Endless howling II

So almost midnight here and I decided to give you a late night feast of some more past uploads of mine. I didn't post anything today and tomorrow I'm out of town so here is some stuff to keep you busy.

Belle Epoque - Demo

Black Hole Kids - Demo (2010)

Caitlyn Bailey - Fuego (2008)

Carrion Spring - Demo (2010)

Cassettes On Fire - ...Might Sink Ships EP (2007)

Chaos Is... - Self-titled (2007)

Contour - Pre-production EP (2009)

As for the out of town thing. Me and some mates are going to a great gig, namely Reflections of Internal Rain, Melete and Shades of Gray! Quite excited about that. Expect a gig review in the coming days. Until then, enjoy!

Adorno Europe Summer tour 2010

The famous screamo band storms from Portugal to send us an amazing present in the form of a huge list of tour dates! July/August are going to be hot in Europe!

16. Spain/France - Book us
17. France - Book us
18. Germany - Book us
19. Germany - TBC
20. Germany - Book us
21. Italy - Milan - Dauntaun with Ampere
22. Germany - Book us
23. Czech Republic - Day Off
24. Czech Republic - Rokycany - Fluff Fest
25. Czech Republic - Book us
26. Austria - Wien - Book us
27. Slovenia - TBA
28. Croatia - Book us
29. Serbia - TBA
30. Hungary - Budapest - TBA
31. Slovakia - Bratislava - Book us
1. Poland, Cracow - TBA
2. Poland, Warsaw - Klubojadalnia Eufemia W/ Setting the woods on fire
3. Poland/Germany - Book us
4. Germany, Berlin - TBA
5. Germany, Kiel - Schaubude W/ Ritual
6. Germany/Denmark - TBA
7. Denmark - Copenhagen - TBA
8. Norway, Oslo - TBA
9. Sweden, Stockholm - TBA
10. Sweden - Book us
11. Germany - Boook us
12. Belgium - Book us
13. France - Book us
14. France/Spain - Book us
15. Spain - Book us

As you can see, massive and exciting list, but they still need help with dates and booking. If some of you can help them set up a show, get in touch with them via myspace (found here) or if you don't have a ms account, send me an email and I will forward your message to Adorno.
While we are at it, might as well share some tunes...

Adorno - Said and Unsaid 7'' (2010)

Download

There are several reasons why I decided to post this release. The first and most obvious one would be the top post, the announcement of Adorno's tour. Second, while I was looking on the internet for this album, I noticed a lot of negative responses about style changes, which I will discuss further down the review. And third, "Adorno" just blows my mind away, so why not!

Generally speaking, the dislike part dragged me the most on posting this, so let's get to it. We have all heard about this band, amazing four-piece from Portugal, characterized by distorted, noisy, yet melodic, emotional and beautiful melodies followed by intense, rough vocals. Yet, along the way, stuff changed, mostly on the "intense, rough vocals" part. The once coarse vocals have shifted (evolved?) into a stunning, "clean" voice which, if I may compare, remind me of the singing in one other famous band known as "Yaphet Kotto". I never had a problem liking the "old" sound of the vocal in "Adorno", but this style of singing flows closer to the instrumental part, giving you a much better recognition of synergy and composition. But face it, we are on the interwebz here, this shit was once brOOtal dude, why the emo change? And just face it again, this review ain't changing opinions. You will either hate "Adorno" or love it, but I am definitely a part of the latter. The fact is that the band took a small turn in their style of performance, yet this is still, as always, a very passionate, brilliant and inspiring project, solemnly giving you enough proof that they are blooming.

And lucky for us, this blooming is not followed by wilting, since "Adorno" is working on new material. They have a freshly uploaded track on their myspace, a song for the upcoming 12'' split with "Kias Fansuri", "Suis La Lune", "The Saddest Landscape" and "Captain Your Ship Is Sinking" (wow!), which is part two of the "Connections" project by Moment of Collapse Records. But for now, enjoy this amazing 7''.

Barrow - Demo (2010)

Download

There is no greater joy than stumbling upon a band as amazing as this one. Luckily for me, I was thrown into the clutches of their tunes by Travis, a very friendly guitar player/vocalist of the band who contacted me about posting their two song demo here. I for one have been quite uneventful as far as discovering new bands goes, so in moments when someone else throws such an exciting band, the musical enjoyment is perhaps tripled by the sheer amazement that such a spectacular band was brewing in a basement or studio somewhere and you had no idea about it. Damn long sentence...

