Song of the Week v.CHRISTMAS!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas Time is Here (with Vocals)
Vince Guaraldi is an amazing pianist and his jazz is so smooth and on point. The entire album that this song comes from is really incredible, but as this one stands out due to the vocals I decided to use it over the others. The choir is soft along with the music, hearing it definitely makes me think about the Peanuts christmas movie and puts a smile on my face.
Labels: Song of the Week
posted by Conqueror @ 6:04 AM,
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A Very Special Christmas vol. 3
A Very Special Christmas vol. 3
A+
I've been listening to this album since one of my friends first let me borrow back when it was released. I think his is one of my favorite christmas albums because many of the early-mid 90's artists I began listening to when I first started getting into music, are on it. The other volumes of A Very Special Christmas are not as strong as this either, its almost as if the planets aligned properly when this was being put together and they have been off their barrings since then.
The albums starts off with a short version of "I Saw Three Ships" done by Sting, followed by "Christmastime" by Smashing Pumpkins. This song is dreamy and floaty as a lot of their music was, but without huge walls of distorted guitar and screeching vocals, just Corgan singing over a beautiful melody of bells, piano, etc. Natalie Merchant does "Children Go Where I Send Thee", and growing up on my step fathers collection of 10,000 Maniacs, I've always enjoyed her voice and this is a great rendition of this song. "Santa Baby" is brought to you in hip hop fashion with some high rollers such as RUN DMC and Snoop. No Doubt does a great job of bringing their early ska feel to "Joy to the World". One of my favorite tracks on the whole volume is Blues Traveler "Christmas". Hootie and the Blowfish do a jazzy "The Christmas Song", and Jonny Lang does a bluesy "Santa Clause is coming to Town" that does the blues too much justice. There is a version of Dave Matthews doing his "Christmas Song", which isn't so much about christmas cheer as it is about the story of Jesus. Tracy Chapmen does "Oh Holy Night" in her down tempo acoustic manner, and the final song "We Three Kings" done by Patti Smith is weird and moody giving the end of the album less christmas cheer, and more the feeling of having just finished a solid collection of music.
Anyone that enjoys modern rock before the likes of Nickleback and any other band that destroyed alternative music will enjoy this. It adds a fresh approach to the average christmas songs without coming across as cheesy and overdone.
- Bret Phillips
Labels: AlbumReviews
posted by Conqueror @ 6:00 AM,
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Song of the Week v.8
Monday, December 17, 2007
Protest the Hero - Blindfolds Aside - Kezia
I've only recently started listening to Protest the Hero, I am not sure why I passed over it when I heard about them earlier in the year, but regardless, I am on the bandwagon now. This song is the first one that stuck out to me from their album Kezia. The first few minutes is intense, technical metal covered with high octav, emotional vocals that really gets me going. Towards the end of the song the metal stops, some female vocals acompany the band who is now jamming on acoustic gutiars come in, and this feeling of resolution passes through me.
- Bret Phillips
Labels: Song of the Week
posted by O Team Press @ 6:18 AM,
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13 Day Mission, Deadsea, Withered @ Drunken Unicorn 12-15-07
Drunken Unicorn 12-15-07
13 Day Mission - http://www.myspace.com/13daymission
Deadsea - http://www.myspace.com/deadsea
Withered - http://www.myspace.com/withered
For this show, the opener was a 2 piece, the follow up was a 3 piece, and the headliner was a 4 piece.
Early last week Withered asked if 13 Day Mission could fill the opening spot for this show, as the opener dropped out, and they agreed. Their set started off with a free improv jam which they do to get the blood flowing, and immediately went into the first song of the set. The spaced out track they play from the iPod was blasting through a guitar amp smeared in reverb, the smoke machines came on, and the countdown began. On 1 they launched the set and the wash of sound overtook the audience. The sound tech did a great job and the set was a blast.
