Eleni Mandell - Midnight Hauler

Noistrade outdid itself a few weeks ago when it introduced me to Eleni Mandell, and her Babies, Boys & Bumpers.  Her music is effortless jazz-pop-country that kind of reminds me of a female Tom Waits, but less grit, more easy-going beauty.  I'm a big fan already, needless to say.  The LA native will hopefully be as big and well-known as I'd like her to be soon, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy the likes of "Midnight Hauler."  It harbors a country twang while not being a country song, mixed with lovely and slow acoustic work and deep vocal work that I can't complain one bit about.  "Midnight Hauler" really creates the atmosphere of driving down a desert road at sundown, a man behind the wheel of a truck going home to the one her loves.  That's the thing about Eleni Mandell's music: it all has a story to it, and creates an image that's hard to shake.  Nothing else to say about this one, folks.

Queensrÿche - Redemption

You should just get used to regular absences around this time of the year, mostly because the internet at my parents' house sucks, and nine times out of ten, I don't even try to load Facebook, or even Twitter, to spare myself the frustration.  Today I told myself when I woke up that I have to publish at least one post while I'm home, however.  I may not embed the video until I have faster internet again, however, so be patient with me.  I'm working with what I have.

Queensrÿche is the band of the day, coming to me through the Century Media Youtube channel a few weeks ago.  The Seattle metal band has been around for a while now, but with a new album out they're back on everyone's radar.  "Redemption" is what they are: good metal with a power-ish influence that kind of makes them sound like the forefathers of Avenged Sevenfold.  The chorus is pretty killer, I have to admit, and their sound there is what separates them from other bands.  "Redemption" has a bit of a twisted sound to it, but the vocal work is amazing, and the guitar work is even better.  No complaints from me!  Hell, the rest of their new album self-titled by the looks of it, is worth taking a look at.  I find it refreshing from all of the death metal I've been listening to, and maybe you will too.

Avatarium - Boneflower

I'm a sucker for female-fronted metal groups, but we all know that by now, right?  I'm always looking for new bands with a strong lady at the helm, though sometimes, they find me.  Avatarium is a Swedish band that hasn't been around for very long, but they've already got my attention.  Their genre is a little more throwback to the old days of metal.  Think along the lines of Christian Mistress and Spacegoat, if you will, but with a European metal twist.  That's Avatarium, and they're my new favourites.  Their debut album is actually out now, and I've already fallen in love with the single "Boneflower."

"Boneflower" has some grit to it, but definitely has that throwback-metal feel that sets it apart from the more modern sounds of today.  Lead singer Jennie-Ann Smith has a Blondie sound that's mixed with the metal version of the Wilson sisters.  It's a unique sound, definitely reminiscent of the past, but the music itself still has some modern metal sound to it.  Just a touch, but don't worry.  Now that "Boneflower" has sealed the deal, we just need to get Avatarium together on a tour with Christian Mistress and Spacegoat, pronto!

Sub Swara feat. Dead Prez - Speak My Language

Lately the rap music that I've been revisiting is a little older, and by that, I mean that it's song I've accumulated a year or two ago.  It's nothing brand-spanking new, but it's not aged either.  It's just right, though Sub Swara is more than just right.  The Brooklyn duo of Dhruva Ganesan and Dave Sharma blend their own electro-dubstep-if-you-really-want-to-call-it-that beats with vocal work from helpful contributors, and it all turns out beautifully.  Even on its own, their music is just as strong without the vocal work.  "Speak My Language" has a chorus that catchy enough to get in your head, and even though electro can sometimes overwhelm rap when done wrong, it all comes together here.  The electro side of "Speak My Language" is what lightens it up and keeps it the song from getting too heavy, though I find I can headbang to it if I really want to.  Dead Prez, the rap duo responsible for the rhymes here, gives "Speak My Language" more of an old-school rap feel, and with sub Swara's electro bits, it all works, while keeping the track from being too far into dubstep territory.  Everything works here, and I have no complaints.

CHVRCHES - Gun + We Sink

I can't escape CHVRCHES, it would seem.  The Scottish electropop trio has me reeled right in, hook-line-and-sinker.  I'm okay with this.  More than okay, if you're wondering.  I've been looking to feature them again, though had enough trouble deciding which song to go with, and thus, we have both "Gun" and "We Sink."  Both good, but both different.  Why don't we look at "Gun" first?  It's fun-and-frothy electropop, where sweet vocal work mingles with strong percussion and synths that just won't quit.  It's catchy, namely, and remixed correctly, would be a hit in the clubs.  On the other hand, the lyrics are deceptively darker (though not as dark as "Caduceus" was yesterday, don't worry), dealing with scorned love and using the title nicely (I will be a gun, and it's you I'll come from).  You know I love me so dark-lyrics-cheery-tone songs.

