Golem is Annette Ezekiel-Kogan — singer, accordionist, and 5-foot powerhouse, with vocalist/tambourinist Aaron Diskin, violin virtuoso Alicia Jo Rabins, trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, upright bassist Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, and drummer Tim Monaghan. This 6 piece, Yiddish-speaking, Eastern European punk band is renowned for electrifying dance floors with their globetrotting goulash of Jewish, Slavic, and Gypsy folk songs. Their style “commands your attention and demand a response” (Giant Magazine). Borne out of the dimly-lit, strangely elegant streets of old-world Eastern Europe, Golem’s music also sounds of the grit and tragedy of new-world dreams.
At the Drive-In / One-Armed Scissor I saw these guys live at the New Haven Coliseum, which no longer stands, in the fall of my sophomore year of high school. They were opening up for Gang Starr, who was opening up for Rage Against the Machine. These guys were flailing around in such an incredible tornado-like frenzy, tall, super skinny dudes with huge afros in extremely tight black clothes, flinging their guitars in every which direction while still somehow managing to play the intricately orchestrated shredding punk guitar parts which were assaulting the coliseum from their wall of amps, turned all the way up. The entire crowd hated them, and booed in between songs. At the Drive-In completely blew my mind, and on my way out of the place where as a child I used to watch Monster Trucks crush 50 cars over and over again for three hours, then I grabbed the free disc with two tracks on it, this here track and another one, “Chanbarra,” the two of which I had the worst time deciding about which one was better.
Complex and modern themes are wound tightly inside Blacklist’s impressionistic lyrics. Their debut LP, Midnight Of The Century, is raw ambition mixed with raw power. Mixed by Ed Buller (Suede, Slowdive, Pulp, White Lies) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Muse, Jeff Buckley, Iron Maiden, U2, Nirvana), it’s a potent dose of rock and roll maximalism.
Ulver / Eos It’s rare to find music that requires you to go where it takes you. It’s impossible to listen to Eos and not be completely transported to this delicate, melancholy space. You could be walking along the summer sidewalk, cheerily lapping on an ice cream, and if it came on your iPod, you’d be wistfully staring across an epic, cold ocean of loss. More like recent David Sylvian than the Oslo inner-circle; long gone are the blast beats of Ulver’s past. But the same intensity is still there, just communicated in a different sonic language.
YACHT founding members Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans live in Portland, Oregon and Marfa, Texas, and consider themselves ‘generalists’ in the fields of music, art, writing, and everything in between. Their new album, See Mystery Lights, will be released on July 28th on DFA Records, along with companion materials ranging from book and mixtapes to a limited-edition playable copper record of mantras.
Radha Krsna Temple / Hare Krishna Mantra A not-so-secret-thing about YACHT is that when we see Hare Krishna monks dancing down the street in their orange robes and shaved heads, it takes a great deal of self-control for us not to run after them. This is not to say that we want to stop them or join them. We just want to see what happens at the end of the chase.
Bucks County, PA rabble-rousers Illinois have just released their album, The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe. For six months, the band pounded the virtual pavement all across the interweb, releasing a 3-song EP anc video chapter per month from November ‘08 – April ‘09. Then a sprawling 20-song release hit shelves on June 9th.
PM Dawn / Set Adrift On Memory Bliss This reminds me of Catholic School dances back in sixth grade. Roller skating parties, reebok pumps or blacktops. Skidz. Shaving lines into my hair. Gold chains. The good ol’ days. Mmmm.
Australian singer-songwriter Brian Campeau is to a guitar what a Thai stripper is to a ping pong ball, both utilising their ‘instruments’ in the most unconventional ways. His new album, Mostly Winter Sometimes Spring, sees him take a very different approach to songwriting, while continuing to make the most of his gift for melody and mood. One instrument was chosen for each song on the album, and played in whichever way worked best at the time. Imagine melodicas, cellos, harmoniums and glockenspiels caressed, thrown, strummed, and deliberately misused in a bid to express Campeau’s experiences over the last two years.
Nina Simone / Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues Probably the saddest Dylan cover in history. Unbelievably simple, the band never overplaying, and her vocal is beautiful. Totally effective in creating immediate depression.
Rising Welsh rockers Attack! Attack! will release ‘Honesty’ as a download single on Monday 18th May. The single is the third to be lifted from their self-titled debut album, released last October. Already a live favourite with the band’s an base, punchy rock affair Honesty is bursting with hooks. The band, who recently returned from Texas’ SXSW Festival, have also announced the inclusion of previous single, You and Me, on the forthcoming fifth installment of the Guitar Hero video game, as well as an episode of hit US show 90210.
Rage Against the Machine / People of the Sun The first Rage song I ever heard and it’s still is my favorite. I love the way it switches from the aggressive choruses to the hip hop groove in the verse, and the way Zach de la Rocha’s vocals work off the rhythm section. Plus the bass sounds MASSIVE!
Bob Dey’s Tank Engine Man is produced by the unique partnership of Mr. Bob Dey and Mr. Talent. Mr. Talent acts as a sort of surrogate musician for Mr. Dey (who doesn’t have the time or training to pursue his musical aspirations himself) by recording and performing the songs that Mr. Dey writes. Together they create an interesting blend of many influences, which coagulate into what Mr. Talent refers to as “weird rock music.”
Jack Kittel / Psycho This song has a disturbing theme, but the music and vocals are performed almost tenderly. Thus, by the time the lyrical content reaches you, it completely mows you down. Mr. Dey is always reminding me of the “Law of Contradiction” (the importance of balance and the inevitability of double standards) and this technique fits in quite well with that.
London DJs The Nextmen have a cool new video out for their soon-to-be-released single Lion’s Den, which features the vocals of Ms. Dynamite and Andy Catois and is set to burn down dancefloors.
Jack Penate / Todays Tonight This is an extremely difficult one to explain. I guess it’s Afro-Folk-Pop, or something horrible like that. It’s a great track with a lovely atmosphere and a welcome return from Penate. This one was produced by the mighty Paul Epworth, who manages to give it a unique and classic sound.
Things have been non-stop for the Ivor Novello nominated Ben’s Brother (aka Jamie Hartman) lately. Having worked hard on his new album, Battling Giants, Ben’s Brother was all set to release it on his own label Flatcap Records when Island Records stepped in and proposed taking it to a more international level. Packed with an impressive list of guest artists, such as Joss Stone and Jason Mraz, as well as song writing collaborations with Natalie Imbruglia, Battling Giants is set to be a hit.
Kings Of Leon / Closer Best start to an album for years. As soon as the first snare hits, you know you’re in for something good. And then his voice kicks in.
Fresh off a win for Best New Band at the Metal Hammer Golden God awards, heavy rockers Five Finger Death Punch are back with a new album, War Is The Answer (Prospect Park Records), that picks up where their critically acclaimed, hit debut record The Way Of The Fist left off. With a band name inspired by the ultimate death blow in the film Kill Bill, it is safe to say that these guys are brutally redefining contemporary metal.
Demon Hunter / My Heartstrings Come Undone This song is loaded with melody from start to finish. I find it heavy but soothing. Yes I said soothing! These guys manage to have that great blend of metal and melody. A must listen.
My Secret Playlist is a music discovery website and weekly email publication. We invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. These are their words on the music that inspires them.
