GUEST POST: Thirty Seconds To Mars – Love Lust Faith + Dreams (2013)

I’ve been writing book reviews since I can’t remember, but writing album reviews is a new-yet-familiar task, an extremely challenging one. Marco told me to give it a shot and try writing something worth posting on the mighty TZEEEAC. He warned me that it’s not an easy job at all, merely because the level of obscure music knowledge and dick jokes on this site is so damn high. But I’ll try to do my best; please don’t judge me too harsh. So here we go.

Thirty Seconds To Mars is a band that went through a lot over the years and their sound changed drastically since their debut album. They experienced everything, from progressive metal and emo, to hard rock and electronic rock. Love Lust Faith + Dreams is their fourth studio album, designed as a concept album divided in 4 parts revolving around the themes after which the record is named, each one being introduced by a female voice at the beginning of a song or the end of an interlude. I liked the foreign influences (they recorded a part of the album in India) and the diversity of both modern and traditional instruments.

The introductory song Birth starts with powerful horns, strings and Jared Leto’s soft vocals and instantly the album has got a rather orchestral, theatrical sound. The lead single of the album, Up In The Air, where the rock elements are mixed with the sounds of synthesizers, turns this song into a catchy arena sing-along track. City Of Angels represents, in my opinion, the highlight of the entire album as it branches out even further and is a piano-driven song. Jared Leto’s vocals are greater than usual, and he has a powerful voice. Let’s not forget about the Northern Lights, which has harmonies and the chorus is amazing. I believe that, as a live performance, this song will be much better compared to the recorded version.

But enough about the best parts of the record, it’s time for its lows. The shittiest song is represented by Convergence, a filler track, just keyboard for 2 minutes. Press skip, ‘cause it adds nothing, just like Pyres Of Varansi. The album is missing something important, the whole time I listened to it I had the feeling that the band is just dancing around that sweet spot that you look for. 

Overall, Love Lust Faith + Dreams is an unique and kaleidoscopic piece of art. It’s an ambitious record with a lot of diversity in it, the songs are prepared well and the lyrics are really good but I’m so freaking disappointed that I can’t call it epic. The concept of the album is a great idea, however is not enough to get more than 8/10.

Patricia Chioaru

Sunn O))) & Ulver ‎- Terrestrials (2014)

Last year, when a collaboration album between Sunn O))) and Ulver was announced, tight hipster jeans all over the planet were creamed instantly and that fucking Needledrop asshole was probably already writing a review before a single note was leaked. Like, you know, whoah, those two bands, man. Gotta tweet about it! #yolo #ebaygold ... Ebay gold, because there were 5000 vinyl records pressed (1000 white, 1000 red, 3000 black), all of which were gone with a fucking mouseclick.

Well, big fucking deal. While I like both bands, this was hardly exciting news considering the fact that they already worked and recorded together eleven years ago during Sunn O)))'s White1 sessions. But how the fuck would a hipster know? They were probably still swimming in daddy's nutsack at that time. Metaphorically, of course. Everybody knows that hipsters are being bred in laboratories, in an organic soy latte liquid in test tubes. But I digress...

Terrestrials is one of the few contemporary examples that make sense in an album kind of way: the songs simply need to be played in the exact album order, first side one, then side two, in a very classical sense. And also the instrumentation is very classic: in addition to Sunn O)))'s tectonic drones and Ulver's electronic and ethereal orchestration, there is a whole variety of brass and strings creating a quasi jazz vibe at times, pretty much along the lines of Bohren & der Club of Gore. On antidepressants. Mixed with speed. Speed in very, very relative terms, though. The bad part, however, is the (only) song on side two: starting off quite promising, mesmerizing even, it's those fucking vocals that ruin it all. Hey Garm! Yes, Garm, I refuse to call you Kristoffer, I would love it if you went back to the woods to howl with the wolves again. You did a fantastic job almost 2 decades ago, but your vocals these days sounds like some esoteric whale song on a new age meditation CD. With dolphins on the cover. I swear I can almost smell the incense. Oh, and by the way, why the fuck do you always, always, always wear that wool hat? Are you balding and can't get over it? No worries, buddy... you're not alone in this!

