Tag: Headlines (Page 70 of 76)

Slayer: World Painted Blood

November 9, 2009 /


RIYL: Sepultura, Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies

Ready… set… SLAYER!! How these guys still crank ’em out after all these years (their debut album, Show No Mercy, turned 25 last year), we may never know. But the important thing about Slayer’s latest, World Painted Blood, is not just how this record drops the band even more firmly back into classic Slayer territory than 2006’s Christ Illusion, but where in that spectrum we find the band. Whether playing Reign in Blood in its entirety for a number of live concerts with original drummer Dave Lombardo (who is back again on World) had any effect on the proceedings, one has to wonder. For that’s the album World most closely resembles, with the title track’s multi-part construct mirroring the classic “Angel of Death.” It also shares space with shorter, punkier numbers like “Psychopathy Red,” which finds Tom Araya shredding his vocal cords more mercilessly than he ever has before.

slayer 2009 edit

Lombardo draws from his ’80s bag of drum tricks, while Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman occasionally reference even their ’90s work with their creepy-sinister guitar riffs, making the case for Slayer as death metal’s own AC/DC – solidly dependable from album to album, sticking to their tried-and-true dark subject matter, and occasionally straying from what made them great, but always sounding like nobody else. (American Recordings 2009)

Slayer MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Metal

Wolfmother: Cosmic Egg

November 4, 2009 /


RIYL: Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath

Wolfmother is back! Well, Andrew Stockdale, the lead singer/guitarist of Wolmother is back – everyone else quit/got fired last year and Stockdale decided to continue the Wolfmother name without them. But the new Wolfmother, now a foursome instead of a power trio, doesn’t sound terribly different from the old Wolfmother. So there’s not much need to describe the “sound” of Cosmic Egg: it sounds like Wolfmother. Have you heard “Woman” or “The Joker and the Thief,” from their 2005 self-titled debut? Then you know what you’re in for here. Is that really a problem, though? Sure, Stockdale may just be cribbing the best bits from ’70s metal (specifically, the crunching riffs of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, the howling screams of Robert Plant, and the totally groovy organ solos of Deep Purple), but what the hell is wrong with that? Have you heard the “modern” rock on the radio today?

wolfmother cosmic edit

Maybe we got it right in 1976 – why move forward? If anything, Wolfmother needs to move further in that direction. When they try to slow things down or pop things up for radio, such as on the anemic love ballad “Far Away,” they sound lost. When they let themselves kick out the jams, they deliver; whether slow and methodical, such as the wah-wah heavy “Sundial,” or fist-pounding and headbanger friendly, like “New Moon Rising,” “Phoenix,” or just about every other song on the album. Yeah, it may not be the most original or “intelligent” release of the year, but it’s a solid dose of hard rock and heavy metal at a time when they’re few and far between.

A quick note of annoyance, though: there are two versions of Cosmic Egg, deluxe and standard (our review copy was the standard edition). The deluxe copy comes with four more songs, which add up to 20 more minutes of music. These aren’t outtakes, live tracks or acoustic versions; there’s nothing notably different about these tunes. So when you’re buying the “standard” version of the record you’re basically not getting the full version. It’s hard to tell what the purpose behind such a release strategy is, since all it does it drive people who bought the standard version to go online and download what they’re missing. It’s hard enough for artists to sell records these days, and crap like this just makes it that much harder. What’s the point? (Modular 2009)

Wolfmother’s MySpace Page
Click to buy Cosmic Egg on Amazon

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Metal, Rock

Google tries to combat torrents

October 28, 2009 /

music search

Everyone and their mother downloads music illegally. I’m a self-admitted criminal, but my recent love affair with old music and vinyl records has set me on the right path. The problem is, those who download music only download music. Sure, they may buy the new album from their favorite band, but I imagine the average youngster downloads at least 90 percent of their music. I could never figure out torrents, so I don’t have one. Although they do sound appealing, I prefer the high-fidelity sound on old vinyls and those few new albums that are properly produced. Plus, I actually like having my music in a tangible format. Digital is nice, but certain aesthetics are always sacrificed. Who doesn’t appreciate unwrapping a new CD or pulling a vinyl record out of its sleeve?

Still, illegal downloading persists, but Google is trying to do something about it. The company realizes that, when people attempt to download songs on torrents, their search engine is the most popular. Thus, Google has just released a feature that permits users one free spin of their desired track. The user is then encouraged to purchase the song through services such as LaLa and MySpace.

“The best way to address that [torrent-searching] situation is to provide a really great and comprehensive and fast, excellent music service,” says R.J. Pittman, a product management director at Google. “We really feel the way is to make it much better for people — and that’s going to have a positive impact on music industry.”

With the new system, Google users will find a large “play” button at the top of the results page when they search for an artist, song or album. They’ll also get one free stream, as well as “buy” links to LaLa, MySpace, Rhapsody, Pandora, iMeem and others.

One advantage for Google is the search giant didn’t have to make deals directly with the labels to get the music — they simply let LaLa and MySpace, who already have such deals, lay the groundwork. Labels, contending with another 20 percent drop in CD sales this year, according to Nielsen Soundscan, have been more aggressive recently to remake themselves in the digital age. “They have been supportive [of the Google deal],” LaLa’s Ralston says. “They understand there’s a new world out there.”

I don’t think this will decrease downloading, but it might put some money back into the artists’ pockets.

News

Composers and lyricists to form union?

October 28, 2009 /

composer

I was shocked by this article. In the film, television, and video game industries, actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, and editors are each represented by their own guild. Somehow, composers and lyricists still aren’t unionized. The Society of Composers & Lyricists is now attempting to partner with the Teamsters in hopes of gaining the same security as their peers.

Composers and lyricists are among the few creatives left without a collective bargaining agreement. Services like orchestration, conducting and music performance are covered by American Federation of Musicians (AFM) agreements, but not the act of writing music or lyrics.

They were represented in the late 1950s and 1960s by the Composers & Lyricists Guild of America, but after a 1971 strike and a 1972 lawsuit against the studios and networks over music-ownership rights, producers refused to negotiate with them. A 1984 attempt to restart the union failed when a Reagan-era National Labor Relations Board declared composers and lyricists “independent contractors.”

The trouble with that ruling, many composers say, is that almost everyone in the biz is an “independent contractor,” agreeing to perform services on a one-off basis for producers — yet writers, directors, actors, cinematographers, editors and others enjoy protection under WGA, DGA, SAG, IATSE, the Teamsters and other unions.

Imagine if these guys went on strike. The studios would have to hire a bunch of unqualified musicians. It’s a shame composers and lyricists have it this tough. Even the ones who have been in the industry for ages still have trouble securing work.

For more information, check out composersguild.org.

News

Pavement hysteria continues, will headline Primavera Fest

October 27, 2009 /

pavement_ca

When I told my friend that Pavement was going to tour next year he said, “I bet you they play Coachella.” While they haven’t been confirmed for the gigantic festival in the California desert, they will definitely be the main attraction at Primavera Sound in Barcelona.

The recently reformed US band will top the bill on the opening day of the festival, which runs from May 27-29 2010.

It is the group’s first confirmed date in mainland Europe as part of their worldwide reunion tour.

As previously reported on Gigwise, Pavement will also play two dates in London on May 11 and 12.

All is according to plan. They haven’t announced any shows taking place after their dates in New York City. I’ll be attending their show on September 24 in Central Park, which I hope is the final date of their reunion tour.

Below is a video of Pavement’s frontman, Stephen Malkus, performing solo at last year’s Primavera Sound.

Artists, Concerts, News, Videos

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Eat Sleep Drink Music

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