Anyway, as I said, what we have here is a demo composed of two songs. The moment you play the first song you are faced with a slow/mid tempo buildup which after 20 seconds leads to instrumental explosion followed by outstanding dual screams, after which the song shifts between mid and fast tempo, creating a wave riding feeling. Yes, they throw quite a punch and leave you stunned. Although the whole band sounds excellent, I must pull aside the vocals and bass. These two elements are magnificent! I was quite impressed with the bass playing, it grants the songs a deep behemoth sound in certain spots.

All in all, this is one interesting project. Hopefully they will continue playing and grant more material for our speakers and headphones. Thanks to Travis for sending me this! Check these lads out, it is worth your time. Greensboro, North Carolina you should be proud.

Lobo-guará - Lobeira (2010)

Download

I remember the first time when I heard about this Brazilian project through the previous release named "Quatro Musicas". The four songs on the said release were quite refreshing, since the acoustic detail is not quite exploited in the screamo genre, with only a few other bands working that way. The beautiful guitar playing, splashed with raw, emotion packed screaming made "Lobo-guará" stand out as a quite unique band.

So now, not even a full year after "Quatro Musicas" (released in Autumn of last year, 2009) comes new material by the name of "Lobeira" carrying with itself vast improvements in both song structures, flow and performance. Not that the previous release needed improvements, might I remind you. New album delivers some nearly symbolic numbers, six songs with a total of six minutes and five seconds of yet again raw screamo in its purest form.

At this rate, the project will hopefully evolve more and more. Which is really bringing me joy, since I find "Lobo-guará" very interesting, unique and generally an enjoyable band. Check it out and support it, the attention is well deserved!

Endless howling I

From time to time I will be adding posts which will contain several bands. Those are all the things I uploaded before, either for friends or another blog or whatever. I wanted to add all those links to one huge post, but I guess this will be a lot easier and better to navigate in. So let's get to it then...

36 Daggers - Kalpa Minutes (2004)

Analena - Carbon Based

Analena - Inconstantinopolis (2009)

Anna O - Anna O (1997)

Archives - Decline (2009)

Arroyo - Inviduum & Massen (2009)

Arroyo Seco - Cassette Tape

Gig review: 36 Daggers and Analena

From the time in my life when the awareness of music was awakened I always loved going to shows. And during that, I think, 10 year old journey, from the moment the 12 year old boy went to his first gig, there was always the same way of feeling after the show. Pain and buzzing in the ears, an abyssal back pain, almost total dehydration from screaming and singing...and probably a rash around the mouth, since you spend half a show eating dirty hair from the person in front of you. But also there is that other, a sort of emotional side of "gig aftermath". The show was either wow or meh. The "meh" shows were bitched a bit and then kept quiet about, whilst the "wow" ones were talked about for days, even weeks. And that emotional side never really changed for me and I was always quite sure how I would feel about a show. But then came "Analena" and changed this "theory" from the core.

A complete lack of words on what to say about the event. Nothing. Luckily, none of my friends asked me "how was it", because I really wouldn't know what to say...except that it was amazing. Yes, it was. But as much as it blew me away, the impact ripped words out from my mouth and I guess I finally understand the meaning of the expression "breathtaking". And although I will post this review, I still feel like this is just a bunch of random words put together. And it's short.

So let's start this the old fashioned way... The show took place two days ago, on October 17th 2009 in the Culture Center "Grad" (grad means "city" in Serbian). After the shock of seeing on a flyer that "Analena" was going to play in Belgrade another shock came when I saw that "36 Daggers" will be the support band for the event. "36 Daggers" is a prominent punk/emo band from Serbia and though I love them very much, I have never been to their show, since shortly after I heard about the project they disbanded. So I guess I don't need to explain to you how I felt when I read their name on the poster. And let me be honest, for a brief period before the show, I actually forgot that the band even existed since their songs were lost on some cds in the depth of my room. Guilty. And since this is a revelation of hearing an amazing band for the first time twice, I won't let it be forgotten again and will even share it in the upload section with you boys and girls.

The show was scheduled to start at 9 PM, but with a bit delay it started around 10. The show started with the sound of "36 Daggers" blasting through the venue. "From Nowhere" was one of the first few songs played and since it being my favorite it really set up a strange mood in me, kinda saddened nostalgia, quite weird but very much enjoyable. And then it continued..."Kalpa Minutes", "Song About the Raven", "Seven Targets Left", were just some of the songs that were soothing the ears of the audience during their half hour performance. I was standing literally at the back of the crowd, so I didn't see the band, since they played on the floor (true screamo no stage venue, haha) so I can't really say anything about the visual aspect of it all. The crowd was very much alive, singing along and moving to the rhythm of the songs. The last song they played was "Eugene In Love", their longest song and quite an epic ending. During the last minute of the song, I hoped that this show was really a reunion of sorts for "36 Daggers" and that in the future they will continue playing and maybe put out some new material.