Next up were Deadsea, a tech/metal band from Ohio. These guys ripped it up. The guitarist is well above average in skill and the composition of the songs was creative and on point. The bass player had no problem keeping up with that level of play and the drummer held down the back end showing speed and skill throughout. It was great to see such awesomeness coming from just three guys.
Withered headlined the show, and as before, brought the house down. Their style of heavy doom metal keeps you from becoming uninterested during the show. My ears and eyes were moving around the entire show as the leading melody or rhythmic part switched between all 4 members continuously. The music is overwhelming to say the least, but that is how I like to enjoy my shows.
The night was a success and anyone that showed up to check it out were graced with a really strong lineup and a TON of sonic energy.
Labels: ShowReviews
posted by Conqueror @ 5:51 AM,
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Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Aesop Rock
“None Shall Pass”
Grade: A
Aesop Rock has made a masterpiece with his latest release, None Shall Pass. The album consist of a molestation of wordplay that takes a minute to absorb. Aesop’s lyrics are unique and refreshing and so swift that one could easily get lost in all the syllables. I have no idea how Aesop is able to pronounce so many words so quickly without getting his tongue twisted into knots.
The beats on this album are done mostly by his longtime producer Blockhead, with a few tracks that are actually produced by Aesop himself. Blockheads beats are refreshing to say the least, mostly due to the fact that real instruments are used, as opposed to samples, which are commonly used today in most mainstream hip-hop albums, but this is not your mainstream garbage! The average listener couldn’t comprehend the substance and context of Aesop Rock’s music, and that’s what makes it so exciting to listen to.
One track that stands out with intriguing lyrics is:
‘Catacomb Kids’-
“Like not a farmer among us had a harvest survive the winter, So dinner split a lima bean in triplets, pick a winner, He took a couple summers puking pills behind a dumpster, As the largest Pez dispenser on record recouped his numbers, One shoe in the soupy gutter, one shoe in a velvet heaven, Where the mermaid told him she could find a lake of melted weapons”
Aesop continues to grow stronger as a rapper and producer and this album shows his current strength and potential. Anyone that enjoys truth being spit with a giant charisma should definitely check out this album.
‘Coffee’
You tube video:
- Zack Macauley
Labels: AlbumReviews
posted by O Team Press @ 5:49 AM,
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Song of the Week v.7
Monday, December 10, 2007
Denali - Relief - 2002 self titled
The track starts off with some electronic drums and soft vocals. I really get blown away though as soon as the background 'ooo ooo oooo oooo ooooo's come in, followed by the words "I stayed". Maura Davis voice is so powerful and consuming, it floats right over the top of the music and engulfs the listener with a beautiful tone. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys smooth, soulful singing over not so standard rock music.
Labels: Song of the Week
posted by Conqueror @ 5:35 AM,
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Sharlock Poems - 'Blooming Sounds'
Sharlock Poems - 'Blooming Sounds'
Grade: B
My Latest Discovery: Gospel Rap doesn't have to be wack.
I've been a hip-hop fan for a long time. Through most of the popular peaks and valleys in rap music's history, I've always been in search of songs with a good message but still done with a tasteful approach. Don't get me wrong, Dr. Dre's The Chronic and Blackmoon 'enta da stage' were in the deck when I was a teenager, but I still longed for those positive records like Common Sense 'Resurrection' and The Roots 'Do You Want More?!!!??!'.
My mother always encouraged my thirst for music, even buying my first rap tapes at age 6 which included: Whodini 'Escape', Fat Boys (self titled), Run DMC (self titled), Crush Groove Soundtrack, and Beastie Boys 'License to Ill'. Having an ear not discriminate of new ideas and styles, I've always been interested in hearing whatever crossed my path. Gospel Rap included. Unfortunately, because most gospel rappers didn't expose themselves to most hip-hop, the style was always kind of lame and generally out-dated. Themes would be over saturated with references to Jesus' life, and the music was usually, to say it plainly, just terrible.