Listening to this album, it's hard to not play a movie in your head: probably a late night feature of a Kubrick one, as reinterpreted by Tarkovsky: artsy and bleak, yet strangely seductive and soothing at the same time. (And it really does not come as a surprise that Ulver were using 2001 footage as visuals on their latest tour...) Everything is, as you would expect, very anticlimactic and (of course) drone-y, but then again, I get the feeling that these 3 songs here might be among the most lighthearted either band has ever created. Not that it is poppy by any means or standards, or even uplifting, but beneath all that doom and gloom there is a sense of hope. The cover art shows a picture of our sun (no pun intended, it wasn't my idea to use it, mind you!), and the entire album to me personally has a very galactic vibe. It sounds like the soundtrack to the birth of a star or a galaxy, celestial beauty and chaos at the same time, a soundtrack for the realization that we, as humans, are essentially insignificant in this universe and can only stare wide-eyed. 

Terrestrials, with all its shortcomings and interesting parts, already has a place in my top ten for the year and it's only March. I don't know what that means, to be honest - is it really that great? Or does contemporary music suck so hard that I am willing to accept a mediocre record because it's better than anything else being released?

http://sunnulversl.bandcamp.com/

A TZEEEAC INTERVIEW: Whores.

Whores. is a noisy band hailing from Atlanta, Georgia that will wreck your speakers. We featured them last December, and their album has been on heavy rotation since then. Buy their stuff here, and go say hi on their official Facebook page.

1. Hey guys! We’re fucking ecstatic to have you here. How’s things in Atlanta? 

ATL rules so hard. We’re gearing up to leave for tour, which we absolutely love, but the A is an amazing place to live. 

2. Instead of asking about how you met/how your band came to life etc, we’re going to ask you an even more boring question: Why Whores? What was the thought process behind that name?  

We get asked that a lot. Too much, actually. It’s basically intended as a commentary on the gross state of the world we live in; oppressors v. oppressed. It’s unfortunately rarely taken that way. I have to monitor the shit out of our online presence, and I delete / ban people constantly who have the wrong idea.

3. We noticed you cite The Melvins as a band you like. I’ve been meaning to get into them since forever, but their huge discography, sprawling across genres, is too intimidating. How did you become interested in them and where do you suggest a newbie should start his/her Melvins journey?  

I think the first thing I heard was Gluey Porch Treatments or Ozma. It sounded to me like very smart people intentionally playing fairly dumb music on purpose. I mean that as the highest compliment possible, by the way. I’d like to think that we’re honoring that tradition, or at least the second part. It’s like, when I hear some super technical rock music, I immediately assume the people making it are idiots.

For the uninitiated, I would start with Houdini, or maybe Bullhead or Stoner Witch.

4. We were surprised to see your band featured in countless music publications across the Internet, including the all mighty Pitchfork, whom we’re patiently waiting to be competing with on an equal level one day. How did you become so notorious in such a short time (three years from your formation, to be exact)? Was it a gradual process or were you stalked by paparazzis as soon as you released your first album?  Please let us know so we can copy everything you did and become famous.

Ha. Well we still technically haven’t released an album. It’s just two EPs so far. It is surprising that we’re kind of catching on or whatever. I mean, I love our band. But it’s not exactly easy listening. I don’t know if I’d necessarily refer to us as notorious, but I can tell you that we legitimately play as hard as we can at every show. I know it sounds trite, but we’re totally playing for keeps. This band isn’t a hobby for me. 

5. Your cover artwork punctuates your sound and attitude really well! The heavy font and minimalistic design reflect the stripped-down, no bullshit nature of your music, while the gun and burning matches instill a certain sense of impending danger. Is this all intentional or are we reading too much into it? Who does all your artwork and how do you come up with ideas for your covers?

The simple and graphic aesthetic is definitely intentional, but it’s also born out of necessity. We don’t have any kind of budget for the band. The deal we have with Brutal Panda is a licensing deal only, so we basically hand them the finished record and they handle production. I had the idea for the simple design for both records and the logo, and my friend Patrick handled the layout. I wanted a simple image that was vaguely threatening, but I wanted to stay away from anything too cartoon-y. I try to do the same thing with the bands songs and merch. Simple and muscular design. Like a Hemingway story.

