Legendary New Jersey hard rock band THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX (also TAB) will release its new album The Local Fuzz on April 26 via Tee Pee Records. The trio's fifth full length effort delivers an advanced take on its blistering, virtuosic sound via a single, glorious 42 minute song titled "The Local Fuzz" that contains no less than "50 riffs back to back", perfectly capturing the unit's vivid execution and ambitious vision.Recorded at the Panic Room in Neptune, NJ, The Local Fuzz pushes THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX's high-octane groove and powerful strut to new heights of unencumbered artistic expression. The band's "Rush-like riff mazes" weave through natural pop structures nearly effortlessly wh...
The Temper Trap's story begins with Dougy. Born in Indonesia andimmersed inan artistic andmusicalfamily, with some rich influencesfrom singing in church choirs with his aunty and uncle and listening to his dad, acountry music fan, play guitar. These influences evolved around Dougy,as he moved consistently from different islands in Indonesa, to Hawaiiandtheneventually to Australia. Dougy's move to Downunder started him out as a portrait drawer at $25 a pop,or singing a tune for your loose change in downtown Melbourne. Dougyeventually ended up working atthe same retail store asToby. Dougy had thought of starting a band for years and after a few months of boring work hours and finding out To...
El Ten Eleven is a Los Angeles-based instrumental indie rock duo consisting of Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty. What separates El Ten Eleven from their musical peers is that they are only two musicians on stage creating pounding landscapes of sound with no laptops or sequencers. Dunn switches off (sometimes mid-song) between a double-neck bass/guitar and a fretless bass, while his feet dance on an extensive floorboard of looping devices and effects pedals. He plays everything live, loops himself and juggles all the layers of tracks on top of each other. Fogarty switches between traditional acoustic drums, roto toms and electronic ...
Having spent his youth in various bands xxxy finally decided to hang up his guitar and mic and began producing electronic music fuelled by his love at the time of drum and bass and techno. Through the influential record shop Pelikan Neck he picked up on the early forms of dubstep and began focusing his productions on bass heavy garage influenced tracks. This led to his first release as “forensix (mcr)” on Revolution music in 2006 with one of his first productions. After the release of his first record, he took a break to tighten up his production. He came back in 2009 as xxxy which led to the releases of “Reflections ep” on the influential Manchester label Mindset ...
Elizabeth Harper, a former drama major from Los Angeles, had been writing delicate, wistful songs of longing and detachment for several years when she met musician & psychoanalyst-in-training Mark Richardson in 2009 and asked him to remix one of her tracks. Their creative chemistry was instantaneous – Mark’s production style was cerebral but sensual, relying heavily on vintage synths and drum machines, and influenced by ‘80s bands like Human League and Depeche Mode while still conscious of modern club sounds steeped in hip hop and house. It perfectly complemented the melancholy undertone in Harper’s songs and revealed in them an urge towards ecstatic abandon.Along with multi-instrumentalist/engineer S...
Sharon Van Etten came to Brooklyn via Jersey via Tennessee via Jersey. Along the way, she sang in choirs, rejected her school’s music program, worked at an all-ages venue, trained as a sommelier, and got a full time job at a record label. She also had some bad experiences in relationships.OK, more than some.A few things need to be made clear about SVE’s music. She’s not the type of “female singer/songwriter” who champions women-centric perspectives and denies personal accountability. Nor is she a strident provocateur. Rather, Van Etten is a performer who fully embraces her femininity while confidently expressing it through intelligent and mature perspectives on relationships. Those...
Mat Thomas is a young, aspiring singer/songwriter with roots in the south. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Savannah, Georgia, his passion for song writing stems from the need for creative human expression. Songs relate broken hearts, heroic citizens, lost loves, and the human condition.He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia and spends his time as a freelance designer. You can catch him around town playing music solo or with the band Half Blacklit Shack....
Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, Metallica have become one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands in history, having sold 100 million albums worldwide and playing to millions of fans the world over. They have scored almost a dozen multi-platinum albums, including 1991's Metallica (commonly referred to as "The Black Album"), which is the best selling album in history of Soundscan scanning almost 15.7 million albums in the United States alone, and over 25 million worldwide. In October 2008, their latest album, Death Magnetic, debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and in 27 additional countries arou...
