has anyone heard no way back by the foo fighters?

there's a telephone noise in the background for most of the song. i'm sure they're just trying to fuck with people.

every time i die are my favourite band for the day. more sleeping would be good.

check this. best tattoo ever.

The Butterfly Effect - Phoenix

Phoenix is a bit slower than the average Butterfly Effect song. Not softer by any means, merely working at a slower pace. The space serves them well, as the drums come in and you can visualise the whole band rocking in unison, as surely their fans will in a live arena. But as the lead single for their forthcoming album, Phoenix is a little disappointing. It’s The Butterfly Effect sure, but it’s the same band we heard on Always and One Second of Insanity. Without the benefit of it being a new direction for (Australian mainstream) heavy music that was the strength of those songs.

A few years ago there was a great swell of hope that The Butterfly Effect and Cog would be able to shift the limits of what was acceptable from a local heavy band while still getting national airplay. Both bands have come someway towards achieving that goal. But with the impact of Cog’s The New Normal, The Butterfly Effect hopefully still have something up their sleeves for IMAGO that is a bit more driving than Phoenix.

Phoenix is being released as a single via download only, so you’ll have to hit The Butterfly Effect website if you want a copy to decide for yourself.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

The Robocop Kraus - They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus

It’s kind of refreshing to discover that a band with a weird German sounding name are actually from Germany. In the world of quirky indie-disco-pop-punk such a name is almost too perfectly fashionable. As it is there isn’t much else besides the right to claim such a weird name which sets The Robocop Kraus apart from bands like Franz Ferdinand and Art Brut. It’s there in the disco-punk style, it’s there in the self-described “angular” sound, and most noticeably it’s there in the droll-delivery and vocal style of singer Thomas Lang (complete with pronounced European accent, although this can once again be excused due to German origin).

To be fair The Robocop Kraus seem to have been in this game a lot longer than some of their more popular contemporaries. This is their fourth full length album, as well as a number of EPs and shorter releases since 1998. Perhaps the name of They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus is a subtle response to the way popular music seems to have come around to what they have been doing. But the important question is, in this current musical climate, are they doing enough to keep themselves unique and fresh?

They Think They Are… is The Robocop Kraus’ first release on Epitaph records, and the move to a bigger record label seems to have made an impact on the sound quality of the release. It is their first record working with a producer, namely Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Status Quo, The Hives), and the quality of the production work is clear, giving clarity and a sense of energy to every song. The record also has a driven pop focus, with strong melodies and choruses balancing out the quirky electronic blips. They Think They Are… is at least as strong as any other albums in this style at the moment, and hopefully for The Robocop Kraus it may get them some exposure to an audience who are now ready for the sounds they produce.

Lead single You Don’t Have To Shout is certainly dancy enough, and You Don’t Need a Doctor has a great combinations of vocal and keyboard melodies. Tracks like A Man’s Not A Bird and Concerned, Your Secular Friends are great examples of the social commentary throughout the album which is one noticeable feature the band have over their contemporaries. But it is tracks like Life Amazes Us Despite Our Miserable Future, where they slow things down and try mood writing rather than hiding behind disco dazzle which are the only ones to stand out from the rest of the album, which sounds very familiar very quickly.

The Robocop Kraus may have arrived before the fashion wave of disco punk, but now that it’s here, without adding something new to their mix to keep ahead of the pack, they’re in real danger of getting lost amongst the crowd.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

top six local albums

i thought i should post a new blog finally. and then i thought i should make it music related. and then i thought i should make it local music related. and then i remembered how i was listening to uisce last night, and how much i enjoyed it. and how it reminded me how i always think it's a shame that not enough local bands in musical styles i'm interested in really try to make their own style and make an impact rather than just sounding like international bands. this may also have been influenced by reviewing the new butterfly effect single the other day, and my growing feeling that most of the well known bands in these fields are given support because they're considered the best aus bands we have, but when you put them in an international field, they're not that far up the list at all.