6. Whores is well known for the vicious live show and tremendous energy, while at the same time you guys look like you’re about to collapse in piles of bones any second. Still, every show you play looks like an absolute blast! How do you prepare for shows? Do you get hyped up on booze and energy drinks and scream at each other on your way over to the venue?

I used to never warm up or stretch or anything, but now I do both. When we’re on tour, I cut out all dairy, drink a gallon of water a day and sleep constantly. I also can’t really talk too much when we’re on the road. It’s boring, but I want to give people the best and most intense performance possible. Jake was drinking Red Bull and vodka before our last show, but I think it’s usually Jamison’s. Ha. We all love this band, so it doesn’t take but a few huge waves of noise before we’re all in the zone.

7. 2014 is already shaping up to be a busy year for you, with Spring dates across the US in the excellent company of Lo Pan and Fight Amp. What other plans do you have for this year? 

There is a TON of stuff in the works for us this year. We just released a split single of Cure covers with the Portland band Rabbits last month. There’s also the Amphetamine Reptile series “Dope, Guns and Fucking in the Streets” that we were asked to be a part of. We are unbelievable flattered to even be on Tom’s radar. We sent him our track last month. It’s a new song called “Bloody Like The Day You Were Born.” I love it. It’s one of my favorite Whores songs already. We have a tour kickoff show in ATL in like a week and then we leave for SXSW and a U.S. tour directly after that. We’ve also received a few different offers that are unbelievable and exciting, but I’m not at liberty to discuss anything official yet. I can tell you that’s it’s pretty big news for us and it will likely be pretty amazing.

8. A quick yet ineffective Google search tells us Man vs Food host Adam Richman used to study in Atlanta, Georgia and even featured the city in one of the episodes, where he gorged on chicken&waffles, burgers and a monstrous 11 pound Carnivore pizza. What is some of your favorite food to wolf down in Atlanta after an exhausting gig? Please describe it in painful detail.

Waffle House on tour. If we’re in the South, it’s pretty much a guarantee that we’ll be eating there on a daily basis. 

ATL is a super rad restaurant city, actually. Tacos are my favorite food, and my lady and I go to this place on the west side called Bone Garden a ton.  

Have you seen that Disco’s Kitchen thing on YouTube? He’s this rad dude from Oz who does experimental three-ingredient cooking to a soundtrack of bands he digs. Here’s a link to the one we did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_qtKja375g 

(EDIT: HAHA, Chester will love this!)

9. We’re big fans of Walking Dead, both the comic and the TV Show. Since it’s being filmed in Atlanta and across Georgia, have you ever considered auditioning as zombie extras? Are we ever going to see Rick Grimes smashing the head of a zombie Whore? Speaking of which, what other TV shows do you guys enjoy in your off-time? 

I’m a set dresser for TV and film, so I have some friends who work on that show. I don’t really watch too much TV, but I do watch a ton of movies. I’d love to sort of move up the production ladder and get into acting or writing. I have a journalism degree with a telecommunications concentration, and I’ve done a bit of writing on the side. It doesn’t really pay the bills though.  

Also, The Simpsons is the greatest show in the history of the medium.

10. Typically, we leave the last question to the band, so take it away guys! You’re free to spew any obscenity you fancy at our poor readers. Thanks for agreeing to take part in this interview, hope you had fun!

Thanks for the thoughtful questions and for thinking of us. All the best. 

TZEEEAC turns 3!

To be fair, we turned 3 yesterday, but somehow it slipped our minds and we forgot to celebrate. Actually, I did have a few beers last night for no reason at all, so I'll just chalk them up to TZEEEAC's birthday. Woohoo!

I was originally gonna do a long, mushy post about everything this stupid website means to me, how we've grown and changed over the years and where we hope the future will take us. I'm not gonna do that, though, because I'm leaving for a week to party and I still haven't packed anything. I'll just do some quick bullet points instead:

• TZEEEAC started on the 1st of March 2011, when Marco and I decided on a whim to make a blog where we write about music we like. 
• We were using Wordpress, but soon switched to Blogger. 
• We were originally writing in Romanian. The change to English happened after about one year.
• We've gone through more design changes than I care to remember, mostly because I get bored with how things look very quickly. 
• We've gone from being two dorks writing about music to a whole collective of awesome dudes that I wouldn't have met otherwise. Cheers and thanks to Marco, Volo, Robert, Daniel, Jonathan and Thomas, you guys rule and I'm really glad you're all along for the ride!
• Our email inbox has gone from being a deserted wasteland to being flooded with music submissions on a daily basis. We might not write about everything we receive, but we read all the emails and are deeply thankful to everybody who cares enough about our website to shoot us a ZIP file of their latest album. 
• We've interviewed a lot of our favorite artists and there are many more interviews to come.
• We're nearing 200k pageviews and 500 Facebook likes, but no one cares about metrics, right?

