Phantom Family Halo’s new album dark, courageous
Louisville's The Phantom Family Halo has a new album out that will eat your soul.
The Phantom Family Halo’s new album is so diabolic and dark that even Glenn Danzig’s skin would crawl after pressing Play. Guitars that slice like razorblades across a throat. Vocals and lyrics that make your bones cold. Hypnotizing subliminal messages. One might wonder if this family is related to the Mansons.
“Monoliths and These Flowers Never Die” isn’t for the weak minded, or even the faint hearted. This courageous album isn’t afraid of social conviction, or, apparently, eternal damnation. This album is experimental, psychedelic rock as it should be – fearless.
Opening with a hauntingly vindictive track, “Blackouts and Runaways” is as captivating as it is terrifying. Guitars that hum like chainsaws sync with the sound of a bass rhythm that will keep you awake at night. If you survive the first track, you will likely know if The Phantom Family Halo is for you or not.
[MP3s, more review, album release & tour info below]
The Seedy Seeds’ eclectic nature makes great pop
The Seedy Seeds. Photo by Brian Niesz | WOXY
Today is Friday the 13th, so you’re looking for something screwed up and out of the ordinary to do. How about seeing a show that combines accordions, electronica, acoustic guitars, synths and banjo?
Yeah, sounds pretty scary, but it’s the sound Cincinnati’s The Seedy Seeds professionalize in producing.
“Folktronica” is the buzz word a Seedy Seeds promo e-mail loosely used to describe the group. Even then, that might be too tightly fastened. Oh, and they’re not just another Mates of States knock-off. This is sincere, eclectic pop music that expands the genre’s boundaries and tools required.
[MP3, tour info, click more]
CONTEST: Free tix to Evangelicals/Holiday Shores in Louisville
SaY is giving away tickets to see the Evangelicals and Holiday Shores in Louisville.
The Evangelicals and Holiday Shores have booked a last minute stop in Louisville on Friday the 13th, and SaY is giving away a pair of tickets to the show for free, courtesy of Crash Avenue Publicity.
Since the show is last minute, the contest is also last minute. This will be quick – leave your full name and e-mail below. I will randomly select the winner on Wednesday at noon Eastern time.
This should be an awesome high energy, psychedelic rock show. The Evangelicals are getting a lot of attention right now. Go see this show, everybody is doing it.
[Show info, enter contest, MPfree, click more]
SaY What: Heavy Pets, Dozens of MPfrees, free tickets
Heavy Pets are on tour all winter.
A few stories you may have missed but probably shouldn’t have
Backseat Sandbar has list of 2009’s best tracks. And that means a list of the best MP3s, which means you have a new playlist for your iTunes. Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Portugal. The Man, Rain Machine, Neko Case and the list goes on and on. They also have a top albums list. You can get all that and more, click here.
Atlanta fans can catch The Heavy Pets at the fifth annual Scarendipity held on Halloween night. For a $20 donation, fans can hear live music by The Heavy Pets, The Arbiters and Deep Blue Sun and even enjoy an open bar. Out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Heavy Pets is a group of five friends hitting it big on the jam band circuit as they combine elements of jazz, funk, rock and reggae into an energetic blended sound. Read Sarah Morgan’s excellent story on the up and coming Heavy Pets.
Free tickets to Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. Courtesy of Buster’s Billiards and Backroom in Lexington, Ky., SaY is giving away two tickets to this show. The show on Nov. 4 at Buster’s, and it is an 18 and over and the tickets are a $20 value. That’s the equivalent of four or five drinks, sans tips of course. As of Tuesday morning only one person had entered the contest, so get to it.
Athens’ Nana Grizol announces tour, second album
Nana Grizol
You know Nana Grizol, an Athens, Ga. up and coming. The group was one of the main acts when they recently performed at the Orange Twin Fall Festival. And if you didn’t know any of that, you at least know a few of the innards – Laura Carter and Robbie Cucchiaro are both formerly of Athens’ legendary Neutral Milk Hotel.
Through Orange Twin Records, Nana Grizol released their debut album “Love It Love It,” in May of last year, according to a news release. Nana Grizol will release their sophomore album, “Ruth,” January of 2010.
The album will be a collection of 11 songs. The band is on tour right now, so check out the tour list below. The song “For Things That Haven’t Come Yet” is a great indie track, that gives you full exposure to the horns you loved with Neutral Milk Hotel, and also a similar song structure.
Nana Grizol – For Things That Haven’t Come Yet
[Tracklisting, tour info, click more]
Florida’s Awesome New Republic releases new track
Awesome New Republic just released a track from "Hearts"
Awesome New Republic’s new album,“Hearts,” is out next week, and they just released the first track from it. “Alleycat” solidifies the group as a dance-music generator.
“Don’t be embarrassed when you get up and dance, you won’t be able to help it,” the group’s news release said. “That’s the way ANR likes it.”
[Downlaod MP3, tour info below]
The shadow of Kings: The Whigs making fresh steps
The Whigs have a new album coming after their tour with Kings of Leon. Photo by Jordan Noel
Download new track from The Whigs
Kings of Leon’s success has brought the contemporary southern rock tradition to the national limelight. Kids North and South are flocking at an exponential rate to pick up albums from the prime southeastern music meccas (My Morning Jacket/Louisville, Avett Brothers/Ashville, Band of Horses/South Carolina).
Athens, Ga.’s The Whigs are slowly ticking up the national buzz rollercoaster and joining the ranks of this growing subgenre. The single “Right Hand on My Heart“off their latest album, “Mission Control” is an excellent display of the gritty, stripped down, southern gothic tone, first seen in Lynyrd Skynyrd and Creedence Clearwater Revival 40 years ago. The success of “Mission Control” landed them a spot on tour with Kings of Leon in the earlier part of the year. Let the comparisons begin.
[Download new The Whigs MP3]
Garage A Tois’ new album will make Claypool proud
Garage A Tois has a new album out: Power Patriot.
On it’s 10th year of creating insane improvisational jazz, Garage A Tois is releasing “Power Patriot.”
The New Orleans, La. group will release the album next week on Oct. 27, and what is in store is a hybrid of moonstruck genius jazz.
Garage A Tois is a group of highly talented and professional musicians. On their résumés are reference names like Roger Walters (Pink Floyd), Fred Wesley, Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Matt Chamberlain (Wallflowers) and the main-brain behind Primus, Les Claypool. Upon first hearing “Fat Redneck Gangster,” my first thought was “Les Claypool would be proud,” so I wrote that in my track review. Later, I get an e-mail from the band’s publicist saying, “Yeah, they’ve played with Claypool, and the influence is definitely there.”
(Jaw drop).
[MP3s, tour info below]
New Fruit Bats video, “The Ruminant Band” and MP3
Click to watch the video.
Fruit Bats just released a great video for “The Ruminant Band.”
The video takes place in a church, and it’s hard to figure out if its a wedding, church service or what in the beginning, but it all comes together at the end, and very nicely one might add.
The video depicts the band as, well, black men. For those of you who do not know, no one in Fruit Bats is black. For further proof, click here. It makes for an interesting and fun video.
Fruit Bats – The Ruminant Band
Grand Archives new video “Oslo Novelist,” and MP3
Click to play video.
The Grand Archives just released a new video for “Oslo Novelist.” And who knew construction paper could be turned into so many things?
The video depicts an astronaut sipping some wine, working on his novel, as astronauts tend to do, when spilled wine knocks open the door, sucking out the man and his work. The rest of the video is him trying to get his papers back.
Click the picture to the left to watch the video, and the MP3 is available for download below.
