NYS Music 20​15

Tag: New Album

  • Hearing Aide: Fear Factory ‘Genexus’

    FearFactoryGenexusFear Factory returns with its ninth album, Genexus, and this album does not disappoint. It’s absolutely amazing that nine albums in, the band still continues with the same sci-fi theme about the dangers of machines and technology. They sustain that industrial thrash metal sound that parallels their breakthrough album Demanufacture.

    One bold move this album did, was the decision of moving away from the drum machine they used on the previous album, The Industrialist, and hired Mike Heller to handle the drums on this album. Dino Cazares handles all the guitars and bass tracks, while Burton C. Bell has laid down all vocals.

    The album kicks off with a robotic track “Autonomous Combat System,” which reminds us that this is a Fear Factory album. A real stand out track is “Dielectic” which interestingly enough, uses a little bit of orchestral arrangements throughout the track. That’s really what makes this Fear Factory album stand out. We are used to hearing program arrangements, synthesizers, keyboards, and other electric sounds in almost every Fear Factory album, but this album continues that tradition, also using orchestral arrangements.

    “Soul Hacker” is another killer track on this album, featuring some of the best vocals I Hacker” is another killer track on this album, featuring some of the best vocals you will hear from Bell. Halfway into the album, the title track features more the heavy and fast guitar riffs from Cazares that are so clutch with the double kick drums with synthesizers buried cleverly underneath. “Church Of Execution” has a bizarre and catchy riff that will get stuck in your head. Finally into the tenth track “Expiration Date” is a ballad which is a great way to end this album. It’s not very often Fear Factory graces an album with a ballad. Then this album offers two bonus tracks with “Mandatory Sacrifice” remix and “Enhanced Reality” which adds value to this album.

    In conclusion, I do believe this is Fear Factory’s best album since 2001’s Digimortal. Some people may find this album redundant because of the constant theme and sound that Fear Factory has always used, but most people should appreciate all effort that was put into this album because of all the industrial arrangements that is timed out so well with the music. Fear Factory continues the momentum on Genexus and these songs need to be heard live.

    Highly recommend the purchase.  You can buy Genexus here.

    Key Tracks: Dielectic, Soul Hacker, Church Of Execution, Expiration Date

  • Bob Weir Making Album of Cowboy Songs

    Although Bob Weir may be done playing with the “core four,” his musical aspirations aren’t over yet. Bob Weir wants to be a cowboy… or at least make songs about them.

    He has a new album in the works that will feature an array of different musicians such as Joe Russo, Josh Ritter, Josh Kauffman, and Walter Martin.

    In an interview with Relix magazine, Weir said he wanted to focus on the narrative aspect of the music saying, “we’re going to downplay the emphasis on the playing and play up the emphasis on the storytelling.”

    So far, no release date has been announced.

    Following the legendary Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead run in Santa Clara and Chicago, Bobby is making several festival appearances this summer. He’ll play alongside Grateful Dead drummer Billy Kreutzmann with Kreutzmann’s band Billy and the Kids at the Peach Music Festival, and it was just announced that he’ll join Dead bassist Phil Lesh at Lock’n Music Festival in September.

  • Hearing Aide: ET Rhino ‘Outersphere’

    Contrary to what their name suggests, ET Rhino is more jazz than psychedelic, more happy-go-lucky than deep dark space. Hailing from a couple of hours north of Toronto, Extra Terrestrial Rhinoceros, (or ET Rhino for short) has put out their debut album called Outersphere. It will be available to the public this summer. They are planning a U.S tour in the fall.

    ET Rhino OutersphereThe band’s name was the first indication of a goofiness that borders on juvenile. This sentiment is pervasive throughout album, considering they have an entire song dedicated to a hat. “Opps There Goes My Hat” which sounds like a jazz rendition of a children’s song, follows a man running down the street trying to find (you guessed it) his hat. Half the album sounds like a soundtrack to The Price is Right which is to say artificially upbeat. The other sounds like a funky take on the background music to Mario Bros. More often than not, many of their songs on this album sound the same.