That's about three years of activity in a nutshell. A big THANK YOU to everyone reading this and all the awesome musicians that got in touch with us or were featured, interviewed or otherwise mentioned on TZEEEAC, as well as to TZEEEAC's patron saint, Moş Gherasim, a true Mecena of the underground. Here's to many more years of loud music, junk food and sweet bros!

PS: We're planning on doing some t-shirts, just not sure how many of you would be interested. We've set up a poll in the upper right side of the website. If you ever wanted to wear some TZEEEAC apparel, this is your chance! If enough people are interested, we'll definitely splurge and print some quality t-shirts for you.

Home - Bound To Gravity (2014)

We here at Tzeeeac are addicted to riffs. And groove. And garage type production values. And harsh vocals. Marco might not fully agree to this last statement, but he'll have to just succumb to the authority of the majority. Hey, that's one sick rhyme I just made there! Might have to ask some of the bands that send music our way to incorporate it into one of their songs, so we can claim copyright and make a shitload of money off of their stage performances, haha!

Anyways, enough with the rather monosillabic blabberings and let's get you guys some music to listen to, huh? And while deep inside I had an ungodly craving of listening to some old school death metal, here come Home trio to blow my speakers to hell with their infectious guitar licks and around the corner moving bass lines. If you ever liked This Is Ghost! Country, then Home will hit the sweet spot for you, as the all around abrasiveness of the record (which the band stated that it was purely intentional) will make you put this baby on repeat until there's no more humidity left in your house. It'll be like that because the songs will make you scrape of all the paint from your walls, turn it into some fine powder and then get high off of it while headbanging from a sitting position with your hands glued to your chair.

Then there's the curious case of the closer track, a close-to-ten-minutes seemingly haphazard song (until its not) that, I don't know if intentionally or not, makes me want to go back and listen to early days Lacrimas Profundere. 

So what are you waiting for then? Come home and get yourself a nice little piece of Austrian Sludge/Stoner/Post-Whatsoever, just don't eat it all at once because you might get a sudden case of riff poisoning. 

Recommended tracks: Next To Last, Old Hand, Dead City, Dead City. Yep, I've just listed that last one twice. It's just that good. You also might want to check out their facebook page and drop a like or two. You know, to show that you're nice and all.

El Camino Car Crash - Routine (2014)

It can be a good or a bad thing if bands wear their influences on their sleeves. In the case of El Camino Car Crash, well, everybody knows where that name was taken from... but they sound nothing like it. When I put the needle on the record, for the first couple of seconds I seriously thought that I was listening to a Beastie Boys sample because the vocals sound a whole lot like Mike D. But unfortunately... oh well... this is where the good, good things end. 

Jello Biafra said "Cock rock metal is like a bad laxative. It just don't move, you know?" in 1986, and 15 years later I might add: "Amen, Jello! And modern hardcore, too." El Camino Car Crash seem to be good people, their label Take It Back is good ("TAKE IT BACK supports an anti-racist, anti-fascist, religion-free, gay-positive, pro-choice, drug-free, and animal-friendly attitude."), and this EP is pretty nice and decent. But holy fucking shit! I don't want my hardcore to be nice and decent, I want it to be angry, furious, violent, noisy, fucked up and offensive... is that really to much to ask?! 

I don't want lyrics like "Big, big, bigger, we need to grow / don't, don't, don't, don't stop the flow / more, more, more, in the convenience store / earn, earn, earn, and don't forget to learn." ... I mean... honestly?! If there is a band that has a record out with lyrics like these, then I am the fucking Morrissey of the ghetto (which I am, no doubt, but that's another story for another day). Maybe it is something about getting older, but this shit makes me fucking angry... and anger is something that this band would need: scream because you're fucking furious, not because you can't hold a note! And don't put your friends on the cover and in the booklet because I don't feel like looking at pictures of kiddies (unless they are female jailbait), and hardcore is not something everyone should agree on. Hardcore should alienate and offend people! And yeah, well... this record is offensive to me, just not in the way I want it.

