Archive for the ‘Recommended Streams and Videos’ Category

Watch: ‘Bleak’ by Deadset

Posted: 7 November 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Deadset were formed just last year, originally a product of guitarist James Massey and vocalist Sam Mellors, who discovered a genuine bond over writing together. Their sound was moulded into a more claustrophobic, gritty and tense direction when bassist Adam Arnold and drummer Rio Campbell joined, taking the classic indie sensibilities of the two original members into harsher new territories.

Deadset truly came to life when the band wrote as a group and embraced each other’s musical preferences, their influences now relying to an extent on alternative 80s and 90s bands. Influences being taken from bands such as New Order, Fontaines DC and Interpol. Striving to be ever more progressive and unique, the band’s live sound is renowned for fluctuating between genres. Chorus laden and loaded with fuzz and grit.

New Deadset single ‘Bleak’ encapsulates why Deadset is a band and what they want to achieve from it. The track, which was produced by Pat Pretorius (The Talks, Life, Counting Coins) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Daft Punk), really feels like it is humming with the anxiety and fever that everyone feels around Hull. It’s both a commentary on what they see and how they feel, looking at the social issues the band see in the area and how that’s impacted and twisted their lives. ‘We all want something to believe in’ is a feeling that resides in every member of Deadset. All feeling at times as if they’re stuck in a rut. Deadset being their opportunity to escape that rut.

“There’s a really prevalent mutual feeling about the area we all live in. Its rife with boredom and it feels like everyone’s stuck in mundane, monotonous cycles here”, says Sam Mellors. “Most people fall into traps of binge drinking or substance abuse to get away from it. It’s really hard not to fall into that trap when there’s genuinely nothing else to do. There’s still a great community of people here, everyone trying to make it a special place and it will always be a special place to us. But it’s still difficult to get away from the fact a lot of people are struggling”, he further explains. “Deadset became a band because we wanted to escape that cycle, dream of something better and create new horizons for ourselves. It’s our own escape from the depressing reality around here”, adds Adam Arnold.

‘Bleak’ is out now via Man Demolish Records.

Watch the video for ‘Bleak’ here:

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Watch: ‘Palliare’ by †The Lord† & Daniel Kubinski

Posted: 5 November 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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†The Lord† (Greg Anderson) and Daniel Kubinski (Die Kreuzen, The Crosses) have released their haunting collaborative track, ‘Palliare.’ Long circling each other with reverence, Anderson and Kubinski teamed up to track guitars and vocals for the song late last year; the former recorded with Brad Wood at Sea Grass and the latter at Howl Street Studios.  The end result is nothing short of venomous, with caustic, corrosive vocals and massive, monolithic guitar. The ‘Palliare’ composition itself was inspired by “an empathetic attempt to interpret the despair of someone in palliative care,” comments †the Lord†.

Daniel Kubinski comments on the track: “The lyrics for ‘Pallaire’ were actually written in 2016 when the first line up of The Crosses were writing songs for an original LP. The lyrics were for a song entitled ‘Goner’ which was kind of a noisy, lightning speed, crazy song that sounded somewhat like the Birthday Party if they had written a hardcore song. I had always liked the lyrics so when the Crosses split up in 2017 (the first inception of the group) I held on to the lyrics hoping to use them for something else down the road.” He continues, “In 2022 Sunn O))) guitarist and Southern Lord founder Greg Anderson approached me and invited me to sing on one of his songs for his project, The Lord. The first time I heard the song Greg sent me, I immediately remembered the Goner lyrics and thought they might work for the song, they were a perfect fit! I am so proud to be part of The Lord family and that Greg and Southern Lord believed in me to come up with the goods.” †The Lord† adds: “I’ve been a massive fan of Daniel Kubinski ever since I heard his caustic vocals in Die Kreuzen circa 1985. While the musical direction of Die Kreuzen changed drastically over the years, it was always anchored by Daniel’s unique, innovative vocal style. Massive respect to him for simultaneously blazing a unique path and breaking new ground. I finally got to meet Daniel when Sunn O))) played with his current band, The Crosses, in Milwaukee at the Turner Ballroom. I was equally blown away by his performance that evening as well as his humility and kindness.”

