From a recommendation of a friend based on a recommendation to them....

Phosphorescent are a one man band and Muchacho is the sound of a man going to Mexico to recover from a bad experience with a woman.

There's a prevailing americana vibe with a downbeat view on love. The occasional splash of mariachi brass echoes the Mexican location and thoughts of Neil Young came to mind while listening.

It's a pleasant album but lacks that something that makes you want to immediately repeat the listening experience. The one stand out track is The Quotidian Beasts and no I don't know what it means either. This is a 7 minute epic featuring some great guitar work (both acoustic, electric and slide), horns and a chorus that goes 'Whooooooooo' and nothing much else. This is the track that does make me reach for the replay button

Worth a listen but can't really pass on the recommendation

Now this album won't be for everyone..... Sweden's Cult of Luna have created a black metal album based on Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

Vertikal is bleak and uncompromising piece of music. This is not a collection of song but a living breathing concept album. The sort of album that has to be done in one sitting. Songs titles aren't important but the 18 minute Vicarious Redemption sits of the heart of it, full of brutal vocals and pummelling guitars but with time change aplenty and short melodic bursts. In Awe Of shifts rhythmically through its 9 minutes but the feeling is this is more than the sums of it's part.

If you can live with the complex and unrelenting assault it give the senses then this could be The Wall for the black metal generation

Two quick singles to review.....

Firstly the new offering from The Eden House. A two track taster for the forthcoming full album. The first track, Bad Men (on there way to do bad things) is a bit different to their usual fare. The song has the feel of early Berlin, before Top Gun and ends with a female spoken sections which echoes Madonna's Erotica ! It's a grower but takes time

The second track, Survival Instinct is much more in the style you expect. Building slowly before soaring vocals and guitar take you headlong towards the climatic finish. If this is only a B side then the album will be stunning.....

The second single also suggests interesting times ahead. Amorphis has released Hopeless Days as the first single from the album of the same name. The first thing to strike you is the music is MUCH heavier than on The Beginning Of Time album. The second thing is that the death metal growls have been ditched completely.

So the vocals have become more mainstream but the music is going the other way.... The album should be fun

Trying to view a release on I-Tunes but pushed purchase instead of wish list !

As it turns out a reasonable mistake - I've bought the new EP from Newsted.

To be honest, if you'd never have heard of Jason Newsted you would have guessed from this that Metallica were an influence...

Four tracks of bludgeoning metal reminiscent of ....And Justice For All. It's solid but not not hugely inspiring, very 80's post thrash sound

Four tracks is about right with the lead track Soldierhead being the pick. The EP is called Metal for a reason

A real find thanks to a free CD from Classic Rock !

Shovels & Rope are a male/female duo from the heart of the US of A - Now that may sound familiar but this is what the Civil Wars would sound like if they were both related and married to each other....

Acoustic guitars, harmonica and kick drum give the album O' Be Joyful a real spit and sawdust feel.
Songs a plenty about loving among the good ol' boys such as Keeper and then Hail, Hail adds in some riotous horns on a song extolling the delights of rock n' roll

The two minute blast of real country rock has one of the finest titles ever of Kemba's Got the Cabbage Moth Blues

The only low spot would be ending on the very downbeat This Means War but after the first ten songs it's a minor misstep

Though not yet released in the UK, get yourself some bourbon, a cousin you fancy and have yourself a hoedown with a truly great album

Not so much a review but a recommendation....

Bandcamp is a site is a site set up to allow musicians to sell music directly to their fans. The latest development is to allow you to post reviews of your purchases and let others see what you like/dislike. There's a link below to my collection if you want a browse

http://bandcamp.com/hawkins

There are some great discoveries to make and also some big names especially from the goth scene -Julianne Regan (AAE), Eden House, Peter Yates (FOTN), All Living Fear......

Worth taking a look

Free downloads don't show up in youe collection though and I can offer the following two bands as examples of great new music out there ans available for free


hAND are a female fronted prog metal band and the album Breathing  is rather good. The vocals are not the histrionics you get from the European scene (Nightwish et al) but a much more downbeat even goth like fee. The opening track Song Number B has a great chorus - even with the dodgy title

 

 

The second band is Lithium Dawn. Their album AION takes a more regular prog metal but with elements of Tool and a big dose of melody. It would appear to be a concept album but as with all the best concepts, make your own mind up about what it all means !

One worth watching

 

 

 

 



Very late discovery last year but what a stunning find....

While the Alabama Shakes started my year with some top notch americana, Phantom Limb have possibly topped it with The Pines

Whereas Brittany Howard is more Janis Joplin, Yolanda Quartey is channelling Etta James over some gorgeous southern' R&B with more than a touch of soul

Hard to believe this band is from Bristol when dobro, swirling Hammond organ and banjo form the soundtrack.

Some songs like Laugh Like You're Mad have the sound of early Eagles pre checking into the hotel while Tumbling Down is achingly beautiful

Produced by Marc Ford of the Black Crowes this is an album you should really search out