Kings of Leon have released the first single to drop from their upcoming 6th studio full- length "Mechanical Bull", and it's entitled "Wait For Me." The song largely reflects the sound of later era- Kings records. It's a stand up but subtle anthem, comprising of meandering, reverb- soaked guitar lines and a chorus that keeps it's cool but is likely to unashamedly lodge itself in your brain.
The song is distinctly pretty and catchy, but there's nothing particularly edgy or interesting about it. Essentially, it's a slightly more pleasant take on the "radio rock by numbers" that Kings Of Leon have been dabbling in since 2008's "Only By The Night." All that being said, it's certainly a lot more enjoyable than most of what was on 2010's resignedly poor "Come Around Sundown."
"Mechanical Bull" is due to be released on 23rd September via RCA Records.
Artist: The Haxan Cloak
Album: Excavation
Record Label: Tri Angle Records
Bobby Krlic's more electronic trajectory on "Excavation" sees a new sonic side to his terrifyingly dark soundscapes
As far as the concept of the one man project ethos goes, Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak, is an example of a man who is doing it right. Perhaps most crucially to this ethos, he makes music primarily for himself, therefore making room for the premise that it's an added bonus if anybody else likes it. As we saw on his self- titled debut in 2011, it's an approach that allows him to arrange and compose songs to exactly how he thinks they should fit, a necessary nuance of the private narcissism that comes with working alone.
"Excavation", his second full- length, sees him abide by the same rules, but with a much more electronic formula at hand. If that sounds like The Haxan Cloak's music has lost the Midas- like presence of his genre- hopping debut then fear not; "Excavation" is still varying degrees of "bloody terrifying." "Excavation Pt. 1" sounds like being chased around an abandoned construction site at 3 in the morning by a serial killer with no clear exit. It's spacious but with plenty of progressive percussive elements to ensure it doesn't lose focus. "Excavation Pt. 2" is even more nightmarish with its ear- drum puncturing bass and screeching, robotic scree before becoming an eerily twinkling overture. "Mara" is comprised of pounding stabs of drums behind torturous violin interjections and Horror- Movie- esque drones.
If there's one track here that seems to encompass all of Krlic's musical ambition (and sees it executed near- perfectly) it's "The Mirror Reflecting Pt. 2". It has enormous presence right from the dark, guttural keys and Nintendo- esque synths at the beginning to the creepily mournful violins in the mid- section to the layers of thick but faded out and hazy rave- esque synths that intertwine at the end. It's a majestic listening experience.
"Dieu" is perhaps the most dance- orientated moment here, relying largely on ambidextrous drum samples, minimal synths and distant, alienating vocal yelps to pursue its momentum. "The Drop" begins with beautiful layers of reflective keys before descending into dark acoustics and then even further into unnerving ritualistic, tribal territory.
It's true that as a whole piece, "Excavation" may not always have the overbearing musicianship or unique presence of "The Haxan Cloak." However it marries the dark and beautiful rather successfully throughout, and in still considerably incomparable fettle. It'll give you that "nails on a blackboard feeling", but in a way that is intensely inviting, as well as quiveringly uncomfortable.
Key Tracks: The Mirror Reflecting Pt. 2, Dieu, The Drop
Artist: Neon Neon
Album: Praxis Makes Perfect
Record Label: Lex Records
Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip recount the life of Italian Revolutionary Giangiacomo Feltrinelli amidst a set of beautifully catchy synth- pop
Neon Neon (that is Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys and Electronic visionary Boom Bip) have a penchant for bringing obscured historical figures back to life via keyboards, narrative wordplay and ludicrously catchy tunes. On 2008's "Stainless Style" they examined the largely debauched life of Car visionary and playboy John DeLorean. On "Praxis Makes Perfect" however, affairs take a rather more sincere turn as they attempt to bring the topsy- turvey life story of Italian publisher and Communist revolutionary Feltrinelli to our soundsystems.
They conduct their mission with an expertise in simple but charming, glacial and infectious '80s Electro- Pop. "The Jaguar" is full of cloudy synths and nifty keyboard noodling, and possesses a titanic hook (a fundamental ingredient throughout "Praxis Makes Perfect"). A similar trajectory is explored on "Dr. Zhivago", which implores the immortal quip "Dr. Zhivago, I'm just waiting for my cold embargo to be lifted." Songs like "Hoops With Fidel" expose meticulous insights into the inner circles of Feltrinelli's mind, whilst the sparse robo- pop of "Shopping (I Like To)" provides wit, humour and melody.
By the time closer "Ciao Feltrinelli" comes around, you feel like you've had the most interesting and overwhelmingly joyous History lesson ever. "Ideas don't need a vessel, don't decay... but refine... and echo...", intones Rhys softly and prolifically. Feltrinelli's legacy certainly isn't lost on these two, nor will it be on you should you choose to invest in this extraordinary but excellent piece of work.
Key Tracks: The Jaguar, Hoops With Fidel, Shopping (I Like To)
For fans of: Metronomy, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys
"Problem Areas" is the first track to be released from Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never's upcoming full- length "R Plus Seven." I've been a big fan of almost everything Lopatin has released under his Oneohtrix guise, from the languorous, ambient jams of 2010's "Rifts" to the sample heavy, mathy grooves of 2012's "Replica", so naturally I was excited to hear this.
And what a pleasantry it is. Drumless but still fast- paced, "Problem Areas" is driven by a racy but beautifully warm looped synth melody, which is presently accompanied by a distinctly summery atmosphere. Heavenly female vocal samples are drenched in haze and looped into the mix at the midway point, and it ends with an orchestral undercurrent of brass and piano. Stylistically it returns to Lopatin's more organic approach that he endorsed on "Rifts", but it's narrowed down into 3 and a half minutes, making it intense and ensuring it doesn't out- stay it's welcome.