Watch the video here:

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Listen: ‘Exiting the Vampire Castle’ by Ex Everything

Posted: 3 November 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Oakland, California-based post-hardcore quartet Ex Everything – formed by current and former members of Kowloon Walled City, Early Graves, Mercy Ties, Blowupnihilist, Less Art, and more – present ‘Exiting The Vampire Castle’. The song is the third single from the band’s debut album, Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart, which will be released 10th November via Neurot Recordings.

About the track, vocalist Andre Sanabria says, “The song, ‘Exiting The Vampire Castle’ is named after an essay by political and cultural theorist Mark Fisher. In that essay, Fisher argues that people on the political left will reinforce organizational solidarity by orienting around economic class, rather than identify and culture.

Andre continues… “As the 3rd single off Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart, the song’s lyrics ruminate on the essay’s themes. The band invites listeners to not only come along on a sonic adventure but to act as a spark for progress long after the album is over.”

Listen to ‘Exiting the Vampire Castle’ here:

Ex Everything have hope for the future. The caveat? “Hope without action is meaningless”. For this band, action comes in the form of creation, and creation comes in the form of frenetic, raw music, full of rage but driving for change in the system and in our lives.

Despite the pedigree of players, Ex-Everything will be the first to admit that this band is very much its own thing. Jon Howell says, “It addresses the part of us that wants to write fast, chaotic, knotty, messy, pissed off music.”

The music is a fusion of Dischord-influenced math rock and noisecore, a nuanced rage that refuses to accommodate the passive listener. Jon Howell’s percussive, angular playing is as impressive as it is baffling, with malformed chords and abstract melodies that still burrow effortlessly into your brain. Dan Sneddon’s drumming is a stampede of frenetic time signatures, deceptively understated patterns and anthemic bashing, while Ben Thorne’s bass roils underneath like a ship’s hull scraping the ocean floor.

The band’s true skill, though, lies in how their instruments interlock, the structuring of movements that grow songs from rotted dirges to triumphant war cries, rhythmic tension building until a riff explodes it into something unexpected and completely satisfying. Notably, the band welcomes Andre Sanabria to take over vocal duties, “Andre has been a musical force in all his previous bands. His vocal intensity is compelling,” Howell says. Sanabria screams like he’s trying to tear the songs apart, though he manages to find moments of almost zen-like contemplation. It’s a deft and mesmerising performance, aided by his deeply thoughtful lyrics about, as Howell says, the steady dismembering of the things that bind us.

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Listen: ‘Schmuck’ by ZAHN

Posted: 2 November 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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German post–modern noise rock ensemble ZAHN will release their second full–length album Adria on 24th November. Adria offers a bold escape from your daily life through technicolor transmissions of post–rock, krautrock, dark jazz, noise–rock, post–punk and electronic music. Influenced by the likes of TRANS AM, THE JESUS LIZARD, METZ, THE MELVINS and TORTOISE. Adria is a compelling soundtrack to a 1980’s anti–utopian road movie!

Adria was mixed and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (RUSSIAN CIRCLES, CULT OF LUNA) at his Stockholm studio. The cover artwork, based around photographs by Lupus Lindemann(KADAVAR), was designed by Fabian Bremer (RADARE, AUA).

The album is a testament to the incredible power of this trio and its ability to effortlessly ensnare your attention for the duration of a ten minute–song of purely instrumental music. Over the course of the album’s 11 tracks ZAHN emerge as a form of PINK FLOYD of noise rock, relentlessly pushing the envelope on what’s already accomplished while remaining tasteful and tasty at every corner.

