Music Exchange: Round One

Hello, everyone. Today's post is going to be heavy on recommendations, but relatively low on content. I'm not going to go into much depth about each artist on today's menu due to time constraints, but I may go back and do a separate feature for some of the artists I mention in this post. We'll see.

In case I wasn't particularly clear on the subject before, I'm currently in my senior year of college. This means that much of my time is occupied by reading about Plato, or researching Mexico's 19th century foreign debt, instead of discovering interesting bands to pass on to you folks. Thankfully, my roommate (who will go unnamed for now, since I haven't asked his permission) is a fellow musician, and a music major to boot. Since our schedules don't have too much overlap (I'm stuck being an early-riser this semester, while he burns the midnight oil), we've set up a whiteboard in our dorm room for sharing bands we think the other might be interested in. I've decided to start sharing the fruits of this exchange with my audience (such that it is) at this blog. This time, we both selected three albums from different artists, so I'll be sharing a total of six different bands with you today (in no particular order). Due to the sheer quantity of music this time around, I'll be fairly brief with each band. I think the music should speak for itself, anyways. Without further ado, let's get to the music.

Guitarman's recommendations:

#1: Haken - "Affinity"

My list of recommendations starts off with Haken's release from earlier this year, "Affinity." The album is modern progressive metal with an 80's pop-ish flair. Great stuff, and very much on the lighter end of the heaviness spectrum. I may do a more in-depth feature on it later, because it deserves more than just a little blurb here. Give it a listen, and you'll see what I mean.

#2: Gygax - "Critical Hits"

I think the best way to describe Gygax is to call them a nerdy Thin Lizzy. Actually, that's probably all the description that the band really needs. Their sound is straightforward classic rock/metal with focus on guitar harmonies (did I mention that they sound almost exactly like Thin Lizzy?), and their lyrical themes are about what you'd expect from a band named after the creator of Dungeons and Dragons. Their album "Critical Hits" doesn't ask for much of your time (it's about 30 minutes total), and is well worth it. We don't get enough of this stuff these days.

#3: The Dread Crew of Oddwood - "Lawful Evil"

There's some context behind this recommendation. See, I live on a themed hall on campus. Specifically, we're the pirate-themed substance-free hall. Kind of a strange combination, I know. My roommate is one of the hall captains, which is what we call our leaders. Anyways, The Dread Crew of Oddwood are similar to Alestorm (a band I previously featured) in that they write songs almost exclusively about pirates. Unlike Alestorm, however, they aren't a metal band. Dread Crew of Oddwood are an acoustic folk band that takes stylistic inspiration from metal groups. They're a quirky lot, and their latest album "Lawful Evil" is certainly worth a look if you're into folk and have a functioning sense of humor.

Roommate's recommendations:

#1: JJ Doom - "Key to the Kuffs"

For the record, no, rap isn't really my cup of tea. My roommate recommended JJ Doom for his lyrics, which are villain themed and, frankly, great. However, I'm probably not going to be seeking out this album that often. While this is some of the best rap I've ever heard, I tend to focus much more on the instrumentation than the vocals when I listen to music. As such, I gravitate towards rap-rock like Rage Against the Machine, Pre-Fight Hype or Southpaw Swagger when I want my rap fix. Still, I'll probably be coming back to JJ Doom, which isn't something I can say about most straightforward rap outfits. I imagine anyone who normally pursues rap music will absolutely love this.

#2: Danish String Quartet - "Wood Works"

And now for something completely different: traditional Nordic folk music. I'm not exactly qualified to assess the quality of a string quartet, but I must say that I'm enjoying what I'm hearing here. They're precise without sacrificing the inherent fun of the pieces they preform. If you enjoy folk half as much as I do, you'll enjoy them.

#3: Punch Brothers - "Phosphorescent Blues"

Full disclaimer: I'm still digging through their music, so this is more "first impressions" than "researched opinion." That being said, I'm really liking what I'm hearing from these folks. The Punch Brothers play progressive bluegrass, which is absolutely fantastic. I'm lacking in comparisons to draw from to describe their sound, but that's honestly a good thing in my opinion (just not when I'm trying to introduce them to you). They've managed to blend soulful bluegrass with classical inspirations, and it works bloody brilliantly. This is certainly my favorite of the groups my roommate recommended, and by a rather large margin. Definitely worth checking out!