so here are my seven favourite australian albums. albums that i think have done something original and have found really enjoyable, and most importantly, exciting:

the grand silent system - gift or a weapon
silverchair - neon balroom
theredsunband - peapod
non-intentional lifeform - uisce (ish-ka)
architecture in helsinki - in case we die
regurgitator - tu-plang

disclaimer:
why six? because i limited it to one per band, full length albums and tried to make it only stuff that is fairly readily available - cutting off a lot of bands like twitch, tirany, behind crimson eyes,
pyramid, sydonia, young love, a ghost devotion and many others who have all put on a great live show/released a great ep/self-released a great recording/all of the above. if anyone wants to make any criticisms of this list, just know that i wont respond to anything that concerns the following issues: first and most importantly, it has to be something i've HEARD (and preferably have in my possession). second it has to be something i ENJOYED and got a response from ME. this list is completely subjective, and i make no apologies for that. you make think X album belongs on there, but if i haven't heard it, or if i have and it wasn't my thing, i'm not gonna put it on MY list. plain and simple. also i know they're all albums from the last 10 years (or less), but remember, i'm still in my early 20's. i'll readily admit that i'm far more excited by music that i grew up with or is emerging now than by things that happened before my time. i'm not trying to make a definitive all time most important and influential list. just things i think are really fucking cool. ok? good. any other suggestions, i'll listen to, as i'm always extra excited when a local
band excites me.

Mobius Band - The Loving Sounds of Static

Mobius Band take the typical indie-rock equipment of guitar, bass, drums and electronic sounds, to create a sound which has seen them become popular with fans of bands like Broken Social Scene and The Walkmen, but also incorporates elements of more laid back electro acts like The Postal Service.

The Loving Sounds of Static is a quite appropriate name for their debut full length. It doesn’t sound like static, but there is a lot of texture on display, coming from the interplay between the instruments, but just as much from the spaces between them. And the songs are all quite embracing. Similar to The Postal Service’s Give Up, it’s an easy album to lie back and get lost in.

Perhaps a little too easy though. I found the songs lack a little bit of excitement. As good as songs like I Just turned 18 and Twilight are, they washed over me at first without much impact and required a few listens to really make an impression. And I must admit to dozing off to the album at least once. This is only partly a criticism since the prevailing aim on The Loving Sounds of Static does seem to be to create a state of relaxation and comfort.

Only a few songs such as Taxicab and Radio Coup properly show off the rocking energy the band can be capable of as well. They use it very carefully so as not to overwhelm the softer elements of the songs, but it’s rocking nonetheless. Largely this seems to be a problem with production to my ears. Everything is clear, but even though the pace and use of many instruments is often there, much of the album just feels flat. It doesn’t have the sparkle and inviting warmth of tone that something like Give Up does, and that seems to be its biggest defeat. It’s just so frustrating that an album so full of musical textures can seem so flat.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

album

spent a fair bit more time working on my collection of songs today. i did the vocals for (part 1) words less spoken, and the mixing for that, broken halo and mountain song.

that makes three songs completely finished now. i also did some updating of my myspace profile and uploaded the completed version of words... as well. this marks the first time i've put a complete song online as it will appear on the finished thing, and the first one where i really try and sing on it (and yes, i know i'm not a great singer, but i do what i can with what i've got). i guess if this were a real album, you could consider it the lead single. hehehe.

i've finally settled on names for three tracks which i'm really happy with. i knew i wanted them to be something like what they are, but i couldn't find it exactly. but now they seem so perfect. so for anyone who doesn't know it, here's the tracklisting ('cause i'm really proud of some of these song names):

1 - (part 1) words less spoken
2 - broken halo
3 - (part 2) scars of innocence
4 - everything released
5 - untitled words
6 - mountain song
7 - unfamiliar
8 - early morning silence (lovesong for a friend)

i still need to settle on a name for the cd as well though. and i may change the name of mountain song if i can think of something better for it. (at the moment it's so named because it starts off slow and quiet, builds up to something quite loud, then winds down to where it started, like a mountain ^ shape). and i'm thinking about calling the album autumn dreams aloud, because i have this image already made which i really want to find a home for, but i'm not sure that's the best for it.



anyone have any suggestions for names that they think may suit?

misheard lyric (but i think my version is better).

from soot and stars by the smashing pumpkins

hold my guitar high
my friends even higher