David Arkenstone: Caribbean Nights (Green
Hill Records)
Quite a bit of R&B, prog rock, and New Age to fill your stocking this week.
10' Ganja Plant: Bush Rock
(ROIR)
New York's 10' Ganja Plant is a spin-off of the reggae outfit John Brown's Body, relying on an oft-changing lineup to foster a sense of mystery. Rooted in '70s Jamaican reggae, the group employs considerable dub and trance effects to create an interesting sound. Bush Rock is their fifth album.
Acirema: American Nightmare
(Indianola)
Caustic screamcore outfit Acirema (yes, that's America spelled backwards) vaults out of North Carolina with an album of scorching commentary and thunderous blast beats.
Angus Khan: Black Leather Soul
(Nickel & Dime)
Los Angeles-based biker metal outfit Angus Khan, featuring members of B-Movie Rats and Jesters of Destiny, among others, releases their latest album of alcohol-fueled hard rock in the vein of AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, and Kiss.
David Arkenstone: Caribbean Nights
(Green Hill)
New Age musical master David Arkenstone returns with his latest album, this time capturing the warm night breezes and silky smooth sand of life in the Caribbean. A must have for fans and anyone at all interested in soothing, meditative music. My pick of the week.
Bad Boy Bill: The Album
(Nettwerk)
Chicago's superstar DJ Bad Boy Bill, who's been known to spin six turntables at once, has been spinning since the Chicago House scene of the mid-1980s. The Album is his first artist album and features everything you'd expect in a dance/dub release.
Band of Skulls: Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
(Artist First)
Sporting a moniker fit for a leather-clad heavy metal outfit, London's alt-rock trio Band of Skulls instead cranks out infectious guitar-driven melodies similar to The Stokes and Muse. Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, the band's debut, finally gets a North American release.
Beardfish: Destined Solitaire
(InsideOut)
Sweden's prog rockers Beardfish return with the fifth album of their career, and like it's forerunners Destined Solitaire features classic '70s prog rock inspired by bands such as Yes and King Crimson. Old-school intellectualists will find much to like.
Bo Benton: Queen of the Night
(Bungalo)
California's club diva Bo Benton is set to release her debut album of groovy urban rhythms and grinding beats.
Blue Stone: Messages
(Neurodisc)
Messages is the latest transcendental album from Florida's Blue Stone. Lush soundscapes accompany ethereal vocals, very comparable to New Age icons Enigma and Amethystium. Recommended.
Blur: Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur
(Virgin)
Released to coincide with their reunion tour, Blur's 2-disc career retrospective Midlife: A Beginner's Guide... features not only the songs the band is best known for - 1997's "Song 2", for example - but also deep dives into their album catalog. A valuable starting point for those interested in becoming familiar with this '90s alt-rock outfit.
Rick Braun: All It Takes
(Artistry)
Smooth jazz trumpeter Rick Braun teams up with keyboardist/composer/producer Philippe Saisse on All It Takes, Rick's latest album in a long line of disco-shaded easy listening releases.
Ciam: Anonymous
(C & B Media)
The debut album from Britain's Ciam is a catchy collection of electronica-heavy alt-rock with a distinctive Radiohead influence. Plucky riffs mesh with mesmerizing keyboards to create a backdrop for some very New Wave-ish vocals. Interesting.
Sarah Darling: Every Monday Morning
(Artist Garage)
Now calling Nashville home, Iowan Sarah Darling is beginning to make a name for herself in the country rock scene. Every Monday Morning is her debut album and comparisons to Taylor Swift are inevitable. Dealing with the usual suspects of subjects, Sarah's songs deal with loss, love, heartache, and joy. Fans of country songstresses should give this one a listen.
Death Before Dishonor: Better Ways To Die
(Bridge 9)
Boston's hardcore outfit Death Before Dishonor releases their fifth full-length of chugga chugga riffs and mosh pit inciting breakdowns.
Kristinia DeBarge: Exposed
(Island)
Only nineteen years old, songstress Kristinia DeBarge is no stranger to the R&B scene. Daughter of '80s pop icon James DeBarge, Kristinia recorded her first track (a duet with her father) at age 12. Exposed is her debut album with most of the songs written and produced by Babyface. An interesting listen for fans of modern pop.
