Monday, December 13, 2010

Tokyo Death March

Some of Reedley, California's finest first music video! These guys have played countless house shows and venues over the past year or so and are staying plenty active.........stoked to see where they go in 2011. Anyways, enjoy.

Tokyo Death March - La Junta/New Human Revolution from Kevin Figueroa on Vimeo.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Elmo Marconi - "Puppies And Other Cute Shit"

Oh man, where do I even start? I love this band to pieces so this might sound a bit biased but here goes nothing. Fresno, Ca. based Elmo Marconi formed in the summer of 2007, started up by bassist Colby Tibbet (formally in Tree Wizard) and guitarisst Arthur Bueno (formally in Winter Soldier) . Bonding over their love of bands like Cap N' Jazz and other similiar music tastes they started jamming and making music that would later turn into a full band. Enlisting Sahab Hobob as their vocalist, Rico Rodriguez on drums, and Mike Adame on keyboard they would release "The Number 8" ep later that year. After a few lineup changes Jesse Kennedy was added as their permanent drummer and Mike Adame taking the reigns as lead vocalist after the departure of Sahab Hobob They would go on to release "I Don't Want To Be Serious Right Now, Lets Go Watch Some Ghost Movies" in mid 2008 and their full length "Puppies And Other Cute Shit" in early 2009. Playing house shows and venues relentlessly since the beginning they aquired a rapid following around not only Fresno, but places like Sacramento and Oakland as well. Drawing from their influences such as Don Caballero, Cap'n Jazz, Street Smart Cyclist(to name a few) they put together their own unique style of indie/jazz punk full of intricate hand-tapping guitars, crisp, groovy bass lines, insane drum fills...............as you can tell I can go on and on. Definetely one of the best bands to come out of our area.

Lineup:

Mike Adame- vocals, keys

Arthur Bueno - guitars

Colby Tibbet - bass

Jesse Kennedy - drums

tracklist:

1. "I Think They Mean Business"

2. "Number 2"

3. "Larry Rodgers"

4. "Fieldtrips"

5."Cute Shit"

6."St. Bernard"

7."Turok"

DOWNLOAD >>>

http://elmomarconi1.bandcamp.com/

myspace.com/elmomarconi

Six Gallery - "Breakthroughs In Modern Art"

I'm terrible with writing bio's on bands and can never adequately describe things the way I would like but hopefully this will convey a little bit how awsome these guys are and what they are about:

"The musical machine gun of Wil Vocac and Ben Schreiber's finger-tapped guitars is still there, but the addition of Daniel Francis' vocals has pushed the group into uncharted territory. One could go on and on about the ways in which Francis bounces from expression to expression, often ripping into a soulful cry before sinking into a whisper (give the standout "Built To Last" a try). His rambling lyrics drop facts, allusions, secrets, and tall-tales with equal earnestness and we're not sure whether to believe all of it or none of it. The sheer excitement his stories offer sprints arm-in-arm with the sparkling guitars with an incredibly balanced, energetic effect." -AbsolutePunk.

-I'll insert my 2 two cents and be done with this (I have'nt reviewed a ton of albums so bear with me if this is lacking in any way). For a band that started out initially as an being instrumental to go on and add a vocalist (skilled at that) to the mix and have the end result sound like he should've been there from the start is impressive to say the least. The guitar work in insane, putting even some seasoned vets to shame. Overall this is a gem that will probably go overlooked by most but for those who do stumble upon it, you will be rewarded. Yes, I know this came out in 2009 but it still sounds better than alot of stuff I've heard this year. Take a listen for yourself.

Track List
1. Bermuda Triangles
2. A Live Nativity Scene
3. Built to Last*
4. Say Matte
5. Edie & the Marble Faun*
6. Glaciar de las Lágrimas
7. Just Hey
8. Honestly, Really?
9. Fish Milk
10. Smile Like a Switch

http://www.mediafire.com/?cbtwceoapas

http://myspace.com/sixgallery

"A Live Nativity" music video >>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk11sQx0yt4

Monday, October 18, 2010

GAYNGS

Not very often do I stumble across a super-group at their inception. But being a huge fan of Doomtree, Bon Iver, and Solid Gold, I was lucky enough to catch wind of Gayngs fairly early.

Gayngs is a Minneapolis indie band with a 1980s soft rock-inspired sound. Founded by Ryan Olson, the group consists of 23 musicians, including Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Rhymesayers rapper P.O.S, and members of Solid Gold.

Their first album, Relayted, was released by Jagjaguwar and garnered positive reviews for its unique vocal stylings and retro-but-contemporary sound. The songs, inspired by 10cc's "I'm Not In Love", were written at 69 BPM and recorded over the course of a year. The Guardian called the album "a triumph" and listed it as "the album of the year". The Onion's AV Club called the album "big and beautiful".