So, there you have it: round one of the roommate music exchange. I'm clearing off the whiteboard to make way for more music, and I'll be sure to let you know what makes the list! Until next time, Guitarman out.

Thunder Down Under (round 2)

Yes, I basically just reused one of my older titles. No, I don't care. I promised an update this weekend, and I have to wake up in about eight hours to go to work. Not ideal writing conditions, but I'll roll with it.

Remember that band Blackwater Fever I featured a while ago? They were the slow, dark blues band hailing from Australia. Well, tonight's band is basically their foil. Introducing The Fumes.

Hailing from Sidney, Australia, The Fumes are a blues rock band with a very special place in my heart. They three albums under their belts at this point, but their debut opus, "Guns of Gold," is what I'd like to talk about today. The Fumes started out with a fairly simple plan of attack: use delta blues as a foundation, play with a punk rock attitude, and turn the fuzz and distortion to eleven. It's a winning formula that keeps Guns of Gold relevant a decade after its initial release. Guns of Gold is quality blues-based hard rock from start to finish, sprinkled with a refreshing amount of variety. You get acoustic numbers like Postman's Inn, the nearly-seven-minutes-long heavy stomp of Tell Your Story Walking, the long-lost ZZ Top crunch of Down River, and the epic closer Johnny the Lion Slayer. The album does get a little long in the tooth, with a total runtime over an hour, and with three of the fourteen songs going for more than six minutes. They definitely could have made more of an impact by trimming some of that fat, but I'm not going to complain too long about too much of a good thing here. Guns of Gold is certainly worth your time, as is the more "mature" follow up, Sundancer. I haven't listened to the third album, Bloodless, yet, but I'm a little hesitant after the stinker single "Dance in Costume," released after their second album. Then again, I didn't see that song on Bloodless, so I think the coast is clear. Think they learned their lesson (the song was really quite bad).

Anyways, so that's The Fumes. Go check them out if you like blues and/or hard rock. There's plenty of both in their catalog. I'll see if I can get another feature out next weekend. Wish me luck!

Guitarman out.

Sinister roots

Hello, everyone, and happy Easter to you!

As I mentioned over on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/rotgm/), Lincoln Durham's latest album, Revelations of a Mind Unraveling, dropped on the 25th. It's been about three years since his sophomore effort, Exodus of the Deemed Unrighteous, and four years since his debut album, The Shovel vs. The Howling Bones.

First, some more background. Lincoln Durham is a native Texan who tours as a one-man band. His style on his previous albums was a vigorous blend of olden southern Americana. Durham's music is as much founded in bluegrass as in blues, and his records are filled with fiddles, banjos and mandolins accenting his powerful yet loose guitar playing. His first album, The Shovel vs. The Howling Bones, captured my with its stomping riffs and tasty slide guitar. On the other hand, his sophomore effort, Exodus of the Deemed Unrighteous, put Durham's vocals front and center. Durham had sounded like a seasoned blues singer on his debut; his second album saw him attack his microphone like a fire and brimstone preacher. His performance was dynamic, soulful, and one of the only times I've seen spoken word passages actually benefit an album.

So, how does his latest album measure up? Revelations of a Mind Unraveling confused me before I even pushed play for the first time. The album artwork was such a stark departure from the others. Here it is put next to the previous two.

Confusion about the sudden palette change aside, Revelations is one heck of an album. Like Exodus, it's rather short at just shy of 32 minutes. It's by far the darkest and most experimental of his albums so far. The balladry of Shovel and Exodus is kept to a bare minimum here. There are certainly no love songs this time, either. Instead, we get such cheery numbers as "Rage and Fire and Brimstone," "Bones," "Rusty Knife," "Noose," and the uncomfortably titled "Bleed Until You Die." Yikes. The most upbeat track is the gleeful pagan bluegrass of "Gods of Wood and Stone."