Listen to ‘Schmuck’ here:

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Watch: ‘On The Bridge of Dreams’ by Kinit Her

Posted: 2 November 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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KINIT HER release an image-rich nocturnal flight of fancy that becomes manifest in their second video clip ‘On the Bridge of Dreams’ taken from the American symbolist post-folk collective’s forthcoming new album The Nature Out There, which is slated for release on December 15, 2023.

Watch the video here:

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KINIT HER comment: “The words at the end of ‘On the Bridge of Dreams’ are a sampled quote from the Perennialist philosopher Frithjof Schuon”, vocalist and electronic sound-designer Nathaniel Ritter explains. “He states: ‘It’s not enough to think about metaphysics, one wants to also to see and to hear metaphysics in visible forms… and this is symbolism, and symbolism coincides with beauty. Symbolism, yes?’. ‘On the Bridge of Dreams’ is a heartfelt affirmative response to this question. Call forth your mirror, draw the spark, and begin again.”

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Watch: ‘Mass Hysteria’ by Unverkalt

Posted: 31 October 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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German post-metal collective Unverkalt today share a new music video for a song titled "Mass Hysteria", which is taken from the five-piece’s second album A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers released on October 20th via Argonauta Records.

Directed by Yiannis Margetousakis & Thanos Liberopoulos, this new video has premiered at Visions Magazin and is now playing here:

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Originally from Athens, Greece and recently relocated to Berlin, Germany, this post-metal collective draws influences from the European cinema, art movements, and human experiences, to churn out an emotional and cinematic post-metal sound.

Established in 2017 by guitarist Themis Ioannou and vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou in Athens, Greece, they were later joined by guitarist George Stamkos and started the recordings of their debut album L’origine du Monde, which was released in November 2020.

Shortly after the debut album’s release, Unverkalt entered the studio to record their second full-length studio album in Berlin, Germany. Bassist Spyros Olivotos joined the group in 2022, contributing to the final touches of the new album.

Titled A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers, this new effort was recently released by Argonauta Records and revolves around a theme that is gruelling, powerful, and intense in all of its aspects. This album’s specific plot is influenced by the 70’s and the flowering of the cult community, and the acts of criminals and serial killers at that time. Most of the lyrics are influenced from that period of modern society.

Consisting of seven hymns, A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers signifies the ultimate blend of post-metal, avant-garde, and alternative sound with a distinct cinematic character and an atmosphere inspired by the dark 1970s decade.

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Watch: ‘About The End Of The World (FULL ALBUM – Official Music Video Saga)’ by Darkplace

Posted: 27 October 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Darkplace is a mysterious new Swedish dark dream pop/post-punk group whose just released debut album, ‘About The End Of The World’, is a conceptual work inspired by the bleak landscape of the Stockholm suburbs that birthed them.

Centred around an alternative reality – or is it just a grim present and future? – the album has been unveiled gradually via a series of videos based on animated digital paintings for several of its tracks.

Four singles have been issued ahead of the album, with the introductory ‘Arken över Hesselby’ (The Ark Over Hesselby) presenting the outskirts of a city haunted by an unknown aerial presence. Its follow-up, ‘Fearmonger’, offered an apocalyptic scenario with sirens wailing and a lone soldier fleeing the prying ‘eye in the sky’ of a mysterious airship. The third, ‘Cars’, was the first to feature vocals and saw the story move on to a man travelling north following cryptic messages written on motorway signs. ‘This Is Loud’ saw the plot thicken and bring the story full circle…back to the beginning and Hesselby…with another stunning visual to accompany it.
A video for the track ‘The End’ has been made available to celebrate the release of the album and can be seen HERE. The band cryptically comment that “when the Monuments switch on you can taste metal and your ears pop. Working from home became vital for people who lived close to them. GPS’ seem slightly off. Is it because of interference from them? My regular walks also seem to differ in distance.”