I am sorry, dear El Camino Car Crash (well, not really... but it sounds nice if I say that!), but someone has to drop their skinny jeans and get the long overdue spanking from this grumpy grandpa. Today it's your turn. At least the record title is appropriate, I'll give you that. At least the songs are short. That said, Routine is as exciting as: 

• German political correctness,
• vegan acoustic hangouts,
• non-alcoholic beer,
• the tote bag merchandise line of any "crust" band post-2003, or
• the reincarnation of Black Flag.

Thanks, but no thanks.

https://www.facebook.com/elcaminocarcrash
http://takeitback.bandcamp.com/album/routine
http://www.takeitbackrec.bigcartel.com/

A TZEEEAC INTERVIEW: Satan's Satyrs

Daniel is one talented motherfucker.

Bow before the kings of scuzz rock! Virginia’s Satan’s Satyrs are here to informally deliver the word of doom about their latest out-of-control doom punk soufle. Multi-instrumentalist Claythanas here, dropping the mic on us. Greetings, dear one, ‘tis we!

1. What are the tunes spinning in Satan's Satyrs dungeon lately? Any recent bands shedding some influence on your sound? Do you prefer “Dopethrone”-era or “Black Masses”-era Electric Wizard? 

We've been playing "Vol. 4," "Outsideinside," some Curved Air, the first B.Ö.C., the first UFO. Icecross is a band we've all been digging lately. 

I actually like all the Wizard records. I think that if you listen to one era, but not another you're missing out. Every record has it's own sound and they each serve a purpose in the grand scheme of their discography. I will say that "The Chosen Few" is probably my favorite Wizard track ever.

2. Tell us how you obtain that inimitable fat Satan’s Satyrs sound. Home taping?

By accident, really. I don't even know how I got that sound. But yeah, when I recorded "Wild.." it was at my home. I didn't have a clue. I just recorded everything in the red. It's the only way I know.

3. Describe the forthcoming album with a grindhouse movie title and tag line.

Die Screaming, "You're gonna die with a curse on your tongue and a scream in your lungs..."

4. Does primitive music require primitive lyrics? When penning down the lyrics, do you just shave them from the top of your head or do you require some nice ingredients to "get into the mood"?

I don't know. I take great care when writing my lyrics. It can be a long, difficult process, lasting weeks, months. Sometimes all the words fall right into place, but more often than not I start with one line or a title and just let that brew for a bit while the rest of the song develops. I usually write the music first so I can have the words fit well with the groove of the song.

5. What new and strange apparitions to the music scene do you recommend checking out? Recommend us some lesser known tunes for our sanity.

I can't say that I've been listening to many new bands lately. The only record I can think of off the top of my head was the Purson record. It's so easy to be disappointed by all the new shit out there these days that I usually don't even bother checking anything out.

6. What is the best that has happened to SS? What about the worst? Any fond or less fortunate memories that you want to share? 

The best thing that has happened to this band so far was playing Roadburn 2013. It was a great step forward for the band and me personally in a number of ways. I can't think of a "worst" moment. It hasn't been "easy street" for us, but we've made it this far alright.

7. What kind of events would you rather attend and/or play? Big festivals or club/basement shows?

Firstly, I wouldn't place basement and club shows in the same category. They're totally separate experiences. I think, perhaps especially so in America, there is a certain fondness for basement and D.I.Y. shows, the idea being that those types of venues provide a sort of intimate experience one might not find at an established venue, like a bar or club. I personally don't have such a romantic view on D.I.Y. shows. They can be good and they can be bad. I usually would prefer a club to a basement because that would generally provide more exposure for the band, which is what I'm all about. On that note, I enjoy playing festivals for the same reason. Festivals can be a great opportunity to introduce the band to a wider audience and allow people to hear you who might not have come across your music in any other circumstance. Plus, playing to large festival audiences can be quite exhilarating. We've played every sort of show, from basements to festivals, but I am glad that stayed small and worked our way up. Bands should cut their teeth on the road, touring through clubs. It gives them drive and experience. You can't gain that by suddenly being thrust into headline festival positions. 