Now the hip-hop genre is around 30 years old (respectively), and we have new artists with spiritually positive messages that grew up listening to good hip-hop music. This formula creates room for something that has always been considered an oxymoron among my circle of friends and hip-hop mutual fans... Good Gospel Rap.
Case in hand, left coast collective LA Symphony's Sharlock Poems has released a solo album titled 'Blooming Sounds' with 15 tracks of dope hip-hop music, laced with the good words of personal prosperity and love for fellow humankind. Don't get it twisted, this isn't your typical "bible thumping" experience. SP gets at typical emcees and rides beats with the gusto expected from a dangerous battle rapper intent on claiming his position.
The musical backdrop is beautiful to the ears with production from J. Medeiros, Vintage, Ohmega Watts and 89th Key, all of whom sound like disciples of The Ummah (for those that don't know, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammed & Jay-Dee aka J Dilla). And in tradition with this sound, the winning formula here is beats, rhymes and life.
The opening 'Special Delivery' comes in with a fly piano loop, followed by a simple kick and slap snare similar to drums out of the great Andre Young's lab. With the uplifting 'See It', SP rocks a dope soul sample and keeps his positive theme flowing with a passionate delivery.
The standout tracks for me are 'Come On' & 'Feels Good', both joints worthy of blasting in the summertime with your car windows down, or while entertaining guests at the crib. And the head nodding 'Way Back When' wear SP leaves you with a brief history of his experiences growing up with hip-hop music.
Check out the track 'Special Delivery'
- Arablak
Labels: AlbumReviews
posted by Arablak @ 5:30 AM,
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Parade, Push, Elevado - Star Bar Dec 06 review
I got to the Star Bar, in Little 5 Points Atlanta, at just after 9 when the doors opened. I hung out with Jason of Parade talking about the day jobs and meeting up with people I that I see when frequenting this area. Parade went ahead and did the sound check early and hung out for a little while longer. The band started getting antsy to play as the sound guy disappeared. He ends up showing up way after 10, so the show got going late.
Parade put on a decent set, but seems to be lacking some energy. I enjoyed the digital elements of their music throughout the set, I do not recall them having it before but regardless it was good. There were also some hecklers between songs, but in a good way.
Push came on and was rather impressive. The lead singer had some troubles with her guitar during the first song so she joked about pretending to play. I thought she was pretty funny. No single instrument or artist seemed to stand out on their own, but it was good music all around. A couple of dudes started moving up front and it appeared a dance off might ensue, but alas they didn't get too crazy out there. The band was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon.
Elevado anchored the show with a solid performance and controlled debauchery as some new songs and elements were added to the set. The band is working on a new CD and shared some of the new pieces with the crowd. Me and some of the other mates danced it out for a couple of songs. Justin was throwing him self off the stage, on top of the bar and onto the floor. He was still able to keep up with the beat, though he did trip once and break his beer bottle. Don sat back like a crazed DJ with his computerized set-up to keep things coherent. The trombone made me smile and the new bongos were a great addition. I had fun having a few too much alcohol, but I had an awesome time.
ISP, the coop of bands that Elevado is an integral part of as well as the host of the show this evening, hope to make every Thursday night ISP night at the Star Bar. Go out and support!
-Alan
Labels: ShowReviews
posted by montygtech @ 5:29 AM,
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O Team Press on Atlanta Music Radio podcast
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Atlanta Music Radio, a podcast coming out of Atlanta every Tuesday evening regarding all things music in the Atlanta area, interviewed the heads of O Team Press and you can hear the broadcast on their website
http://www.atlantamusicradio.com/
Look for Chilling with O Team Press
Labels: News
posted by Conqueror @ 7:32 AM,
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Willis Wilson Jazz Group @ O Zone Lair
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Willis Wilson brought some of his friends into the O Zone Lair today and laid down some smooth jazz, check it out on the Music page over at the O Zone Lair site.
