Surprise, We’re Back!

Opting out of traditional publicity and marketing, The Raconteurs’ second album was announced and subsequently released with little more than a week’s notice. Stated publicly as an attempt to have all fans and critics engaging with the album at the same time, and perhaps likely an unofficial effort to stem the tide of Internet piracy, Consolers of the Lonely is a quick detour around standard methods of music purchase. While boldly removing the album from the world of marketing budgets and press lead time, the deployment still lacks the consumer-friendly edge Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead have each brought to the table on their own sudden direct-to-fan releases. The music, thankfully, is far from stale, excellent even if it does lyrically present a world-weary sense of frustration throughout. Read more…

By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews

The End is the Beginning is the End

Amidst rampant speculation of System of a Down breaking up, the group’s singers Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian have each released albums outside of the band. In October 2007 Tankian dropped his excellent Elect the Dead; now Malakian unveils his side project Scars on Broadway joined by System’s John Dolmayan on drums. Much like hip-hop duo OutKast, both singers state publicly that System of a Down is merely on hiatus. Fortunately for SOAD’s fans, Scars on Broadway’s self-titled debut is an auspicious one on par with Elect the Dead. Read more…

By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews

It may look like The Black Ghosts are rookies to the dance-electro scene, but they’ve been around longer than you think. Both vocalist Simon Lord and programmer/multi-instrumentalist Theo Keating know a thing or two about being in a band. Lord comes from the now-defunct Simian, who are better known for Justice’s remix of the band’s “Never Be Alone” and for spawning Simian Mobile Disco after the band’s split, and Keating comes from hip-hop beat makers The Wiseguys. Still, as Keating insists, The Black Ghosts are a band of their own.

Celebrating the recent release of their eponymous debut, The Black Ghosts are now busier than ever. Keating takes a second to chat about The Black Ghosts’ history, life as a DJ, and the meaning of the term “band” in today’s music community. Read more…

By John Ochoa Posted in Features

Billy Corgan and company are coming to Guitar Hero: World Tour. Before they can be accused of showing up without bearing gifts, they’ve also announced that they’ll be bringing a new single along with them. The song “G.L.O.W.” will be available post-launch as part of a 3-song downloadable content pack that also includes “1979″ and “The Everlasting Gaze.”

It’s not stopping there either. Billy Corgan will also show up as in-game character bringing with him “Today” from 1993’s Siamese Dream as well. Read more…

By Gretchen Meier Posted in News

Scars on Broadway have announced their first North American tour to kick off on Sunday, October 19th in Atlanta. The tour is in support of Scars on Broadway’s self-titled debut album release on July 29th, 2008. Guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan, formerly of System of a Down, make up Scars on Broadway, in addition to guitarist Franky Perez, keyboardist Danny Shamoun, and bassist Dominic Cifarelli.

Tour Dates:
10/19 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
10/20 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC
10/22 – TLA – Philadelphia, PA
10/23 – Ram’s Head Live – Baltimore, MD
10/25 – The Fillmore – New York, NY
10/26 – Paradise – Boston, MA
10/28 – Le Medley – Montreal, QC CANADA
10/29 – Phoenix – Toronto, ONT CANADA
10/31 – St. Andrews – Detroit, MI
11/01 – Metro – Chicago, IL
11/02 – The Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI
11/04 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
11/05 – Beaumont – Kansas City, MO
11/07 – Ogden – Denver, CO
11/08 – Murray Theatre – Salt Lake City, UT
11/11 – Edmonton Events Center – Edmonton, AB CANADA
11/12 – MacEwan Ballroom – Calgary, AB CANADA
11/14 – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC CANADA
11/15 – Showbox SODO, Seattle, WA
11/16 – Roseland, Portland, OR
11/22 – Marquee, Phoenix, AZ
11/24 – White Rabbit, San Antonio, TX
11/25 – Emo’s, Austin, TX
11/26 – House of Blues, Houston, TX Read more…