One of the tracks on Relayted is a cover of the 1985 Godley & Creme hit "Cry". The video for the song is a remake of the original video, featuring a cameo by Kevin Godley himself.

Try the album out and see for yourself.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Best Coast "When I'm With You"

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM

The Sleepytime Gorilla Museum opened its doors to the public in 1916, only to show them a well-managed fire. Its doors were closed shortly thereafter and remained so for the rest of the century. Almost. The last year of the 20th century found the improbable trio of words once again adorning a placard posted outside a derelict urban building, with the addendum- "No Humans Allowed." Indeed, the awkward re-inaugural movements were witnessed by a lone banana slug (Ariolimax dolichophallus)-- a suitable beginning for a group that would soon shelter Oakland California's hindmost interpreters of Anti-Humanist literature. Their incessant travels since 2001 have brought new life to the Movement. Like their namesake and its instigators (Futurist Lala Rolo and Black-Mathematician John Kane) the new museum embraces the essential weakness of the Movement. But also like their predecessors they reject the elitism of the avant-garde in favor of a reckless populism: They are entertainers. Though not without humor, their often wide-ranging musical and theatrical choices are rarely ironic. This sincerity extends to a passionate craftsmanship, as evidenced by:

1. The LIVE SHOW, a costumed festival of hyperventilating self-derangement, which has yet to include much of a puppet show, but has included human performers of varying stiffness (see Ink Boat).
2. The ALBUMS- Grand Opening and Closing (2001 Seeland/Chaosophy), a collection of boisterous laments for the failure of the millennial apocalypse; Live (2003 Sickroom), a collage of mishaps and singularities from various stages; and Of Natural History (2004 Mimicry), a setting, in part, of a debate between two contradictory pillars of 20th C. Anti-Humanism: The Futurists versus the Unabomber.
3. The INSTRUMENTS, many of which are homemade creations of bassist/producer/mechanic Dan Rathbun: The Slide-piano Log, the Percussion Guitar, the Electric Pancreas, the Vatican, & the Pedal-action Wiggler; or rare: Autoharp, Glockenspiel, Toy Piano, & Viking Rowboat.
4. The ROAD approached as (A) a place of potential learning: the bloody history of our doomed nation, its warm and varied current inhabitants- our hosts and their regional splendors, and (B) a scar which conducts us in our lumbering Green Bus into the temples of Nature: Forests, swamps, deserts, mountains, and coasts, with national parks and rest stops alike as places of reverence and study, sources of sound and vision, many of which appear on Of Natural History.
5. The FOOD, prepared on the bus kitchen in large pots, in quantities befitting a seven+ person crew, mixing local ingredients with reliable spices, beans, and the "other black meat"- coffee.

The list of SGM-related projects reads like a who's who of SGM-related projects:
Carla: Tin Hat Trio, Two-Foot Yard, Book of Knots, InkBoat dance theater company
Nils: Faun Fables, InkBoat
Matthias: Book of Knots, Skeleton Key, Vic Thrill
Michael: Immersion Composition Society, Japonize Elephants
Dan: InkBoat, Producing SGM and countless others

Moe!: Moe!kestra (massive conducted ensembles), Vacuum Tree Head
Frank: Species Being
David: Thin Pillow, Thinking Plague

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Interview Part 1 - 4.20.09

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Interview Part 2 - 4.20.09

SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM - Grand Opening And Closing [2001]

1. Sleep is Wrong — 6:35

2. Ambugaton — 5:38

3. Ablutions — 6:05

4. 1997 — 4:48

5. The Miniature — 0:59

6. Powerless — 9:30

7. The Stain — 6:46

8. Sleepytime (Spirit is a Bone) — 10:16

9. Sunflower — 7:52

DOWNLOAD

SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM - Of Natural History [2004]

1. A Hymn to the Morning Star" - 5:40
2. The Donkey-Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion" - 6:01
3. Phthisis" - 3:44
4. Bring Back the Apocalypse" - 4:10
5. FC: The Freedom Club" - 10:48
6. Gunday's Child" - 6:56
7. The 17-Year Cicada" - 3:41
8. The Creature" - 6:00
9. What Shall We Do Without Us?" - 2:38
10. Babydoctor" - 13:59
11. Cockroach" - 2:12

12. (Hidden Track) - 5:56

DOWNLOAD

SLEEPYTIM GORILLA MUSEUM - In Glorious Times [2007]

1. The Companions — 10:04
2. Helpless Corpses Enactment — 5:57
3. Puppet Show — 4:21
4. Formicary — 5:46
5. Angle of Repose — 7:59
6. Ossuary — 4:49
7. The Salt Crown — 9:09
8. The Only Dance — 4:20
9. The Greenless Wreath — 7:06
10. The Widening Eye — 5:14
11. The Putrid Refrain — 2:55

DOWNLOAD

Monday, August 2, 2010

KILIMANJARO DARK JAZZ ENSEMBLE

TKDE started off as an audiovisual project back in 2000, influenced by old silent movie directors such as Murnau and Lang, but also the animations of Jan Svankmeijer or the films of the Quay Brothers.