Deerhunter is a band which formed in 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The band consists of Bradford Cox (vocals, guitar, piano), Moses Archuleta (drums, synths), Lockett Pundt (guitar, organ, vocals) and Josh Fauver (bass, vocals).The group began with the ambition of fusing the lulling hypnotic states induced by ambient and minimalist music with the klang and propulsion of garage rock. The band has weathered chaotic line-up changes, the death of a member, and much discouragement.Cryptograms was the second full-length offering from Deerhunter, and their first for Kranky. The album took almost two years to finish and was the product of emotional, physical, and financial strain on the group. The result is an alb...
Pink Floyd is the premier space rock band. Since the mid-'60s, their music relentlessly tinkered with electronics and all manner of special effects to push pop formats to their outer limits. At the same time they wrestled with lyrical themes and concepts of such massive scale that their music has taken on almost classical, operatic quality, in both sound and words. Despite their astral image, the group was brought down to earth in the 1980s by decidedly mundane power struggles over leadership and, ultimately, ownership of the band's very name. After that time, they were little more than a dinosaur act, capable of filling stadiums and topping the charts, but offering little more than a spectacular recreation of their most successfu...
Nine Inch Nails were the most popular industrial group ever and were largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience. It isn't really accurate to call NIN a group; the only official member is singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor, who always remained solely responsible for NIN's musical direction (he was, however, supported in concert by a regular backing band). Unlike the vast majority of industrial artists, Reznor wrote melodic, traditionally structured songs where lyrics were a focal point. His pop instincts not only made the harsh electronic beats of industrial music easier to digest, but also put a human face on a style that usually tried to sound as mechanical as possible. While Ministry crossed ov...
The man behind DIM MAK RECORDS has been credited with launching the careers of some of the most influential acts of the last decade including Bloc Party, The Kills, Klaxons, MSTRKRFT, The Bloody Beetroots, Mystery Jets, The Rakes, The Gossip and more. Since founding the label, he’s stepped into the limelight himself as a DJ, artist and producer remixing the likes of Michael Jackson, The Killers, Robin Thicke, Lenny Kravitz, Weezer, Chester French, Tiga, All American Rejects, Drake, Chris Cornell & more. More recently he’s been seen collaborating with like-minded producers ranging from from Armand Van Helden, Laidback Luke, Afrojack, Boys Noize, The Faint, D.i.M., The Blo...
The story of Big Scary begins in 2006, when Melbourne duo Tom Iansek and Jo Syme, armed with just acoustic guitars and egg shakers, started playing songs together in the living room of Syme’s parents’ house. After a bit of a break, the two reconvened in 2008, this time with more instruments—electric guitars, drums, piano, mandolins and ukuleles—and a bolder, more expansive vision. What began as a few rainy day acoustic ballads in their first incarnation soon grew into an all-encompassing, genre-defying sound. Before long, the newly named Big Scary were writing anything they pleased—fuzzed-out garage rock; piano-led pop; intricate, pastoral instrumentals—each imbued with an effortless pop sensibil...
Robbie Slade + Peter Ricq are HUMANS who make electronic dance music while based in Vancouver BC. Their debut release followed with a sold-out Canadian tour. The boys have been playing a handful of festivals including SXSW, CMW, Shambhala and Big Time Out. This summer Slade + Ricq will continue to tour across Canada and into the US.Lately the two have been writing and recording, in anticipation for a new release in late summer and fall 2011.So it’s not entirely true that opposites attract, but it is true that when two opposites get together, things become a lot less mundan...
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are:Mette Lindberg (lead vocal) Lars Iversen (bass, keys) Miloud Carl Sabri (trumpet, keys) Mikkel Baltser Dørig (guitar, keys) Rasmus Valldorf (drums) Rasmus Fribo (Percussion, keys, sax) Sfen Dam Meinild (sax, keys)The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are a soulful psychedelic pop band based in Copenhagen/ Denmark. Formed in the summer of 2007 by Mette Lindberg (Vocal) and Lars Iversen(Bass) the band released their debut album 'Fruit' in September 2009 through their own label Small Giants Records and BMG Rights. The album was written, recorded and produced in Lars' small home studio and received great critical acclaim.The Asteroids reached instant glob...