Labels: O Zone News
posted by Conqueror @ 1:41 PM,
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Educated Consumers - 'Write Hear'
Monday, December 3, 2007
Grade: C+
When the progress of an art form creates immense pressure to be original, sometimes it's better to just be good. Educated Consumers do just that. No groundbreaking ideas. No incredible concepts. No extraordinary rhymes schemes. Just good hip-hop music.
With a swagger similar to the likes of Dilated Peoples and People Under the Stairs, this is minimalist music. Good rhymes and good beats, blended nicely for a feel good sound, but still maintaining a gritty presence through the headphones.
This is my first time hearing of emcee Seez Mics and producer t.E.C.K., but after experiencing what these guys are made of, I am interested in hearing their first album as well.
A joint that stuck out for me is 'Steal', an ode to the 'ol 5 finger discount, but Ceez Mics talks touches on the topic metaphorically, while t.E.C.K. kills the track with a down trotting flute sample, dancing around a simple, but hitting boom bap drum pattern.
Another highlight is 'Dot Dot Dot', a violin themed head-nodder worthy of a rewind or two (also briefly featured at the end of their video for 'Steal'). And 'Roaring Flood', in my opinion Ceez Mics' best lyrical display with a crazy drum driven track with a simple yet hypnotizing 60's sounding guitar & key sample. 'Nothing Without' is another dope offering, sounding like a lost jewel from the late 90's.
As previously mentioned, there is nothing completely unforgettable about this album, but in all respects, it's a good casual listen for any fan of decent hip-hop.
http://www.myspace.com/educatedconsumers
http://www.educatedconsumers.com
Watch the video for 'Steal':
- Arablak
Labels: AlbumReviews
posted by Arablak @ 12:01 PM,
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Lennox - This Is What We're After
http://www.myspace.com/lennoxrock
B+
Lennox debut album This Is What We're After clocks in at just under 25 minutes, but that is not to say it is lacking. Those 25 minutes are filled with emotional rock music that makes me feel that Lennox is representing our artistic community with everything they've got. They show technical skill, creative writing and song structure, and most importantly, emotion throughout the album. Charles of Red Room 104 recorded, mixed, and mastered this album to "kick you in the teeth", and it does.
The first song is a short piece of material, nothing too fancy or technical going on. At first I was unsure of how strong that was, but after a few listens I would not have changed it for anything, it is a great example of what is to come. Immediately following is one of my personal favorites "Remembering", this song has everything one would expect from a hardcore band, a build up that rides the beat, intense vocals complete with harmonies, dynamic changes, guitar solos, the whole package. The anthem esque "Et Tu Brute" comes hard. The chorus of the song has a gang of people chanting "We never will, we never will!", and a guest female vocalist that fits right into the mix. Some people wouldn't call this style of music beautiful, but it is apparent that it can be during the bridge later in the song when her vocals are most apparent.
We are greeted with an short interlude after three strong tracks, the end of the interlude peaks my brain out with the final build up of backwards rhythms into drums into then song "Daylight Ruins". These next three songs are the most powerful on the album, and they seamlessly flow together as if it was one solid arrangement of music. Something I really enjoy and need to note is the lack of vocals here and there, to me this is a sign of band maturity. They do not have to have someone howling over every inch of every song, they understand that its also good to let the music ride. Towards the end of "Domeanum", Casey, the drummer, gets to unload on the drums and hearing it makes me very excited. He is an excellent drummer, knows when to hold the beat and knows when to throw down. Almost every time I listen to the album the last song sneaks up on me until I am in the thick of it. "Collars", probably my favorite song on the album, brings the energy full force, almost as if they have been building up to this climax the entire time. With crunching guitars, the enormous vocals, the solid rhythm section, it all fits together as if it belongs together which is all I ask for.