"R Plus Seven" is due to be released on the 29th of September via the legendary Warp Records.
"For Us" is the debut single from New Orleans MC Trois, along with his partner in crime The Ancient Alchemist, and it's a truly fine start to what promises to be an interesting career. The Ancient Alchemist's production is gorgeous. A dark, resounding and versatile guitar sample chimes with subtle, bubbling and atmospheric synth rushes, before climaxing with a finale of star- gazing twinkles, crashing cymbals and a glacial keyboard melody resembling less aggressive EL-P- esque production ambition.
However, Trois is just as if not more captivating. Akin to MCs like Joey Bada$$ and Andre 3000, Trois approaches braggadocious Hip Hop with a high level of intellect and wordy but effortless idealism. It's certainly cocksure, but the images and metaphors conjured make it interesting all the way through.
Trois says that his debut album is finished. Until they announce a release date though, this track is almost certain to whet your appetite. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing what he has to offer in the future.
"Just Exist" is the first track to drop from LA post- hardcore band Touche Amore's upcoming full- length "Is Survived By", which is due out on the 24th September. Over the last few years the band have been sealing a reputation as one of the most popular underground Screamo bands in America, but I've never been a big fan of the sound the band works with. That being said, this new song ain't bad.
The song's catchy, uplifting guitar melodies and pounding drums means it has quite a high dose of memorable intensity, and I also like the raw production that the band has employed here. However, there's something about the lyrics (as is the case with many a Hardcore- inspired band) that's a little bit too corny. The vocals are growled in a way that make them both accessible and easily understood, but there's just something cheesily off- putting about them.
Nevertheless, if you're into this kind of thing make sure you check out "Is Survived By." It'll be getting the review treatment.
Artist: Sadistik
Album: Flowers For My Father
Record Label: Fake Four Inc.
Seattle MC opens himself up in a bone shattering showcase of beautiful beats, disturbing imagery and personal redemption
There's something in the water in Seattle which seems to grab anyone who has a talent with a pen by the hand and lead them through their own personal odyssey. It's a journey that turned Kurt Cobain into a superstar, and it's a journey that MC Sadistik seems to have been inspired by on his latest project, "Flowers For My Father." Sadistik's lightning paced flow, fascination with the philosophical as well as well as his presumably self- destructive nature are things that were all laid bare on his 2008 LP "The Balancing Act." But there's an upsetting modicum in the mind which predicts that "Flowers For My Father" will be slept on by most of the world, including most Hip Hop fans. And that is it's only pitfall. Otherwise, it's a flawless piece of work.
It's hard to know where to begin, but it's probable that Sadistik's deep- as- hell lyrical matter wouldn't be as prolific if it wasn't given space by the beautifully textured production which every track here entails. On every song the tone is set by a gorgeously reflective and spacious beat, pushing the wordplay to the fore and leaving plenty of space for Sadistik to rap until he feels truly vindicated. It would be a dangerous premise in the hands of a less skilled MC, but it's the words that really matter here nevertheless.
Sadistik's wordplay flurries between metaphysical, disturbing but fundamentally poetic imagery and a dark, self- deprecating honesty. The first prime example of this is on second track "Russian Roulette", as the words "No disrespect but the real love doesn't show until I kiss your neck and my steel tongue cuts your throat" resound around atmosphere drenched synths and lurking, squelchy bass notes. "Yeah I sit beneath a plaster moon, puff puff pass the gloom and watch the ashes bloom" he opens up on "Snow White", a grizzly, heart breaking tale of him leaving a lover due to her insatiable appetite for Cocaine. "You look so comfortable but pretty with your bloody nose, and you're still thinking that nobody knows?".
Best of all is "The Beast." Surrounded by expansive, illustrious and wonderfully compiled orchestration, Sadistik quips lines like the intelligent black humour of "the duckling swan- dived into the barrel of a gun" and "I studied every eye lash on her pretty little face and they looked like Venus Fly Traps."
There's more versatility to be found though. The self destructive trajectory of tracks like the revenge- fueled "Kill The King" sees him asserting "I won't say I'm getting stronger 'cause whatever doesn't kill me only makes me wait a little longer." There's more verbosity to be found on "Song For the End of the World". A melancholy, doom- laden and deep synth creates a marooning atmosphere as Sadistik tells us "I fall asleep to my existential woes and the questions with the answers that'll never get exposed."
And yet, there are some chinks of positivity woven into the proceedings. "Palmreader" supplies us with a beautiful beat and reverb- soaked vocal cut from Child Actor, and lyrically it's strangely romantic. "You've haunted my skin with your ruby red lipstick, aren't you a gem" intones Sadistik, before going on to promise "They say the sky's the limit we can burn up in the atmosphere while we try to get it." "Exit Theme" portrays a "Carpe Diem" kind of message, as Astronautalist raps in his guest spot "to that pretty thing with the glazed eyes I ain't asking for a dance I just wanna have a great night", before Sadistik adds "Make me young, make me numb until my exit arrives."
"Flowers For My Father" is Sadistik's account of 5 years of soul searching. "I think, in a way, a person is always looking for themselves, that's what drives them forward" follows a monologue at the end of "Michael", a touching paean to a deceased friend. It seems that Sadistik still isn't the person he wants to be, nor can he ever see himself becoming such. "Flowers For My father" is a compilation of emotions that he's felt up until this point in his life, and the realization and analysis of the point in his life that he's currently at. It's about as gleefully detailed as you could hope for from an artist who clearly (and rightly) prioritises substance over anything else.
Key Tracks: The Beast, Melancholia, Palmreader, Song for the End of the World
For fans of: Kristoff Krane, Cage, EL-P
