Here is the second part of the “For Whom The Bell Tolls” video, I posted the 1st part on Wednesday. This part of the video is very insightful as to how each of these people feels about this song and each other. Will.I.Am talks about Evidence and how he has known him since the 10th grade (Will.I.Am recorded his first track ever with EV). This is a great video check it out.
Spotted at: Hip-Hop Official
Iron Thrones is a band that truly embodies their name in several aspects. Not to be too corny, but the band hails from our own iron-rich state of Minnesota, and (despite their relatively short time playing together) you can easily consider them to be one of several crown jewels that the currently burgeoning and heavily varied Minneapolis metal scene has to offer. This is an epic progressive death metal quartet (though, on the lookout for another guitarist) that could easily find resonance with fans of Opeth, Death, Between the Buried and Me, Converge or even maybe post-rock like Mogwai. That’s not to say that Iron Thrones really follows in any of these bands footsteps though, as they have begun to perfect their own unique focused sound. Even on this debut, Visions of Light, the band achieve a rare and organic balance of naturalistic melodies and brutal shred. The album is the embodiment of yin-and-yang, a dense atmospheric album to one man and a nuanced progressive headbanger to another. Right now, it’s doing wonders for my ears.
Clearly the band knows how to treat its fans, as well. As such, these guys have posted their entire new album, Visions of Light, online for download. The cool thing is that they’ve gone the Radiohead way of things and made it available for free, “donation” through Amazon, Itunes, etc., or as a hard copy purchase. I’ve never heard how this model has worked out for a local underground metal band (as opposed to juggernauts like RH and Rez), and there’s no word when their $500 quadruple gatefold limited pressing with an optional commentary becomes available, but I really don’t see how it could hurt. There’ll still be many opportunities to support them and purchase hard copies when you’re seeing Iron Thrones in the live setting. They’ve got these area shows lined up, including a performance in Burnsville tomorrow:
Feb 6 @ The Garage w/ Rawhyde in Burnsville, Minnesota
Feb 11 @ The Rafters @ UMD w/ Empires in Duluth, Minnesota
Feb 27 @ Electric Earth in Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 28 @ The Uptown Bar w/ Zebulon Pike in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 3 @ Station 4 w/ The Body Beneath, in St. Paul, Minnesota
May 15 @ TBA w/ The Body Beneath & Rhynoceraptor in Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 16 @ TBA w/ The Body Beneath & Rhynoceraptor in St. Cloud, Minnesota
DIG DEEPER: Download Visions of Light! – Official Site – Myspace
Big Business got back from their tour with the Melvins not so long ago, and in the meantime they’ve finished up recording sessions for their latest album, Mind the Drift. The ever-reliable Hydrahead Records will be putting out this third full-length of lumbering, cerebral, retro-stoner metal in April 2008. It’s notable that it’s the band’s first release to feature their new guitarist and third member Toshi Kasai; the mix on this one sounds stronger than any I’ve heard from them yet. Listen in!
DOWNLOAD: “Gold and Final” (from Mind the Drift)
(mp3 courtesy of Spin)
Vodpod videos no longer available.
As most of you know, Brother Ali will be dropping a new EP/DVD entitled The Truth is Here next month. This is a promo video for his first single off the EP, “Good Lord”. The video will be directed by Rick Cordero, and Ali says that this is the first song that really focuses on the fact that he is muslim. Check the Ali Shaheed Muhammad (whom you all should know is part of the legendary Tribe Called Quest) cameo and listen to how Ali feels about the things that Tribe did, as well as what Shaheed though was their key to success. This is a great promo vid check it out, also go get The Truth is Here on March 10th on Rhymesayers Entertainment.
The legendary (and, from both a personal & public point of view, extremely influential) American hardcore-punk group Bad Brains have posted an update on a forthcoming as-of-yet untitled documentary they are planning for future release. The band is now in post-production for the film which is being directed by Mandy Stein and Ben Logan and traces the history of the band from their formation in Washington, D.C. in 1979 to the present day. However, they’re not done yet; in the rare case that you actually footage of the band from throughout their career, please contact the directors by emailing them to let them know. So far, the film is guaranteed to featured interviews with all four founding members, as well as from Henry Rollins, Minor Threat/Fugazi vocalist Ian MacKaye, ex-Minor Threat guitarist Lyle Preslar, ex-Cro-Mags vocalist Jon Joseph and guitarist Harley Flanagan, Murphy’s Law guitarist Jimmy Gestapo and Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch, who produced the Bad Brain’s 2007 album, Build a Nation.