When "36 Daggers" finished, my friends and myself charged and moved up close to the "stage" and grabbed a nice spot for the three of us. And after a few moments, "Analena" literally exploded in the venue. The eruption of emotion and music came in the form of the song "Carbon Based Organisms", really a stunning opening since this is my favorite song. The sound was perfect and me being so close to them while they were playing created a feeling of being almost swallowed by their behemoth instruments. The screams coming from Analena were particularly interesting for me, quite powerful and literally "moving my brain" (quote taken from my greatest inspiration). After the song, Ana talked a bit how it's been five years since their last show in Belgrade. And it was really kinda sad, not because of the five year break, but because of the mere fact that they are from the country they come from and we are from the country we come from. Whoever knows a bit of Balkan history, knows that there has always been strife and hatred between Croatia and Serbia. But at the show there was none of that present, we were all the same, speaking the same language with absolutely no differences. Apparently both of our "scenes" are holding hands up high to reach each other, but we are sadly divided by rows upon rows of scum who hold ancient grudges which should have been forgotten a long time ago. Either way, Analena continued their show with their amazing songs like "Work In Progress", "Spilt Milk", "In Theory and Practice", "From Automatic To Manual" and they even surprised us with a few new songs, "Inconstantinopolis", "Send in the Clowns" (if I heard the name of the song correctly) and one song about pirates (that's how they presented it). The crowd was alive all the time, singing, screaming and jumping around and at times screaming into Ana's mic. Hehe, in one moment the security guy tried to move the crowd away a bit, but Ana turned him away saying "Don't worry boys we can handle ourselves fine". At the end of the show, a rave party was due, but as soon as house beats started, we scrammed away.

As I said, a bunch of random words pilled up together. I am still confused with what to say about the whole event, but my lack of words is definitely not a sign of a "meh" show. A peak at the "wow" mountain, an amazing opening of the concert season and this is running forward to be one of the best shows this year. I certainly hope we won't have to wait another five years to hear Analena again...

After the show when I got home, the buzzing sound in my ears was extreme and the back pain was maddening...but it made me smile.

Gig review: Went, Petethepiratesquid, Radio Burroughs gig

The fact that I am writing this show review is inspired by quite a few things. First of all, I was and still am very euphoric about it, since this is the second screamo gig in my lifetime. Yep it’s true. The first one was held almost a year ago, last November, the hosting of the amazing and well known French "Daitro". Sadly that concert never had a review, basically because I was completely blown away by the whole event and I wasn't quite into writing much at that time. But that is another story. This one is about Pete, Radio and Serbian Went. And yes, my mind was blown away again. Yet I found it quite stupid if I didn’t write this little text, since the small life pulses of screamo within my country should be marked in every way possible.

Secondly, why I am writing this review, I feel that "Petethepiratesquid" deserves to see how much of a great show they put on for us and also I feel it is my duty to do so and say sorry to Pete. Simply because, a long time I have thought that Pete is a quite boring and mediocre screamo act. Whoever knew me a bit better, knew that the only screamo I didn’t love were two bands, Pete and "Birds are Spies, They Report to the Trees". But today I feel embarrassed for both statements. I came to realize that you can’t judge with a clear mind a music act heard only once, which may have happened in a wrong moment, in a moment when my ears would more enjoy some sludge tunes or something else. So with this review I really want to say sorry to Pete for my bad thoughts of you boys and girls, you are quite an interesting and pleasurable band.

The concert took place yesterday evening, namely July 20^th 2009, in a well known Belgrade venue, "Living Room" in the Student Cultural Center. The show was due to start in 9 pm, but was a “bit” late so it kicked off around 10 pm. Seriously, the little delay was the only bad thing about the whole event. The beginning of the gig was marked with the beautiful "Went", Serbian alternative/indie/postrock act. They are a kind of revelation for me, since I personally never heard about them before the announcement for this event. An amazing mix of gentle melodies with a soothing voice and an aggressive outburst of rending guitar riffs, "Went" stunned me for a good half an hour of brilliant tunes. Their music really gives you a “floating” kind of feeling, in my mind the music created a view of a peaceful ocean landscape. This may sound too typical, but you have to see and experience this live and see what I mean. Luckily the "Went" dudes promised to give me some of their material for the blog as soon as they finish recording, so hopefully you boys and girls will find their tunes in the upload section. They are a perfect example of what I love about the music scene in Serbia, where a lot of hidden musical gems can be found. I will surely try and keep my eye on these young lads and their work.