A 25 minute video for the full album can be seen here:

Although rooted in late 80s/early 90s indie styles, Darkplace incorporate a variety of other genres into their sound. However, for the members of this highly secretive group, it is not just about the music. They perceive themselves as more an art project that happens to be exploring and commenting on the state of the world through their chosen mediums of music and video.

The majority of the tracks on the album are short instrumentals that were written with specific storyboards in mind, with the group revealing that: "We started creating the art before we had the music in most cases, so the tracks were written as soundtracks to the animation.”

The art itself is a multi-layered process that involves photography, sculpting, oil painting, digital editing and animation. Using apps like Nomad Sculpt to create it before exporting scene specific angles and imported into Procreate to be painted, they add: “we use oil paintbrushes and paint over the photo. It is layers upon layers and it gets messy. Exporting gets even messier since we want depth in the scenes and need to export them in layered depths. A few scenes in this project have been animated frame by frame and it has taken almost two years to complete.”

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Watch: ‘Werewolves’ by Sky Lions

Posted: 26 October 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Portland post-punk alt-rockers SKY LIONS presents ‘Werewolves’, a wild offering from their debut album Inside The Circle. The duo is made up of Radio Sloan and Outer Stace, who over the years have performed with or as a part of Courtney Love’s band, Peaches’ band, Le Tigre, The Need, Time Bitch and Photona.

Sky Lions’ musical collaboration began in childhood, before they were aware of any rules. Outer Stace says, “’Werewolves’, in part, is about the idea of shifting from our outer selves to our inner selves, the fleeting peace that can bring; transformation and adaptation… So, the art direction possibilities were pretty endless. It was a lot of fun to create the different versions of ourselves that we could be.”

Watch the video here:

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“It’s like a metamorphic reality of death and the future. It feels like things we’ve seen,” says Radio Sloan. “Our sound is that of accepting existence for all its flaws. Sky Lions has a darkness that isn’t entirely heavy metal, post-punk or darkwave. Rather, it’s a culmination of who we have been, who we currently are, and how we interpret the world around us. Moving within that world is the core of our musical expression.”

From early days experimenting with instruments to their evolution into Sky Lions, they’ve carved a niche where innovation, music, feminism, Trans/queer identity and horror come together. Sky Lions weaves together the threads of life’s absurdity, unquestionable magic and tragedy. Their trans / queer / feminist lens adds a relatability of lives lived and times to come, creating an immersive sonic journey that challenges the mind and ears. Through genre-blurring compositions and evocative lyrics, they hope to channel their ethos into a call for transformation! They hope that their songs challenge stereotypes, and ignite conversation.

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Listen: ‘Etreintes’ by Christine Ott

Posted: 22 October 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Two years after Time to Die, French composer Christine Ott returns to Gizeh Records with her fifth album, Éclats (Piano Works), a collection of twelve pieces for solo piano, twelve impressionistic miniatures, instrumental and cinematic fractals celebrating the beauty of life.

‘Étreintes’ is available on all streaming platfroms now and Éclats (Piano Works) is out November 3rd.

Listen to ‘Étreintes’ here:

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Watch: ‘Dream One’ by Cold in Berlin

Posted: 21 October 2023 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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New Heavy Sounds is stoked to announce a new multi-record project by Cold in Berlin The Wounds.

Consisting of an EP, The Body is the Wound, and an album, due in 2024, The Wounds is a musical vade mecum of what is to come in a fresh era for the band.

Vocalist Maya explains: “The Wounds started as an idea about bringing together stories of loss and the idea that wounds can be growth, healing and that slow burn you use to fuel other fires.”

The Body is the Wound EP launches the next chapter in CIB’s journey.

Released on 19th January (New Heavy Sounds), the four tracks cover diverse musical ground, drawing ideas from krautrock, post-punk and doom, but always with the requisite  amount of weight. 

Watch the video for new single ‘Dream One’ here:

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