D'espairsRay: Redeemer
(Hip-O)
Redeemer is the latest release from Japan's D'espairsRay, a heavy metal band that manages to blend various styles of metal together in a way that is both crushing and melodic. Despite the Japanese lyrics, this is quite an easy album to get into. Definitely a must-have for the Japanophiles among you.
Divine Heresy: Bringer of Plagues
(Century Media)
Formed by Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares and including ex-Vital Remains drummer Tim Yeung and ex-Nile bassist Joe Payne, it should be fairly obvious that Divine Heresy is an aggressive, mind-flaying sort of outift. The fact that they're signed to Century Media should clearly distinguish their latest album as being a brutal slab of hardcorish heavy metal. 'Nuff said.
Eureka: Shackleton's Voyage
(InsideOut)
Eureka is a special project of German instrumentalist Frank Bossert in which he combines many varying musical styles, including Celtic, prog, jazz, and New Age, to tell the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton' 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition. Each track of this epic concept album is tied together through narration, provided by Ian Dickinson, adding an educational dimension to this already multi-layered effort. Needless to say, Shackleton's Voyage is quite a remarkable album.
Forrest Fang: Phantoms
(Projekt)
Californian Forrest Fang is a classicly-trained multi-instrumentalist with a love of Eastern art and composition. Thus his latest album, Phantoms, explores ambient transcendentalist soundscapes that remain as organic as the music heard in nature. With the 23-minute "The hallucinations of Hung Tung" as the album's centerpiece, Phantoms is just the right remedy for a stressful day at the office.
Few Nolder: New Folder
(Planet Mu)
Lithuanian piano prodigy Linas Strockis entered the world of electronica at age 16, releasing several albums in his home country. New Folder is his international debut and is quite an experimental work. Bareboned beats mingle with a quasi-techno groove and occasional female vocals (in Lithuanian) for a trippy experience.
Gorod: Process of a New Decline
(Willowtip)
Gorod is a French technical death metal band similar to Atheist and Suffocation. Pretty standard fare on their third full-length.
Trevor Hall: s/t
(Vanguard)
Californian singer/songwriter Trevor Hall, perhaps best known for his single "Other Ways" that was featured on the soundtrack for Shrek the Third, returns with his latest album of soulful reggae-inspired tunes. He's definitely got an interesting sound. Catch him live on Monday, August 10th at Southgate House in Newport.
Howling Bells: Radio Wars
(Nettwerk)
Originally from Australia, England's Howling Bells released their 2006 debut album of melodic indie rock to much critical acclaim. Fronted by the alluring Juanita Stein, who's voice at times brings to mind Anni-Frid Lyngstad, the band releases their sophomore album that should interest fans of Snow Patrol and Coldplay.
Jolly: Forty Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music
(ProgRock)
Brooklyn's Jolly is an edgy progressive rock band that teeters on the edge of rock and heavy metal, all the while infusing their music with abundant jazz and ambient elements. Comparisons to Yes and Tool can be made, but only very loosly, as Jolly's debut album stretches the boundaris of progressive exploration.
Nazxul: Iconoclast
(Moribund)
Australian kvlt black metallers Nazxul offer up only their second full-length release in their 16-year history. Cloaked in mystery, the members of Nazxul rend speakers and souls with their frigid onslaught.
Owl City: Ocean Eyes
(Republic)
Calling the far north of Minnesota home, Owl City is one of the electronica-inspired pop projects of Adam Young. His third Owl City release, Ocean Eyes borders on Bubblegum Pop with plenty of synth clicks and pops - great for the Disney Channel crowd.
Riverside: Anno Domini High Definition
(InsideOut)
Prog rock fans can rejoice as InsideOut releases yet another offering from their stable of intelligencia, this time in the form of Riverside's fourth album. These Polish proggers have been compared to Dream Theater, Tool, and Pink Floyd. The music is, as expected, complex yet engaging. The vocals make it quite interesting as well.
Dave Knoch can be reached at knochd@gmail.com.
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