    Yet the chemistry between the band members can not be denied. It’s the songs where the lyrics have a little more depth that keep this album afloat. For instance on “Don’t Know What to Do” a tune about trying to figure out the next move in life, the interplay between the keyboardist and guitarist is the highlight of the track. “Back to the Way We Were” expounds on a myriad of existential ideas. The lyrics are idealistic and the song is in fact, quite catchy. It has a grooviness that falls in line with the cheery outlook the lyrics present.

    ET Rhino Outersphere is tinged with these moments of band cohesion. Moments where their jams seem to go somewhere. It’s an album that explores a rose-colored universe, not the next frontier. Yet goofiness aside, this band could have some real potential if they just took themselves, or their audience, a little more seriously.

    Key Tracks: “Waiting on You” “Don’t Know What to Do” “Back to the Way We Were”

  • Hearing Aide: Consider the Source ‘World War Trio Parts II + III’

    coverIf pop music is reading at an elementary level, Consider the Source‘s latest release, World War Trio Part II + III, is at least a 400 level college course.

    For someone only exposed to American music, the concept might be lost. That has always been the case with Consider the Source though who has always pushed global boundaries. Never before though has the band done it this masterfully and with such vision. This isn’t just food for thought, but a feast, with such lush sonic depth that can’t simply be explored in one pass. This is music that commands focus in a time when fans are more flippant than ever. You could say the band is fighting a natural progression, but I applaud the effort and what they force a willing listener to listen to. The continuity between songs is beautifully orchestrated and only possible with an overall delivery being kept in perspective from the onset.

    Consider the Source continues to improve upon the layered depth the trio creates. Most bands employ a second guitarist or a keyboard player to fill in some of those aural gaps the ear senses. Consider the Source somehow rarely leaves those though, instead filling the air with enough character and integrity on both the individual level and collectively as the full body of work.

    It’s difficult to break this album down like a typical review because it lends itself more to a movie score than an actual music album, weaving rhythm and melody like a story line. This certainly isn’t a movie for everyone though. Hell, it might not even be for most, but for those willing to spend the time, this album is certainly capable of hitting you places wouldn’t think music could.

    Staying with the movie parallel, this is no comedy, but a serious drama. It’s the type of movie that’s meant to make you think and not entertain per say. While there are plenty of parts where the band digs into a danceable groove, the vast majority is a complex structure meant to unlock pieces of your imagination and brain that may have been untouched otherwise.

    In terms of sound, the band has always had their Middle Eastern and Sci-Fi elements, and while I would say the former is true on this album, the latter has now been pushed outside of this galaxy. The Middle Eastern elements underscore all of these other directions the band is going in. You can hear heavy metal influences this time around and that’s not a bad thing as they use it tastefully for emphasis throughout. I also heard Latin rhythms and a tonal landscape that covers so many other cultures. To someone with chromesthesia, these guys are coloring with the big box of crayons. Again, it must have taken an impeccable vision to be able to weave a thread through all of this the way they do.

    On the individual level, these guys are simply incredible musicians in their own right and have found a chemistry that allows them to have a musical conversation. Jeff Mann should be commended for his uncanny ability to keep these two explorers on track, while bassist John Ferrara pulls double duty holding the rhythm and providing a sturdy base for Gabriel’s melody lines. Ferrara isn’t just support though and steps out many times throughout to take the reins and lead with the low. On guitar, Gabriel’s tonal breadth is equal parts beautiful and haunting. His understanding of timbre and where and when a tone should be called upon is literally right at his fingertips with his instrument’s flexibility. For example, when he needs a xylophone, like the solo on “Up to, But Not to Exceed…Whoa,” he does and he makes that perfect call every time. The three have hit a stride on this like they’ve never hit before.

    The album ends on a dream-like wave of layered tones. The beautiful blend has a very natural and earthy feel to it that slowly draws this masterpiece to a close. The play between the various instruments perfectly compliments one another and the gentleness of the track is a great counterpoint to some of the more aggressive playing that proceeds it. This is not a loose collection of songs, but a score. The tracks below were some gems, but it really deserves a full listen to understand the concept.