8. Any opinions on the evolution and the feedback your band has received since its unholy conception? Do you consider yourselves to have attained the so called "cult status"? Any advice for any young enthusiasts picking up their instruments and letting it rip?

I'm very pleased with the notoriety we've developed over the years, but I'm not satisfied yet. I try not think about our "status" or whether or not there is a cap on our success. I try to keep that out of mind and aim to make Satan's Satyrs as big as it can get. In that vein, I don't think I have advice for anyone. 

9. How did you book your first gigs? What about your last ones? 

In the early days, I didn't care too much about doing gigs so I didn't exactly seek them out. But people starting coming to us so we gave it a shot. That was back in the beginning, it's picked up since then. In the past couple years we've been touring the states with the odd international festival here and there. Now we've got a booking agent in Europe so we'll definitely be playing all around the continent in 2014. It's about time we did a full European tour.

10. Electric Wizard’s Jus Osborn stated about Satan's Satyrs: "They truly understand the spiritual importance of exploitation movies and horror culture (not just ripping it off)". A statement we can absolutely get behind. Everybody has memories of their first horror film, the first time they laid hands on one of 'em naughty horror pulp comics and some of these memories develop into further artistical journeys. Tell us about your experience of this inherent horror culture.

I started with the Hammer Dracula films when I was around 13. Those are still some of my all-time favorites. I was into the classic Gothic horror vibe, vampires and spooky castles and the like, but when I saw "Dracula AD 1972" I got into the 60's/70's vibes, films that had a contemporary flavor to them. From there I started picking up whatever I could find. Some of my early favorites were "Suspiria," "Mark of the Devil," "Brotherhood of Satan," "Werewolves on Wheels." I've always been a sucker for cinematic depictions of a black mass or any sort of devilry and that era was perfect for that. 

11. Any chance of you guys hitting the road for Eastern Europe someday? There are some vampire castles and gangs of spell casting gypsies to behold.

It would definitely be cool to a bring the band to Eastern European. I hear it's still pretty wild out there in some parts. Lots of wolves and vast mysterious forests. We'd do well to play a gig in an old Carpathian castle.

12. I leave to you the final words for the myrmidons out there.

The new album is coming very soon! Get it from Bad Omen Records in UK/Europe and Trash King Productions in the US. DIE SCREAMING!!!

Special on: Digital vs Physical music (kinda)

Last Thursday I took the final exam of the winter session. In order to pass it, I had to choose a subject of public interest (I chose Digital music vs Physical in lack of a better subject) and work on a presentation. One of the requirements was to interview an expert source, so I asked my beloved blog-mate Thomas a few stupid questions. Needless to say, the teacher loved my project and I've finished the session without failing a single exam.

Instead of writing an entire article of my own about this particular subject, I followed Chester's advice and decided to post the interview. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Thomas for being a bro and dedicating an entire hour of his already tight schedule to helping me out.

1. First of all, tell us a bit about your past and present experience in music.

My name is Thomas Reitmayer, I just turned 40, and I live in Wien, Austria. I have been (co-)running a record store and skate shop for almost 15 years, I set up shows for nobodies and bigger names alike, I used to run a small DIY record label, did publish 4 issues of a glossy professional music (+ skateboarding + art) magazine with distribution all over Europe and I have been buying records for almost 30 years now.

2. In the last few years, we've seen a dramatic shift towards the digital format. People are willing to pay the same amount of money (around 10 to 15 euros, prices don't always coincide) on a few digital files rather than buying a physical copy, which usually contains all the nice stuff like artworks, lyrics and such. Why do you think this happened?