I wasn’t around for the hardcore renaissance that these guys propelled, but they have been as important to me as any band in contributing to my rejection of authority and my embrace of self-motivation. During my late teenage years, thee Bad Brains were my soundtrack, whether I was tooling with friends, jamming at a party, or chilling for a late night session; Bad Brains is music for an inspired life. This should be an amazing documentary and is very well deserved this late in their career. Anyone else excited for this? Anyone not know this band?.. well if not, shame, shame, shame on you! Keep a lookout here for a final release announcement.
(via Above the Fold)
So, maybe everyone on the planet has heard Maya’s “Paper Planes” in one form or another; either in its original smash hit form or one of the millions of remixes that sampled the song over the course of the last year. The song was so well played that it even inspired the mock Grammy category “Best Use of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes””in the most recent issue of Wired (issue 17.02, p. 48). However, courtesy of ComaR and MN’s own Above the Fold, we are proud to present an awesome mashup of Radiohead’s ‘No Surprises’ and M.I.A’s ‘Paper Planes’. Whether you wanted to hear this song again or not, I strongly suggest you follow the link and listen in.. this late into the game, and it might be one of the better one’s to be released yet.
DOWNLOAD: Radiohead vs. M.I.A. – Surprise Paper Planes (ComaR Mash)
In an interview with the Hornet this week, Meshuggah drummer and group leader Tomas Haake revealed that the band was finishing putting together a live DVD for possible release later this Spring. While that’s all fine and dandy, the main thing I want to emphasize with this post is that Meshuggah is playing what promises to be an unbelievable show with other progressive death metal elite Cynic and The Faceless only a few days from now in St. Paul at Station 4. Really, when they’re playing LIVE down the street in two weeks, why should I even concern my self with this lesser DVD business right now?.. Come one, come all! Get out to the fucking show:
Feb. 13 – MESHUGGAH, CYNIC, THE FACELESS live @ Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
P.O.S. dropped his latest album Never Better (which was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment) this last Tuesday and this is an interview with Mr. Peter Parker. Stef talks about what his live show is going to be comprised of on this tour as well as what made him start rhyming. Stef is going to be a name that you are probably going to see a lot of this year. Check out this nice 8 minute interview. Make sure you go out and get Never Better, you are sure to love it.
Ashtmatic Kitty has been on a role lately. The record label, run by indie-glorified Sufjan Stevens, has been busy with releases in early ’09 and late ’08, and has managed to curate tons of attention with the release of two rising artists. The Welcome Wagon and DM Stith are those two acts, gaining attention at rapidly increasing rates. And for good reason, whether it’s the almost quirky nature of their music, the comfortability that each offer, or the familiarity that oozes from each track.
Let’s dive into The Welcome Wagon first. The Husband (Thomas) and Wife (Monique) duo deliver multi-instrumental music that is heavenly in more than one sense. Many of the lyrics and ideas expressed in the tracks draw upon biblical references and experiences, while not pushing any values upon the listener. The actual musical production draws upon many of the aspects of arrangement and production that has made Sufjan so popular. From the occasional banjo to the simple piano and back again with the well recognizable horn section. The first single, entitled “Sold! To The Nice Rich Man,” from their debut album Welcome to The Welcome Wagon is their most polished and well rounded cut. It offers the widest variety of the couple’s skills. Encompassing all of the aspects that I just mentioned, the horns drive the chorus, the keys lead into the track, and the vocals fill up the track much a choir in a church. The feel of the entire album is expansive, but like I said, it feels incredibly comfortable at the same time. Deserving of a huge 2009, The Welcome Wagon is one of my favorite new artists and I’d highly encourage any fan of Sufjan’s catalogue or label to check these two out.
mp3: The Welcome Wagon – “Sold! To The Nice Rich Man”
DM Stith. With a name like that it’s kind of hard to know what to expect, but with a background filled with musical education and family lineage that bolsters the same thing the hopes were high for this former writer. Stith’s first single, “Just Once,” off of the Curtain Speech EP is a seven minute roller coaster ride through a dream-like landscape of repetitive and revealing lyrics and echoing guitars. “Just once, I could love you just once” Stith sings throughout. The music, is incredible. I know I hype pretty much everything I write about, but this is another one of those tracks that re-invigorates my love for music and makes me simply feeling happy at the end. Best described as a hi-fi version of The Microphones, Stith plays with various guitar chords layered together and eerie sounds running throughout the track, giving it the feel that The Glow pt. 2 gave me the first time I heard it.
So if you’re looking around for some great new music look no further. Fans of past Asthmatic Kitty releases will love and probably already heard these tracks, but those new to the game need to get schooled on these new artists. And fast!
Dig Deeper: Asthmatic Kitty DM Stith The Welcome Wagon
MIND INVERSION 