Pictureplane’s “Thee Physical” will be released July 19th on Lovepump United. Since the release of Dark Rift in the summer of 2009, Travis Egedy has been spreading his scuzzy, deeply sexualbrand of 90s house & trance to become one of the most prominent figures in American DIY culture.Two years in the making, Thee Physical is a giant step forward for Pictureplane and is sure to be one of the most exciting releases of 2011.Based in Denver, CO, Egedy resides in the notorious rave-punk-house Rhinoceropolis. Thanks in large part to Pictureplane’s legendary shows at Rhino, his raging club night, “Real is a Feeling”, and his constant stream of mixtapes and remixes, Denver&...
Allow us to introduce you to the world of I Break Horses, the nom de plume of Maria Lindén and her musical partner Fredrik Balck. Residing in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, the duo have quietly been crafting the nine tracks that make up debut album Hearts throughout stolen moments gathered up over the past three years. Songs were written, committed to tape, destroyed. The task of capturing the sonic density of Lindén’s compositions was painstaking. Balck’s lyrics constantly teasing the senses “Lay your cold hand down on my hardest vein” (‘Cancer’) are at times insular, cold to the touch. It’s only when interpreted by Maria’s effortless croon that a warmth is ...
Sean Anderson, a.k.a. Big Sean, is the newest artist signed to G.O.O.D. Music/Island Def Jam at the young age of 23. Sean was born in Santa Monica, CA and relocated to the west side of Detroit, MI when he was 2 months old. He was raised by his mother and grandparents, who worked steadfastly to instill in him the principles of hard work and determination. Sean attended the Detroit Waldorf School, a school of art, from Kindergarten to 8th Grade where he was introduced to a spectrum of art and culture. He later attended Cass Technical High School where he furthered his music career, met life long friends, and gained the support of fans and peers as he independently sold copies of his musi...
Zedd (aka Anton Zaslavski), being born into a family of musicians, began playing the piano at the age of four. After several years of learning to master the piano, Anton began playing the drums in a band, and composed and produced numerous rock songs in his band's own studio. In 2009 he began producing electronic club music, to much and quick acclaim. After a peroid of only a few months he attained a remarkable level and went on to win two Beatport remix contests, the "Armand Van Helden / Strictly Rhythm Remix Contest", and the "Fatboy Slim / Skint Remix Contest"! This was the foundation for Zedd to release several official remixes for artists such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, P. Diddy, Skrillex and Swedish H...
Ask Gotye about his new album Making Mirrors and he’ll speak not of songs, but of sounds. He’ll describe the various valves through which strings and choirs cycle on his Lowrey Cotillion, a vintage organ bought for 100 bucks in a second-hand shop that features on the record. Or how he constructed a bassline by sampling the Winton Musical Fence, an unlikely instrument he discovered in the outback of Queensland, Australia, comprised of five large metal strings attached to wooden fence posts and a resonant chamber. He may mention the horn break from a traditional Taiwanese folk song he discovered on a 1970s Cathay Pacific promotional record, which he sampled, sped up and dubbed out, before ...
Creamy, bittersweet, hypnotic, intimate—such is the sound of DANCING ON NEEDLES, the stunning new album from critically acclaimed indie singer-songwriter CHARLOTTE MARTIN.Produced by Ken Andrews (Pete Yorn, Beck), the rapturous album traces Martin's heartbreaking struggle with intercostal neuralgia, a nerve disorder that left her incapacitat...
Life as a musician means continual evolution. Over the course of a career, any band worth paying attention to will pursue a sound, a direction, until it triggers a different idea and they're chasing some other distant dream. With their sixth album, The King Is Dead, The Decemberists illustrate the power that comes from this kind of creative call-and-response. When the band completed their wildly ambitious 2009 song cycle The Hazards of Love, frontman and primary songwriter Colin Meloy said that "doing this album took a lot out of me, and I'm definitely curious what will come out now that I've gotten it out of my system." The Hazards of Love, a narrative suite that grew...