"We Sink" has something more lush and organic to the sound of it, showing that CHVRCHES is versatile, and capable of many different sounds.  It has a little Metric or Dragonette flavor to it, though that might just be the Canadian in me speaking.  "We Sink" is more love than scorned love, and while also catchy, relies on a little more of a build to make its impact.  I think that it's absolutely perfect, and I really don't have anything bad to say about "We Sink."  It's a lovely little electropop song.  Played after "Gun," it's the right compliment, and both songs make for the best start to a snowy morning like this one.

Hiss From The Moat - Caduceus + LYRICS

Oh, metal.  Even during the hardest days, it's the genre that's always been there.  Rather than pay tribute to what metal has done for me by revisiting another song from Nightwish, Arkona or Protest The Hero, why don't we try something new?  The Italian metal scene has always been a good one, and it includes Hiss From The Moat, a death-slash-black trio from Milan, and off their latest album comes "Caduceus."  The caduceus may have been the staff of Hermes, but the song has something more religious to its lyrics, but religious in that strictly black metal kind of way.  "Caduceus" is the dark side, where there are no lighthearted images conjured to those guitars and growling.  This is fine black metal.  The instrumental work reminds me a bit of Behemoth, and the growling is impeccable.  It's clear and it's not too throaty, with a bit of a screech, just how I like it.  First Ancient Bards, then Fleshgod Apocalypse, and now Hiss From The Moat?  Be careful, Italy...I'm coming for you and your metal scene.

You've called Christ the Lamb
I am the Caduceus
Evil's against evil now
There's no light that makes the way

I am the owls of Romance Age
There's no St. Michelle arkangel
To beat the Dragon upon Hell
The Shepherd's lost his flock
Humanity sold his soul to iconography
I am wisdom that brings the end

I bring the end
I am the end

Of this shaft
Where Christians clean
Their consciousness
In blood of dead martyrs

We will be
In the sanctuary of the cursed
I will be sitting at the throne
You will be In line
For the end

Pater, ignoscis eos quod ignorant quid faciunt
Hodie in paradiso mecuti erit
Femina, ecce filius tuus!...filie,ecce mater tua!
Deo meo,deo meo cur me relinquisti?
Habeo sitim
Omina perfecta sunt
Pater,in tuis manibus spiritum meum trado
Amen

CocoRosie - Gravediggress

My favourite experimental sisters are back and better than ever!  That's right, CocoRosie put out a new album in the spring of 2013, going by the title Tales of a GrassWidow.  I'm a little sad I didn't really realize this until now, but sometimes I can be guilty of falling behind the times.  Now everything in the universe is right, however, and things will go according to plan from here on out.  *Insert evil laughter*

"Gravediggress" is experimental, remember, but it's accessible, and it definitely shows some growth from the duo's earlier work.  It's got that lush-ambient-underwater sound to it, with a clockwork menagerie of percussion, whistles and strange forest sounds that could only expect from the Casady sisters.  The vocal work shows signs of growth as well, though still retains the creepy touch that made me fall in love with the likes of "Lemonade" or "R.I.P. Burn Face."  Gah, this is what perfection in music sounds like, and it has everything you could want in an accessible experimental track.  Don't worry, it's not too weird for people like us.

Little Boots - Earthquake

I've still got a soft spot in my heart for London's Little Boots.  Even though the world is currently overwhelmed by a sea of female pop and dance artists, there's something special about her that sets her apart from everyone else.  It might be the throwback feeling you get from her music, or just the fact that it's damn good and damn enjoyable.  I have yet to find a song that isn't the least bit easy to dance to.  Simply put, listen to her stuff if you haven't already.  "Earthquake" is from her debut album, 2009's Hands, but still has that fresh feeling four years later.  It's a catchy little thing, pulsing with electropop and some synths...and it's just a moment of magic.  Little Boots also has a set of pipes, believe me, and still manages to sound sweet and innocent without overwhelming you.  "Earthquake" is pop perfection.  There's nothing negative I can say about it, except that my version is a little messed up and plays quieter than it should.  I've just got to turn it up a little louder.

Protest The Hero - Mist

Oh, I'm not done with the boys of PTH and Volition just yet!  "Skies" came out as the early leader, but as with most albums I buy, there's always something else wondering waiting to hit the track.  So after a listen of the whole album, "Skies" was the song that stood out the most.  All caught up?  Good.  After my excitement passed and I got further into the other songs, another emerged as a favourite for more reasons than one...

"Mist" is awesome.  There, I said it.  Why?  Because like "Skies," it's strikingly different from everything else they've ever done.  Mr. Walker sings of leaving Newfoundland and always having a home there, set to the tune of instrumental work that weirdly reminds me of "To Porter, With Love," that bonus track from Scurrilous.  The guitar work is a touch lighter than you may be used to from PTH, but there's nothing wrong with it.  It gives "Mist" a very lush sound, and adds to the atmosphere of that long ride home and the foggy shores of Newfoundland.  Perhaps the best part of "Mist" is the ending, comprised of about a minute and a half of acoustic guitar flecked with piano, something you don't get very often at all from Protest The Hero.  It's all about the atmosphere here, and "Mist" definitely isn't falling short.

Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon + TROPICO

There are two orders of business today.  Sure, I could split these two up into two separate posts, but I'm the one with the keyboard, and I make the rules.  First off, we get something that has come from my recent obsession with American Horror Story.  I've only seen the current season so far, but if you're following the news that comes with it, I'm sure you've heard that Stevie Nicks will be on a future episode.  She's mentioned on the show whenever Lily Rabe's character is around, and "Rhiannon" was on one of the first episodes she appeared on.  Stevie Nicks is a white witch, and "Rhiannon" is her anthem.

Even though I consider myself a fan of Fleetwood Mac, "Rhiannon" had escaped my radar before all of this happened.  It has everything I love about the band: breezy guitars, a folk flavor, Stevie, and backing vocals that won't quit on you.  I might have found a new favourite here, and songs like this make me wish that I was either a white witch or could still play the guitar.



Still with me?  Good.

Secondly, Lana Del Rey's short film came out this morning.  Tropico is technically restricted to only American viewers, but some people are nice enough to upload it again so the rest of us can see.  Sure, you could call it one long music video, but I would rather look at Tropico as one 27-minute-long piece of art.  Go on, press play and start watching.  It does kind of drag near the end, but the first two thirds of the film are fairly strong, in both music and cinematography.  Now we've just got to wait for Ultraviolence to come out next year....

Buddy - Awesome Awesome

Buddy is proving to be a little difficult to research online this afternoon, thanks to what looks like Rcrd Lbl being down (I do use it for basic info on artists I'e found there in the past).  Ugh.  Well, all you really need to know about Buddy is that he's a rapper you probably haven't heard of before, but should.  His "Awesome Awesome" is produced by The Neptunes too, so you've already got a platform for success.  The track has a good gangster flavor to it, that kind of sounds like Chingy, if I have to name someone, but a good version of Chingy.  The sputtering beats elevate "Awesome Awesome" into something a little grittier, and it's all catchy enough that it won't be long before you're humming awesome awesome to yourself one dreary afternoon.  Huh.  It's working.

I can be the match to your gas can.

Teletextile - I Don't Know How To Act Here

Pamela Martinez, founder of the Brooklyn collective known as Teletextile, describes the band's name as "packed in suitcases with things words can't describe."  Words are definitely hard to put together for this brand of dreamy art-indie, I'll tell you that, but that doesn't lessen its impact any less.  The art part of that is the most important, because there is something avant garde about Teletextile's kind of music, as seen in the likes of "I Don't Know How To Act Here."  Don't be scared by the word art, because this one is something that's easy to approach.  The vocal work from Martinez is something that sounds like it could be in a regular old indie song, but it's brought to the next level in "I Don't Know How..." by what sounds like a xylophone and sections of what I can only describe as a conversation without using the words we recognize.  "I Don't Know How..." is very different from most indie out there, but there's something strange and unique about it that just draws you in, and it won't be long before you never want to leave.

IllScarlet - Nothing Special

Some of my favourite nostalgia trips involve some good alternative tracks from my punk/screamo phase.  *sigh*  And what a phase that was...  Back before high speed internet and cable television, the only way for me to find new bands and music was through the Big Shiny Tunes albums that came out through Much Music, and the twelfth incarnation (the third last to be released) contained "Nothing Special" from Clarkson, Ontario's own IllScarlet, who still seem to be releasing music now.  Good for them.

I'm sick and tired of everybody thinking they know what's best for me, and maybe God wanted me to be nothing special.  
I'm past the point of breaking, and I'm not sure if I'm gonna make it.
I'll keep this gift from breaking as long as you believe.

"Nothing Special" is something special, coincidentally.  It's infectious alternative, and you tell me if you find a more enticing opening to a song.  It's just as good to me now as it was back in the tenth grade when I first heard it.  The vocals and perfect for the genre, with some yelling sections that aren't too cliche either (let's save that for Blink 182).  As a whole, it's catchy, it's infectious, and once you learn all of the words, you won't be forgetting them anytime soon.  Nostalgia doesn't get better than this.

Memoryhouse - Walk With Me

I've been having an affair with Memoryhouse ever since they came my way through Rcrd Lbl (ah, the nostalgia).  The Toronto indie duo of Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion sound a little like Metric crossed with Stars, two other pretty awesome Canadian bands, so you know they've got some good roots.  "Walk With Me" is the track of the day now, and it's a delicate a breezy indie number that kind of sounds like it was made to listen to in winter.  I'm just sayin'.  The electric guitar work is very laid-back and nothing too overwhelming, or generic for that matter, and Denise's voice is very refreshing for the genre.  "Walk With Me" is the perfect track to lighten up your dreary Sunday afternoon.  After all, it's working for me.