Are people really willing to pay for files? I don't know, to be honest. I have bought one MP3 file in my lifetime, for a total net value of $1. Half a year later my hard drive crashed and that file was gone. I could and should have known that before, so I only have myself to blame. But to answer your question, I think the reasons are simple. On one hand, the Internet is a great resource to find about about new (or old) music, especially in areas where there are no record stores etc... on the other hand, the necessary "hardware" is already there: you don't need a turntable, you don't need speakers, you don't need an amp. You can just very easily play music on your computer. And I think that a whole lot of people view THIS as the actual process of getting music nowadays, especially the younger generation. Record stores are dying left and right, the economy is a wreck, and let's be honest: music is a luxury item. First comes food, then comes morale. In the era of cell phones, tablets and computers, music has become a commodity. The actual act of sitting down and listening to a full album seems like a relic from a time long gone by. I am not blaming anyone and I am not pointing fingers, but to me an album is always something tangible, something I can hold in my hands. The artwork is as important as the songs, and there is a reason why the songs on an album are in a specific order most of the time - because it is the artist's vision. By simply downloading a file and listening to it on crappy speakers and removed from an album context, I feel that you are devaluing the actual art - for the artist and for yourself. I think I know maybe 2 or 3 people who do pay for digital music files: one of them does it for space reasons, another one can buys the vinyl anyway and wants to support the artists even more (and yes, he can afford it). To each their own, it's just not something for me. I pirate my digital music, I will gladly admit that. If I buy a record and want to listen to it on the go, I'll just download it illegally (or use the download code that came with the record, which amazingly has become a very common thing these days!) and don't feel like I am stealing because I have paid for the actual music anyway.

3. The rise of online platforms such as Bandcamp and Soundcloud have made it easier for young bands to promote and distribute their music without becoming dependent on shady abusive record labels. On the other hand, being so accessible to everyone, there's been an explosion of new bands and music, good and bad alike, and the music industry might experience a sudden ''drop'' in quality. Is this ''inflation'' good for the overall health of the music industry? Should it have some sort of ''filtering'' mechanism?

I really like artist-friendly platforms like Bandcamp! To me, it's all about cutting out the middle man. It does not make any sense to me at all to host music on let's say iTunes or Spotify, because the biggest share of the money goes to these platforms and not the artists and yes, that is very shady and abusive. I don't think that the boom or explosion of uncountable new bands has all that much to do with the available possibilities - it has happened before. In the late 70s, everybody could form a band according to punk, it continued in the early 80's with the US hardcore explosion, it happened again in the 90s when techno and all sub genres eradicated the "star" behind the music and made creating music much more democratic. So in that sense, this is nothing new. What IS new, however, are the means of spreading your music and I think that everyone should take advantage of it. To be honest, I could not care less about the well-being of the music industry. They've had it coming for years. To a major label, a band is a tax write-off. A band merely exists to make the company money. And that scheme has imploded at the beginning of the 00s or even before when the big corporations suddenly found out that no one is really willing to pay 20 Euros or more for the latest Madonna or Robbie Williams CD - which, actually, is just a piece of garbage. In the aftermath of the success of Nirvana, labels were signing each and every "punk" band left and right, hoping to make a quick buck, and the bands thought they were on par and could have a similar career. And this is exactly where the bullshit filter comes into play: customers see through that, then and now. If a band is not good enough, does not work hard enough, or has weird ideas of success, well... they won't be going anywhere. You can sell the biggest trash if you have enough advertising budget, but the real deal will always "function" without. Good music WILL eventually sell, without having to shove it down someone's throat - it just depends on the definition of success. To some band, it might be having a record out. To me, when I was running my record label, it was selling 500 copies of that record. I think the only feasible filtering mechanism (as you called it) is yourself. If you don't feel like digging the crates, literally or metaphorically, online or in a store, then you deserve to be spoonfed what's readily available. Or, as Tim Yohannon of infamous Maximum Rocknroll fanzine said: "The good thing is that everyone can make a record. The bad thing is everyone does."

4. We all know that CD sales have been dropping for 7 years in a row now due to the rise of digital music and that vinyl sales are skyrocketing. Even small bands are releasing their music on vinyls now. Should we see this as a good thing? Is this proof that music consumers have matured and shifted their attention towards a better format?

