What I have been listening to - Every Time I Die

Another generic photograph of a band :D

I stumbled on another Metalcore band (I promise I don't listen to just Metalcore guys, believe me) which I think has to be one of the best I have heard in a while, and unlike the other two I have written about, these guys have been around longer and they have 5 albums and a whole bunch of compilations as far as I know, and they are from America. I am very excited!

Who are these guys?

Brothers Keith (Vocals) and Jordan Buckley (Guitar) formed the band back in '98 in Buffalo, New York along with Micheal Novak (Drums), Andy Williams (Guitar) and John McCarthy (Bassist). After a tour around the local area, they released their first EP 'Burial Plot Bidding War' under Goodfellow Records in 2000.


In 2001 McCarthy left the bad to be replaced by Aaron Ratajczak before the band released their first Album with Ferret Records, 'Last Night In Town'. This was followed up by a tour with Killswitch Engage by their side.


Since then these fellas have released more albums such as 'Hot Damn!' in 2003 and 'The Big Dirty' in 2007 and have been touring worldwide.

Haha :P

Awesome - That one word that sums up what I think.


Even after getting a few of the albums I have only had time to listen through 'The Big Dirty' and a few pieces off 'Hot Damn!'. I think that each and every song I have heard has awesome! The songs are not so much melodic or heavy as other Metalcore bands I have heard, but the music doesn't have to be heavy to be good at all - it is against the point anyway.


ETID has a very hardcore, somewhat punky feel to it, as well as including some southern and mathcore elements in the music, and it is definitely a good mix - and it works! Some of the sounds sound very trashy with the symbols, which adds more awesomeness to it.


New Album Alert! Where is my noisy horn?!


If you already knew these guys, then you probably already knew that they have a new album scheduled for release later this year, titled 'Ex-Lives'. Here is some more on that...


Epitaph Records has some cool behind the scenes videos on their YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/EpitaphRecords


Links 'n' Sh*t...


Alright, so my favorite album (so far) is probably 'Hot Damn!', with my favorite track (so far) being 'Ebolarama', which is just great, and I think if you are into this stuff you should listen to it if you haven't already...

And here is their site! http://everytimeidie.net/


Cheers for reading! Ollie.

Ben Howard 'Every Kingdom'

Every Kingdom is Ben Howard's debut album. Ben Howard is an acoustic artist from Devon, his music is described as folk especially since many of his influences include the likes of Joni Mitchell, Donovan, and Richie Havens. 


He's been surfing since he was 11 and in his music you can hear the laid back feel of surf rock/folk as well as being able to picture the ocean and beach whilst listening to his music.


The whole album has a very relaxed feel about it and is currently one of my favourite albums. 






Track Listing

1.	"Old Pine"
2.	"Diamonds"
3.	"The Wolves"
4.	"Everything"
5.	"Only Love"
6.	"The Fear"
7.	"Keep Your Head Up"
8.	"Black Flies"
9.	"Gracious"
10.	"Promise"
11.	"Seven Bottles" Old Pine was released as the albums first single and still remains my favourite song on the album. Ben Howards guitar technique is a wonder to listen too as he developed the technique of using his knuckles to hit the body of his guitar in between strums to create a percussive effect, this technique is also used by other acoustic artists such as Newton Faulkner. I must admit, listening to his singles such as Old Pine and The Wolves gave me high hopes for this album but some of the songs don't quite meet the standard set by these singles. 'Only Love' is one of these songs; the guitar riff and back beat is all there but it is let down by the way the vocal line is written in the versus (my opinion). Unfortunately the rise of Ben Howard has been overshadowed by Ed Sheeran. On paper both these artists are very similar but by listening to them you can hear a strong distinct difference between the highly commercial ginger nut and the homegrown surfer boy from Devon. I believe that Ben Howard is one of the best singer/songwriters around at this moment in time and I hope that a second album is in progress. If a new album is in the working I hope that he can fix some of the problems that are seen on the 1st album because I believe that this man could have the world in his pocket very soon. Old Pine <--- My Favourite song, take a listen. Josh K.