Alex, the lead singer/screamer, gives us a very passionate performance on this album. Casey not only destroys the drums, he hits the vocal harmonies throughout adding a pleasing dynamic to the raw power of the music. Both guitarists are right on point strategically playing off each other the entire time, and the bass keeps everyone together. For a debut album, This Is What We're After delivers. The emotion was captured and the current skill level of the members leads me to believe Lennox will continue to level up and make great music if they can continue to overcome the realities of working with a group of people all wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
- Bret Phillips
Labels: AlbumReviews
posted by Conqueror @ 12:00 PM,
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Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead♦
Grade: B+
Lead singer for System of a Down, Serj Tankian, has completed and released his first solo project; Elect the Dead. He has made a transition from front man and singer to almost a one man show. On this debut solo album you can tell how far Serj has progressed as a musician and an artist. Playing most of the tracks on this album himself you get to see every side of this artists skills and talents across the board. There were however guest appearances on the album by System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan, drummer Bryan Mantia made some appearances, Dan Monti also helped out with some guitar and bass tracks, and opera singer Ani Maldjian also helped with some of the backup vocals for Serj which can be a very difficult task with his angelic melodies and harsh screams.
You can sense that the ideas and style of System of a Down still reside inside Serj from the beginning of the album. Now he has mixed his own creative style into the already existing energy and power and produced a very solid album. Serj can take a song from one end of the sound spectrum to the other so quickly and powerfully that it makes the listener ask themselves if this is still the same song with the same objective. We also get to see a softer side of Serj's music on this album as with "Feed Us" and "Saving Us" both involving acoustic guitar and piano, also accompanied by a slower beat than with the start of the album which comes right at you with "Empty Walls" and "The Unthinking Majority". The songs might start slow and soft but by the middle to end of the song the listener will find themselves jamming hard to the chorus's that tend to grow more intense throughout the songs. As with most of Serj's previous work, the tracks range from the shortest, "Elect the Dead", at 2:55 to the longest, "Saving Us", at 4:41. Even with the shorter songs Serj is still able to take the listener on an audible roller coaster of ups and downs from beginning to end. Overall this album is a bit more laid back than we are used to hearing from Serj, but that does not mean it is any less of quality.
This album definitely holds a stand against the political world that we live in, as does most of the music Serj has been a part of. With System of a Down there are songs that are obviously of political nature, the same can be said for the album Elect the Dead. Even in the title of the album the listener can tell that there is some stance being taken against our current government and situation in the world. This can also be seen through the video for the song "Empty Walls".
"Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" is a classic example of the things that Serj Tankian is able to achieve with his voice. The weird chanting and sounds in the background is what makes Serj Tankian stand out in the crowd of ever striving vocalist. What sets him apart is that he is not afraid to use his voice in ways that other vocalists have not tried or experimented with, but his artistic ability is so great that he can almost do no wrong vocally. His lyrics as stated before hold a certain political stance so this might drive some listeners away from certain songs that scream political disagreement, but every song does not hold this stance.
Overall this album lives up to the standard that Serj Tankian has seemed to set for himself with every other album. The listener gets a mix of both hard rocking and anger in Serj's voice all the way across the board to soft melodic singing and backups while playing a piano. The album comes at you hard and fast with the first two tracks and progressively gets softer and more laid back. Heavier and angrier songs at the end would leave a profound impact on the listener with the last tracks but this album is still a good listen for anyone that enjoys the work of Serj Tankian.
Steven Mosley
Labels: AlbumReviews
posted by oriax @ 7:29 AM,
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Song(s) of the Week v.6
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Blue Rhonda a la Turk
This happens to be one of my favorite Dave Brubeck Quartet tracks. The tracks starts with piano and drums setting the pace for the entire piece. Once the bass and horns join in on the song everyone in the band is in full swing. The piano riff is very easy to listen to even though it is not in a normal time signature, and the drummer has no problem holding the beat throughout the song. In the middle of the song the quartet mellows it out a bit, but then comes right back to the driving beat of the song, only to switch directly back to the slow melodic groove for a few mesaures. This type of versaility, as well as the excitment and power, in these musicians is very impressive. Hearing something technically difficult being accomplished with such ease is the reason I will continue to listen to this music over and over
- Steven Mosley
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
I just recently heard this song on a free album released by the Adult Swim crew that you can download here. Aesop has always been a master of words and delivery, and I have always enjoyed what I have heard of his work, but this song blew me away. The beat gets my head rocking imediately. Then Aesop breaks in riding the beat extra hard with so much charisma its almost as if he climbs into my head to deliver his message. The video is pretty clever as well, check it below.
