has made their album available to the public.  Give it a listen here, and be sure to check out more on this up and coming band on Facebook and Twitter.







In the rest of the world of music, some interesting, and rather intriguing (and I use that term loosely) things are happening.

First up...Warped Tour '13.  I am sure that many of you readers have already seen the links and heard the hype about this year's Warped Tour events and happenings.  Our friends over at AP have posted the full line-up of bands that will be performing and when.  Be sure to check the list out here.

Then there is Alkaline Trio.  These Chicago natives have been up and down many times over the last few years, some of the stuff is really good, other stuff... not so much.  The band has recently announced that they are planning a new album called "My Shame Is True".  For details on the album and it's release, plus a video for the first single "I Wanna Be A Warhol", be sure to visit our friends at Rocksound.

Lot's more to come in the near future. Keep checking back to hear about Love And Death's new album, and a bunch of other new releases!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Old Dog & New Tricks

On more than one occasion in this blog, I have said that I am a child of the 80's.  I grew up on bands like Poison, Bon Jovi, and Guns N' Roses (GnR).  That said... the nostalgia factor is in full effect for this post.

Back From The Dead
Before you get your hopes up... no GnR is not getting back together, sorry.  However, the former drummer for the group, Steven Adler, has released an album.  Back From The Dead features a great "classic" sound!  Big, fat reverb on the snare, screaming guitar solos, and vocal lines that have shades of Bon Jovi and Van Halen are sure to make any fan of hair metal smile (I know I did).  Certain songs like "Just Don't Ask" and "Waterfall" have that throwback "power ballad" feel to them too, adding to the vintage style.  I know what you're thinking... what kind of a throwback record can be complete without cowbell?  Yep!  Adler's got that too!

Not everything is tea and roses (or is that supposed to be Guns N' Roses?) on this record.  Certain stylistic choices fell flat on me, or felt out of place in the song.  Another negative is that the record as a whole seems sonically flat.  Everything is generally in your face - all the time. Song to song the sonic profile doesn't seem to really change that much. You don't really have time to let your ears rest before getting hammered again.  Some people like that, but I could've used a break on this one.  Lastly, and not really a complaint since it fits the style, I found the lyrics to be slightly adolescent in nature.  But as I said, that's par for the course when dealing with a retro-style record.

Adler
You can find more Adler by visiting the website, www.adlerrocks.com or visit the Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube pages.

In other news....

"I didn't do it" - Bane
I'm sure that you've heard the low rumbles of laughter surrounding the power outage at this year's Superbowl.  Well, it turns out it wasn't Beyonce's half-time show that did it.  Numerous theories abound, including mine.  I think the networks did it for the ratings since the game seemed to go really quickly in the first half.  They wanted to make things more exciting for viewers.  It's either that.... or Bane.

In any case, believe it or not, I don't have a lot of criticism of Beyonce's show, because that's exactly what she did... show.  That opening number was more of a strip-tease and dance number than an actual song.  What are you there to do? Shake your bum, or sing?  The one part I could say that was kind-of cool in a "oh I remember them" sort of way was the reunion that took place on stage.


Beyonce strip-tease?
Also, I would like to take this time to remind readers that this year's halftime show was the first in around 6 or 7 years to feature someone under the age of 60.  We've sat through archaic performances from Tom Petty, Bruce Springstein, The Rolling Stones, and other geriatric artists enough.  So, thank you Beyonce, for bringing "youth" back to the halftime show.

As always... be sure to check back soon.  The Grammies are coming (does anyone have Pepto?)

Friday, February 1, 2013

The Rausch Show

Hello again everyone!  It's February, and you know what that means...SuperBowl, Grammies, and much more.

But before all that happens, there is some new music that you may want to pay attention to...


Illusion album cover
Producer Jasen Rausch has been a busy guy lately. He's worked on Disciple's new album, entitled O God Save Us All, RED's upcoming disc Release The Panic, and after 6 years...Spoken comes back with a brand new album called Illusion.  Rausch's signature is all over this album!  The crunchy, active guitar lines, heart-pounding kick drum, and the occasional bass blast all make an appearance on this record. Of course you can't have a Rausch record without the use of low-fi drum sounds and loops, and a nice explosion of sound to kick things off. The soundscape is brilliantly balanced between all the instruments and vocals.  Everything has a voice.

In comparison to their last self-titled album, Spoken has kept their signature; high-energy sound.  The new record comes across much cleaner in the mixing process though.  The grittiness of the self-titled album worked, but Illusion brings it home in a big way!

In terms of the talent behind the band, I have to say that I am impressed.  After such a long span between records, it's nice to know that the guys of Spoken haven't lost their edge.  The opening track of the disc ignites your interest, and stands to deliver in the rock department.  There are some definitive pit songs in this record such as "Accuser", but also a nice balance of medium tempo and ballad-like pieces, such as "Remember The Day".  The first single, "Through It All" has a video out, and can be found here. Illusion is set to hit stores on February 12.  Be sure to keep tabs with the band by visiting www.spokenmusic.com.  You can also find them on Facebook.

Spoken


Hey fans of Brian "Head" Welsh.... PAY ATTENTION!

Between Here & Lost album cover
You may have already heard that "Head" is reuniting with Korn for a few shows, but who really cares about that? Ok, a lot of people do, but still what's better? A few shows, or an entire album?  Curious?  Brian "Head" Welsh's new project Love & Death has released their new album, Between Here & Lost.  Be sure to check it out here, and watch the video for "The Abandoning"  courtesy of our friends at Alternative Press.