Jason Köhnen and Gideon Kiers, started creating soundtracks to old silent movies (Nosferatu, Metropolis) and progressively composed new music inspired by these images which eventually became TKDE.

Trombonist Hilary Jeffery (originally from the UK, residing in Amsterdam) joined in 2004 and introduced Swiss born Nina Hitz ...
The debut album 'The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble' was recorded with this line up, and was released on UK electronica label Planet Mu early 2006.
TKDE expanded to six when Eelco Bosman and French vocalist Charlotte Cegarra joined the ensemble in 2007. In 2009 Chrome Hoof's Sarah Anderson added the ensemble as violinist.

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation is a new alter ego we have spawned in which we will be releasing and performing with several TKDE members + special guests every now and then.
A side project focussing on Improv/Jazz/Doom/Drones...heavy and evil!!
The second Mount Fuji live improv album will be appearing around Summer of 2009.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation

The Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble - "There Be Dragons" [2009]

1. A1 Lead Squid
2. A2 Caravan!
3. B1 Embers
4. B2 Sirocco
5. B3 Mists Of Krakatoa
6. C1 Sharbath Gula
7. C2 Samhain Labs
8. D1 Seneca
9. D2 The MacGuffin

DOWNLOAD - TKDJ - HERE BE DRAGONS

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble -“Bird’s Lament” [ 2009]

1. Tribute to Moondog

DOWNLOAD - TKDE - BIRDS LAMENT

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - “Mutations EP” [2009]

1. Caos Calmo
2. München
3. Serpent
4. Twisted Horizons
5. Shadows
6. Symmetry of 6's
7. Horns of King David
8. Avian Lung

DOWNLOAD - TKDE - MUTATIONS EP

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - “S/T” [2006]

1. The Nothing Changes
2. Pearls For Swine
3. Adaptation of the Koto Song
4. Lobby
5. Parallel Corners
6. Rivers Of Congo
7. Solomons Curse
8. Amygdhala
9. Guernican Perspectives
10. Vegas
11. March Of The Swine

DOWNLOAD - TKDE - S/T

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation - “Succubus” [ 2009]

1. The Sexy Midnight Torture Show
2. Erotic Love Queen
3. Strange Dreams
4. Castles By The Sea
5. The Admirals Game
6. The Morning After
7. Perverted Pleasure Party
8. A Bad Trip
9. A Place For Fantasies
10. Murder Amongst Mannequins
11. Fleeing The Scene
12. Deadly Rehearsals
13. Faustin

DOWNLOAD - TMFD - SUCCUBUS

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation - “Doomjazz Future Corpses!” [2007]

1. Doomjazz Future Corpses!

DOWNLOAD - TMFD - DOOMJAZZ FUTURE CORPSES!

TOE

Toe is a Japanese music group. While mentioned in many post-rock circles, their song structure and dynamics are similar to many popular math rockartists.

Toe is composed of Kashikura Takashi on drums, Mino Takaaki on guitar, Yamane Satoshion bass guitar, and Yamazaki Hirokazu on guitar. Toe has formally played with this line-up since the band’s inception in 2000. They are currently one of three bands on the indie label Machu Picchu[1], along with the bands mouse on the keys andEnemies. This is a label formed by the members of Toe.

The vast majority of the music is instrumental and features the swift and acute drumming of Takashi. The band is also known for its melodic, clean guitar settings. Additionally, the compositions have repetition from typical rock motifs, but use very subtle changes in beat and rhythm to form a unique sound. The band has changed their sound over their musical tenure by incorporating acoustic guitars, rhodes piano, and vibraphones in their most recent releases.

The band tours regularly in Japan, and can most notably be compared to acts such as Pele and The Album Leaf.

SOURCE

For Long Tomorrow
2009.12.09.Release.
ここには何もかもがあるし、何もかもがない

ショウシツ点よ笛

After Image

エソテリック

Say It Ain't So

Two Moons

モスキートンはもう聞こえない#1

モスキートンはもう聞こえない#2

ラストナイト

グッドバイ

You Go

Our Next Movement

Long Tomorrow

DOWNLOAD - TOE - FOR LONG TOMORROW