- Bret Phillips
Labels: Song of the Week
posted by O Team Press @ 6:04 AM,
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We are all Nothing and Something, 13 Day Mission, Batata Dolce, The Shizzies - 11-26-07 - Lennys
We are all Nothing and Something - http://www.myspace.com/mrkill
13 Day Mission - http://www.myspace.com/13daymission
First to take the stage this evening were We are all Nothing and Something. Bret and I had spoken to the drummer beforehand and discussed music a bit. The drummer informed us that they were very keen on writing/playing music that was different than normal. We agree on the subject and when they got on stage they lived up to their word. The psychedelic feel that this band possessed was very pleasant to the ear and took me back to early Pink Floyd/Santana era. Another thing I enjoyed about this band was their ability to go from a very random, spacey sound to a straight 4/4 folk beat that drives through the listener while the singer goes into his lyrics either singing or screaming them. The band as a whole was very talented but about the middle of their set the bass player broke out into a slap bass riff that made me pay attention to what he was doing until the song ended. This was the best piece played by We are all Nothing and Something that evening, and I would like to hear more from this band.
Second on stage was 13 Day Mission. After setting up our gear to the side we went to Johnnys Pizza for a beer and food before our explosion took place. As with most sets we started with the Apollo Loop that we had created previously to give a nice countdown to the beginning of the show. Our set is always energetic and fast paced from beginning to end. I could tell that it was loud because when we started our set the crowd took some steps back from the stage, we forgot the box of earplugs and I do not think may people brought their own. I could tell Bret was having troubles getting his bass to sound the way he wanted, and then after our third song he figured out that his two 10's were not plugged in and that is why his solos could not be heard. Chalk one up to experience. Even with that going wrong for us I think we played a solid set from beginning to end with no major mistakes on either of our parts.
After playing music at the intensity that 13 Day Mission does it is needless to say that I need to sit and have a drink for a few minutes. So enters the next band on stage, Batata Dolce. The first thing I notice about this band is it's size, I count six people on stage. When the music starts I can tell that this set is going to be enjoyable for the entire crowd. With a mix of latin and folk beats this band jammed for a solid 30 to 40 minutes during which all members were having a great time on stage. The singer could be heard well over all of the instruments and occasionally took part in beating some back up percussion with the other percussionist. The bass player, who also plays with the band Elevado, was thumping and the guitar held down a steady flow of melodies. The only thing I did not like about the show was that the percussionist was not very well mic'd so I could not always hear his beats very clearly, but he was playing very well along with the drummer behind the set. There was always a constant beat being held by either maracas or a tambourine either played by the singer or percussionist. Batata Dolce was a laid back fun loving band that conveyed the fun to the audience the entire show.
Last on stage was The Shizzies and there is one word that comes to mind while listening to The Shizzies, and that is punk. These guys played a very rhythmical heavy set full of punk influence which had the crowd into the music and approval could be felt after every song. The guitarist was rocking his instrument very hard giving the crowd flash backs of the 80's era with his arm going in circles as he solos. The lyrics were hard to discerns because of the screaming nature of the guitarist/vocalist but that is a style that belongs to punk music. If one spent more time with the music the lyrics would develop meaning, but only hearing this band once it was hard to hear the words. The vocals were very good though and the vocalist scream was very enjoyable to the listener. The bass player evidently was a new addition to the band, but he played their set like a veteran of the music. His bass riffs and the kick drum pounding through the speakers echoed through the venue. All of the shows this evening were very enjoyable and I look forward to hearing these bands again.
- Steven Mosley
Labels: ShowReviews
posted by oriax @ 5:07 AM,
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