What We're Listening To - American Football

It seems a little clichéd to label an album 'emo' these days but here is an emo rock/ math rock album that is a staple for any music library. Released in 1999, this self-titled LP was their debut and also their last before their breakup shortly thereafter. Filled with raw emotion that any teenager can relate to and reinforced with a restrained and precise musicianship that merges seamlessly the shuffling time signatures and fractured guitar patterns as if it was any old 4/4 rock track. The constantly flowing teardrop guitars sound like what you would get if you took a 45rpm 'Smiths LP and played it at 33 instead; there's a certain emotion and atmosphere captured here that can be revisited time and time again, and is successful not only on its lyrical flawlessness but the extended instrumental patterns that build and build to such beautiful harmonic resolves. This is genuinely a classic album and one that anyone can enjoy and relate to, one to keep on the record shelf for a rainy day, a soundtrack to your memories. Give it a listen:

Awaiting a new album by While She Sleeps

Image by Nick Warwick

Yet again I am going to be looking at a Metalcore/Hardcore band similar to Rise To Remain which I talked about in my last post - Here is my research and my own opinion!

A spot of background research...

While She Sleeps is a 5-man Metalcore band from Sheffield in the south of the UK that have been playing since around 2006. They are very popular for their live performances - flailing and jumping around, all that good stuff.

Members include:

• Lawrence Taylor (Vocals)
• Sean Long (Guitar)
• Aaron Mckenzie (Bass)
• Adam Savage (Drums)
• Mat Welsh (Vocals/Guitar)

They have supported names such as Enter Shikari and Bury Tomorrow and they have done a great job and it paid off as they now regularly tour around major cities in the UK and Europe.

The North Stands For Nothing - Debut 2010

Well, after all that hard work the guys released their debut album 'The North Stands For Nothing' in mid-2010 with the label Small Town in the UK.

What do I think?

I grabbed myself a copy of TNSFN, and at first glance I was disappointed to only see 8 tracks lasting just under half an hour, but that was just me being pre-judgemental as always.

I went straight through the album - one song after another, and I loved it. Each track is very melodic and there is a great balance between these melodies and the input of hard drum crashes, juicy bass lines and fantastic riffs, not forgetting Taylor's screaming of course.

In a way, I find the melodic nature of these guys and Rise To Remain quite similar, which is awesome.

New Album Alert! Later This Year!

Yes, WSS is indeed releasing another bag of epic craziness, and most likely a tour to go with that - however they have released very little info on this, which is damn frustrating to say the least. I will update you all if I hear anything however!

Links!

Here is my pick off the album, I definitely recommend it:

And here is a link to the official site where you can listen to other stuff they have done, get tour dates, images, videos ad merch! http://wssofficial.com/

Cheers for reading! Ollie.

VHS head and thoughts on SKAM

Thoughts on VHS Head

First of all, nobody really knows who he/she/they is/are. Second of all, whoever it is, is signed to SKAM, the legendary IDM label that had Boards of Canada and Autechre under their wing in the early nineties. So who is it? Aside from the token Richard D. James speculation there is a long list of possible blokes... I suppose the place to ask would be blockbuster video, because im sure one branch will have had an alarming rise in complaints about mangled, screwed up tapes.

Thoughts on The EP

Made completely out of samples from old rental videos, this is a fuzzy, glitched-out mess of a record. However, this only adds tho the purcussive effect that a split second of silence can have, these moments of clarity keep this record on the very edge of the waterfall, and instead of being impossible to follow, this is an INCREDIBLY funky EP.

Listen for yourself 

and to the full EP

Final Thoughts on SKAM

The golden years were the nineties, now the boards and autechre have moved on to warp and SKAM have gone relatively quiet, with the odd release like this not picking up too much publicity or having too big a release (the vinyl version is limited to 300)

There are some kick ass artists on SKAM still, and if you are interested in electronic music, take a look at their wikipedia page for a little history lesson. Meanwhile, I'm holding out for a SKAM comeback, and a new VHS head album. Maybe there is a future still for IDM's biggest label...