Next up, "Petethepiratesquid". What can I say, except “wow!”? A lot of people, me included, enjoy more when the bands they like are both musically and visually pleasurable. And this band is the epitome of cuteness. Yes, I said it, cuteness. Looking at the stage and seeing Björn going nuts with the drum kit, Felix dressed up fancy with a tie, black shirt and pants, coupled up with crazy dancing, Jana jumping around and standing on her toes as she sings and talks and Ulli standing and playing bass while looking at the crowd and smiling, the whole scene makes you want to go up on stage and give them a group hug. And the fact that they wrote the songlist on a back of an old show poster and put it on the floor on the middle of the stage, made the scene even cuter. As far as the music part goes, the same amount of enjoyment was included. I really enjoy their music at home, but their live performance is on such a higher level. Gentle and elegant parts of a song where Jana talks, followed by an intense explosion of the whole band, fast paced parts really make your chest pound faster and faster. “Strangers with candy”, “Sharpshooter”, “Sure it was fun while it lasted”, “All the way from your bed to the door”, “All girl freak show”, “Mixed motives and social dilemma” and a bunch of other songs (which I can’t remember from the overall excitement) rang through the venue. They were very happy with the reactions of the crowd during the whole show, Felix even gave a compliment saying “You crazy Serbs”, and at the end we didn’t let them go so easily with screaming, clapping and whistling, so we got a bonus song. Yaaay!

Last, but not least, Pete’s good friend "Radio Burroughs". Everything I said about Pete’s performance could be copy-pasted here for Radio. Damn cute band with a bunch of friendly faces on stage always smiling and hopping around. Beautiful, fast paced, but graceful and tender songs with amazing girl vocals, made me speechless after the end of the show. You in fact have a wish to dance and sing nonstop while they play, so I gladly sang quietly whilst some of my favorite songs were played, like “Knit a Hole”, “Let’s Fill These Boxes”, “Just Like We Break Down” and “We Press Buttons”. However, sadly I left my “dancing shoes” in my pocket, since the crowd wasn’t really into dancing. But the crowd was going wild after every song with cheers and claps, so again we got a bonus song at the end.

So in the end, what can I say? Last night show was one of the best for this year, amazing mix of bands, nice people, beautiful atmosphere and after the show my wish to see all these bands again. And a new T-shirt bought at the small distro section, yaaaaaaay! I hope both "Petethepiratesquid" and "Radio Burroughs" had fun as much as the crowd did and that they come here once again in the future. Thank you for an wonderful show.

This show review has been written prior to the opening of this blog and was actually first posted on "Skream Your Lungs Out" blog.

Review: While You Wait - A Life For A Life (2008)

Usually, I’m not atracted to hardcore very much. Not that I don’t like it, it’s just that, in my honest opinion, most of the bands are kinda copy/paste. All too similar without something to jump out and grab my attention. But then, there are bands such as “While You Wait”.
How I got into this band? Well, let’s just say that it was introduced to me through almost family circles. And at first I was like “ok, I’ll take a listen”, but the statement was mostly just to see what is going on there and I thought that I will quickly forget about the band. But oh damn how I was wrong! The six songs that are feautred on this release just kept spinning and spinning and endlessly spinning on my speakers! And no, it ain’t just because the album lasts “just” eight minutes. "While You Wait" litteraly radiates with something that is attracting you to their songs. Amazing instruments with great tunes which are really well composed together and the whole record is kinda connected into one whole, so you listen to it in “one breath” so to speak. But then again, you also get the feeling that every song is a different chapter for itself, with riffs, melodies and lyrics changing quite a lot. I especially liked how the album is kind of divided into three parts (at least in my mind), with the first track, “This Is My Sun”, starting quite sudden and explosive. The tempo builds to the third song “A Life For A Life”, which is sort of mid tempo, with a really flowing and constant sound which is amazing. Then after “Watching A World Die” the songs start to have a slower tone at parts with distinctive breakdowns and then finally the last track which is very slow and sort of drifting away to the end of the record. So you really feel the mini-chapters and the oneness of the record at the same time, which is quite interesting. Also, the technical side of the album is quite attractive, some riffs are brilliant and I must say that I like the vocals very much, both hailing from the main singer and the ocasional “scream-alongs”. Every part of the present tunes is well composed and infused with one another and you have the feeling that everything is where it should be, litteraly nothing is astray.
This great EP was released in 2008. But luckily "While You Wait" is a hardworking band so in 2009 they released an album named “My End My Rebirth”, yet another amazing record. I really suggest to everyone to check them out and support them, since they all are very talented and deserve the attention and I really hope that they will continue to flurish the way they did thus far. Definitely check them out on their myspace page here, take a listen and enjoy. I’m sure you will love them!
I’d also like to thank Andrea (guitar player of the band) for introducing me to his band's work and for being quite excited about me reviewing it. And of course for the amazing "While You Wait" merch as a present! Hvala!=) (if you are reading this, say hi to Maria and the rest of the band:)