The Joy Formidable are on the verge of releasing their new album, The Big Roar, on March 15 via Canvasback/Atlantic Records. In the UK, the album will be released on January 24. The Big Roar comes two years after The Joy Formidable released their debut album in February of 2009, the indie-rock explosion of A Balloon Called Moaning, which SPIN magazine named one of the 10 Best Records You Might Have Missed in 2010. The band has since tightened their focus and loosened their sound, allowing for the choruses to be more anthemic and the colossal rush of guitars and melodic hooks to stand out in their jaw-dropping splendor. NME praised the band and album, calling lead-singer Ritzy Bryan "rock's new heroine," and pro...
A melodic imagination and an extensive education in arranging, composition, orchestration, and conducting have carried David Diggs to the heights of jazz artistry and to the top of the jazz charts. David lets his music speak for itself, making a strong, upbeat statement. With a unique blend of instrumentation -- a mixture of jazz and rhythm & blues, Diggs brings a dimension of 'blue-eyed soul' to his music. With synthesizers and strings, and some of the top musicians in Los Angeles, David's albums get right to the point with unrestrained creativity, illustrating why both CASH BOX and BILLBOARD rated him one of the top three New Jazz Artists in 1985.Under the influence of Michel Legrand, Claus Ogerman and Bob James, Diggs polished hi...
Tampa Bay-based alt-country group Have Gun, Will Travel began as the solo project of lead singer and songwriter Matthew Burke, but has since become a full band. Burke put out HGWT's self-titled debut release on his own in 2006. For the band's sophomore release,Casting Shadows Tall as Trees, he's assembled a group of six players, including his brother, Daniel Burke on bass. Casting Shadows is steeped in the country twinges of lap steel, harmonica, banjo, stri...
The Fallows are a 4-piece indie rock n' roll outfit hailing from Ellesmere Port in the UK and are spearheading a return to pounding, moody music in the northwest. Their debut single, "The Caine" is riffy and catchy and unashamedly swaggering and is an introduction to the as-yet unsigned group, who release a full-length album later this year....
My name is Dana. my hometown still doesn't have a stoplight and I truly hope it stays that way. I'm a born singer and a not so born guitarist. Oh well. I love to collect mugs. I knit scarves. I'm very forgetful when it comes to people. please don't take offense. just realize I'm a dodo when it comes to that and it will probably take me 10 times to finally get it right. I love the peace and quiet falling asleep to crickets and peepers on a summer's eve. I also love being close enough to big cities to soak up as much culture as I can under those brilliant city lights! I love skylines. I really love trees. I'm a summer girl but I love every season too. I love being outside even though I'm a girly girl...being both is possible! I love my family...
When asked about his latest album, Don't Go Back To Sleep, Ayer sees it first as a call to action for himself. "This group of songs has really become a collective note-to-self on how I want to live. They were all born out of moments where I was going along in my day-to-day life, and something shook me out of the autopilot rhythm, and reminded me that I better open up and dig in right this second." After a listen, this creative desire is abundantly evident throughout Ayer's sophomore release. He admits they are heavy themes, even for a singer/songwriter. And yet Ayer is able to pull off that timeless trick of ...
The Spin Room (aka: Nick Miley) started 2009 out with a bang, recording his debut EP with Rob Freeman (Cobra Startship, Armor for Sleep, Hit The Lights) and Nash Breen (drummer from Armor for Sleep), “These two amazing dudes helped bring my ideas to life, working with them was a dream.” Hence that’s where Nick came up with the records name, “The Dreams We Keep.” Nick felt he had something to prove and really wanted to be heard. So he put the record up for download on Purevolume.com and by the next day, he had broken onto the charts and was rated number one unsigned band for almost a week straight. He was able to hold a spot in the top ten artists overall for two weeks straight and m...
Koan (sounds like KO-ANNE) is an electronic/dubstep duo of Jim Bastow & Will Weeks. The Bristol pair have recently signed to Skrillex's new label OWSLA. Koan: A puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story, used in Zen Buddhism as an aid to meditation and a means of gaining spiritual awakening.It's strange how the death of one musical group can be exactly the sort of catalyst needed to spawn another. KOAN Sound are certainly a highly gifted example of this phenomenon. It was in 2008 that KOAN Sound emerged from the ashes of several other musical endeavours, fusing passion for electronic music with sheer musical intuition. Since then KOAN Sound have continued to develop, synthesising ever more complex a...