By Gretchen Meier Posted in News

The Fire of a Fallen Angel

It feels like forever since the last full-length Secret Chiefs 3 album. In fact, it’s been just shy of four years since Trey Spruance’s ever-evolving band released Book of Horizons, a jaw-dropping dissection of their many stylistic approaches to music that began a promised trilogy called Book of Truth. In spite of a detailed and articulate battle plan to address each of these musical methods, no release date has been announced for part two, Book of Souls. Without warning though, the band has released a new album as part of the massive John Zorn compositional series Masada Songbook Two, Xaphan: Book of Angels Vol. 9.
Read more…

By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews Secret Chiefs 3, Trey Spruance

That’s Not Very Bunny

Many hints suggest what the third album from California desert players Gram Rabbit, RadioAngel & the RobotBeat, really wants to be before even a note is heard. The cover art alone references steampunk, disco, goth and glam; the musicians look like Dresden Dolls stand-ins. Frontwoman Jesika von Rabbit’s very name makes her sound like a refugee from My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, and half the album title suggests metal machine music. Read more…

By Adam Blyweiss Posted in Reviews Gram Rabbit

Versatility Urges

Somewhere between Tom Petty, Duran Duran and some new age psychedelic indie rock—nicely complemented by strobe lights—lay My Morning Jacket. Originating from Kentucky, finding traces of country is easy on their newest album, Evil Urges, but it is nearly impossible to fit this group into that or any other single genre. Read more…

By Libby Parent Posted in Reviews

In support of their debut album, The Red Sea, produced by Pere Ubu bassist and producer Tony Maimone (They Might Be Giants, Book of Knots), The Shondes, a quartet out of Brooklyn, NY, have announced several tour dates.

Track-listing:

Don’t Look Down
Your Monster
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Winter
Let’s Go
I Watched The Temple Fall
At The Water
What Love Is
The Mother and The Colony
Don’t Whisper
The Start of Everything

Tour dates:

8/28 – Washington, DC – The Black Cat
8/29 – Philadelphia, PA – Tritone
8/30 – Morgantown, WV – 424 Clark Street
8/31 – Pittsburgh, PA – Garfield Artworks
9/03 – Ann Arbor, MI – TC’s Speakeasy
9/04 – Lexington, KY – The Void
9/05 – Louisville, KY – Headliners
9/06 – Milwaukee, WI – Mad Planet
9/07 – St. Louis, MO – The Off Broadway
9/10 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
9/11 – Des Moines, IA – Vaueville Mews
9/13 – Iowa City, IA – The Picador
9/14 – Minneapolis, MN – The Triple Rock
9/17 – Eugene, OR – TBA
9/18 – Portland, OR – The Town Lounge
9/19 – Seattle, WA – The High Dive
9/20 – Olympia, WA – The Track House
9/24 – San Francisco, CA – Hotel Utah
9/25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Silverlake Lounge
9/27 – Santa Barbara, CA – TBA
10/01 – Tuscon, AZ – TBA
10/03 – Santa Fe, NM – TBA
10/05 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
10/08 – New Orleans, LA – The Dragon’s Den
10/10 – Athens, GA – Little Kings Shuffle Club
10/11 – Atlanta, GA – Wonderroot
10/12 – Birmingham, AL – TBA
10/16 – Miami, FL – Churchill’s
10/18 – Chapel Hill, NC – The Nightlite
10/23 – New York, NY – Knitting Factory Fanatic CMJ Day Party
10/31 – Portland, ME – Geno’s
Read more…

By Zachary Preston Posted in News

Bella Morte will release Beautiful Death on October 7. In anticipation of the release, the band has announced several North American tour dates.

Tour dates (so far):

8/23 – Pomona, CA – The Glass House
8/24 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
8/26 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
8/27 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
8/29 – Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
8/30 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
8/31 – Munster, IN – Three Floyd’s
9/1 – Sauget, IL – Pops Nightclub
9/2 – Chicago, IL – The Buzzbomb Club
9/3 – Detroit, MI – I-Rock Nightclub
9/4 – Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
9/5 – Philadelphia, PA – New Alhambra Arena
9/6 – Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock
9/7 – New York, NY – BB King’s Blues Club
9/9 – Montreal, QUE – Foufounes Electriques
9/10 – Toronto, ONT – Opera House
Read more…

By Zachary Preston Posted in News