The guitar work, though not the emphasis of the album, has a noticeably more modern edge to it at times. If anything, it sounds at times like the blues-meets-punk assault favored by the White Stripes, although with a considerably more traditional approach. As expected, Durham knocks the vocals out of the park with a mastery and fervor that simply can't be topped. The spoken word sections make a comeback, although considerably more blended with the sung passages than on Exodus. They're also kept to a relative minimum. Durham isn't content to simply tell you stories here like he was on Exodus. Instead, he sells his lyrics with positively manic delivery and righteous conviction.

It's not quite like his previous albums, but once again Durham delivers the goods. I can safely recommend this to fans of Exodus of the Deemed Unrighteous, fans of the White Stripes and anyone interested in hearing new takes on classic American genres. You won't regret it.

Until next time. Guitarman, out.

Thunder Down Under

No, I don't mean the erotic theatre group. Not that kind of blog, folks.

I was scratching my head for a while about what group to cover next. Should I look for some new-to-me group? No, I hardly have that kind of time a mere week before finals. Perhaps some more metal? Nah, I'm not interested in getting the blog pigeonholed into a single genre. ROTGM has done consecutive metal spotlights for too long now. How about some criminally unsung blues badassery? Now we're talking my language.

Introducing: The Blackwater Fever.

This Australian trio (formerly duo) have been steadily cranking out some of the darkest, most raw electric blues this side of...well, anywhere at this point, ever since their debut in late 2008. The Blackwater Fever are masters of their craft, namely the creation of languid, tar-black soundscapes. The instrumentation has this sort of effortless feel to it and a simplicity which belies the musicians' tremendous talent. The result is something truly hypnotizing while still often being as heavy as you can get without being labeled doom metal. There aren't self-indulgent guitar solos here, no frills or unnecessary motions, just pitch-perfect pitch-blackness. They've put out three albums and an ep of the stuff so far, with each effort getting progressively more polished and atmospheric. Seriously, if you're looking for something moody and down-tempo, give these folks a spin or two or fifteen. You'll be glad you did.

She Loves Pablo

It's certainly been a while since I last posted here. Sophomore year has been...chaotic so far, to say the least. Well, I'm back home for the holidays, finally getting over my lingering cold (having passed it on to my immediate family) and seem to have internet access for the moment. Let's get cracking with some more music, shall we?

She Loves Pablo is a four-piece groove/stoner rock group hailing from Zagreb, Croatia. Before I get to the band itself, I'd like to thank Jesus Varela (guitarist of Maldia) for telling me about them. I probably wouldn't have heard of them otherwise, which would've been a shame. She Loves Pablo has quickly become one of my favorite groups in the stoner genre, thanks to a fairly no-nonsense approach to songwriting and execution. The riffs are massive, the vocals are powerful and articulate, and the drums and bass are perfectly locked into the songs' behemoth grooves. The band takes the best of garage rock and heavy blues, dials the distortion and fuzz to eleven while snapping it all neatly into a mesmerizing beat. Take their song Burnin' My Soul, for example; that bassline and rhythm guitar riff are just downright tasty. Especially on their second album, Burn And Levitate, everything just clicks perfectly into beat. Production values are astounding for free music. The vocals are even free of any of the accent or affectations that come from having English as a second language. I really can't recommend them highly enough to any fans of heavy blues, garage rock, hard rock, grunge, etc. Anyone who considers themselves a fan of rock and blues riffs run through a considerable layer of fuzz should definitely give them a listen. I certainly have been.

I hope you enjoy She Loves Pablo as much as I have. I'll be trying to get back to posting at least once a month for 2015. Happy new year!

Home Sweet Home

Well, I just got back yesterday from a week-long mission trip to Guatemala. Since today is the last day I can squeeze out of my spring break, I've decided that I'm long overdue for a blog post. Here's my latest free music find:

Royalty-free music for professional licensing

Introducing Florian "Flo" Fusade, a French blues guitarist who has truly caught my attention. I don't think I need to elaborate much on this one. His wailing guitar speaks for him. Anyways, he has two albums (both fairly short) that you can pick up here: http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/6125/flo. Give it a listen, why don't ya.