Oh, I think it's been much longer than 7 years actually. And "skyrocketing", well... yes, in relative terms you are right. I just think that music sales in general have gone way, way, way down (and that includes digital music). Vinyl, just like anything, is neither good nor bad, it just is a medium. Truth be told, MOST music sounds better on vinyl - if it's mastered correctly, if it's pressed on good quality vinyl, etc... too many factors to mention. Then again, it can sound absolutely terrible - lots of recent re-releases are the evidence. If you use a bad master (like a compressed CD, for example), you will end up with a bad result. To me, personally, vinyl has never disappeared. It's always been there. The reason why it might be more "visible" recently is because it is being marketed towards certain target audiences: middle aged men who want to relive their youth, hipsters who think it's oh so very ironic to own a relic from the technological stone ages, audiophile opera lovers, the list goes on. As for consumers maturing, not necessarily. There is a certain stamp collector mentality being prevalent: a lot of people think they NEED to own a very limited edition, sometimes not even listening to it, carefully storing it away on a shelf in order to avoid any minor crease on the album sleeve to not lose re-sale "value". To me, this is far from being mature. But yes, I do see a certain renaissance (for lack of a better term) of taking the time to seek out an album, take it home, and play it start to finish. It is a completely different experience than just a mouseclick, and to me, this beautiful.

5. And finally, how do you see the musical landscape five or ten years from now when it comes to format and distribution? Will the physical format disappear?

I don't really think a lot will change, to be honest. There is a trend of re-releasing rare or obscure or long sold out records, and that will most definitely increase because there is a demand for it and no one wants to pay obscene amounts for a beat up copy. Physical formats will most definitely not disappear, but the CD is a dead medium, there is no way around it. There was a time for it like there was a time for 8 tracks or laser discs or VHS tapes, but that time is running out. Vinyl, just like books, is one of the most durable storage mediums ever invented.

Valfader - Opening (2014)

Last time you were prompted to listen to these guys they played a very angry type of stoner metal, garage production, excellent for annoying your parents if you're fourteen years old and on the verge of discovering new music genres. 

Now they've released a single and for the life of me I can't possibly understand how this is still a three piece band. At best, it sounds like a tightly woven collection of part human, part robotic vital parts; at VERY best, it sounds like a band that has been playing around the world for the last three decades. You know, just like Metallica does.

To clear out all vagueness (if that's even necessary), I might even conclude that this ONE song is of such excellent quality that it stands on the brink of ludicrousness. The simple vocal melody upon which the track is build, complemented by a stupidly commendable riff that'd give Isis, Mastodon, Cult of Luna, The Ocean or any other post-related music factory a run for their money, these and all the bits and pieces that glue everything together just make me shiver from unearthly cravings about what could possibly become my favorite album of 2014. 

Because there IS going to be an album out this year, right guys?

valfader.bandcamp.com

Nightcrawler - Metropolis (2014)

Nightcrawler is an 80's-style synthwave artist who creates dark electronic beats in order to please the dark corporate overlords who have contacted him from the future. This time around, they've requested an electronic synthwave concept album set in the aftermath of World War III wherein the only thing that stands between humanity and its utter annihilation is the harsh  city of Metropolis.

You already know how much I enjoy this particular genre and I'm starting to run out of adjectives to describe it, so let's cut to the chase: Metropolis is good. Not mindblowingly good, but competent at the very least. The main problem I have with this album is that it jumps around all the time - it leaves you the impression that it's building up to something explosive, then it crushes your hype and enthusiasm when you least expect it. It's more of a song arrangement problem than anything else - placing chilled out one minute interludes at every two or three songs is not the way to capture, let alone maintain the interest of your listeners. It feels like going on running marathon and tripping over rocks every two or three minutes, just when things where finally getting intense and exciting. 

But don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed my time with Metropolis. The songs are very well produced and make for some really interesting visual images. I'll never get bored of the ''Humanity's gone to shit, 'cept for one dirty place where everybody's struggling to survive'' trope. Metropolis delivers everything you would expect from such a concept: outlaws, shady corporations, mobsters, cyber technology and an overall sense of despair and futility. I also like the ''little touches'', like House of Pleasure, which is basically a two minute long piece consisting of a few synth beats and loads of moaning and Control Room which is about, well, a fucking control room, what did you expect? Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this album is heeeeavy in samples, and I'm happy to report that Nightcrawler has done a great job when it comes to placement and selection. Most of them are monologues, so if you want to know more about the the universe that he's created, that's a good place to start. This dude knows how to tell a story through music, there's no question about that. 

So, do I recommend Metropolis? Yes. It's a good album with a great story, and if you're a sucker for dystopias like I am, you should definitely check it out.

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