    Key Tracks: This Dubious Honor, Up to, But Not to Exceed…Whoa, I’ll Fight for the Imp, You Are Disappearing

  • Hearing Aide: Yonder Mountain String Band ‘Black Sheep’

    Black SheepYonder Mountain String Band will release their 12th album, Black Sheep on June 16, with a new sound and two new additions to the band. This album is unlike previous albums with a Yonder 2.0 feel with Allie Kral and Jake Jolliff making their recording debut. Black Sheep is Yonder’s move from a jamgrass boy band to a traditional sounding bluegrass ensemble.

    There is no doubt that change and growth have effected this band in a very positive way. By adding Allie on the violin Yonder has embraced the power of a soulful female voice matched with her epic jams. Her violin was the missing link in their music previously in my opinion, I have felt this way since the beginning. Allie does a remarkable job of adding in her feminine touch.

    While Jolliff is also a fantastic addition to the band, his mandolin playing is a completely different sound than Austin’s — making the transition virtually seamless without actually trying to ‘replace’ Austin or to duplicate his style. Jolliff brings a highly technical but light sounding vibe to the group.

    Another change heard on Black Sheep is the lead that bassist Ben Kaufman has taken in many of the songs. No longer will you hear the energy that was once shared by Kaufman and former mandolinist Jeff Austin. The energy is still there, it’s just headed in a different direction, a direction in which I am happy to follow as a long time fan.

    Black Sheep’s opening track is titled “Insult and an Elbow,” is a precursor to how Kaufman takes lead vocals to another level. He told RollingStone this is a reflection on his younger days when he was “… drinking and smoking for all the wrong reasons. But it is also written from the perspective of a person who is on the brink of a moment of growth and self-awareness.” This album most definitely debuts that growth.

    On the album’s third track Yonder Mountain hits another cover out of the park musically, once again. The cover of punk rock band the Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love with Someone You Shouldn’t Have,” is reminiscent of their cover of the Misfits, “20 Eyes in My Head”. YMSB has a knack for taking these punk songs and masterfully turning them into bluegrass jams.

    Bringing listeners back to a more recognized sound is “Analee,” reminiscent of Kaufman’s Bolton Stretch series — with less boyish shenanigans. He speaks of true love and deep heartache. Jolliff’s mandolin is gentle and a light presence.

    “Landfall” is an Adam Aijala song. For the first time on the album, Kaufman has taken a backseat on vocals and lends his signature thumping bass line. Again, this song is a much more mature version of this band.

    The songs on this album have a sense of deep thought and maturity, a refection of their lives — becoming men, husbands, fathers, has brought YMSB to a new level.

    Finally on “I’m lost,” Allie starts light and feminine in her playing, then jamming hard to the end, a true moment for her to shine on this album. Allie also makes an impression with her soulful vocals on “Love Before You Can’t”.

    It seems as though these boys have gained and lost love and friendships over the last year and half and they are expressing themselves lyrically in a much deeper philosophical way. This album definately is not a band of young bluegrass boys paving the path for the jam grass scene and telling stories of smoking weed and drinkin beer, they have grown up, they are men — and one woman.

    As much as I love the new sound, this isn’t a Yonder album that I would jump out of my seat to dance to. It’s more for listening to in its entirety on a road trip to nowhere.

    This album sounds like a romance novel reads. Given the level of energy that has been happening at Yonder shows lately, this album creates a very low-key vibe. One that makes you think, about your own love and regrets and how we all grow out of the ashes like a Phoenix and we carry on after tragedy, we don’t stay the same, we grow towards the light. YMSB has opened up their entire souls on this album while simultaneously exhibiting remarkable maturity in their musicianship.

    Black Sheep will be available in stores and on iTunes on June 16 but you can get it now online and at tour merch shops.

    Also worth noting is the updated website for the band which now includes bios for Allie Kral and Jake Jolliff, officially making them a part of Yonder Mountain String Band. Cheers!

     Key Tracks: Insult and an Elbow, Analee, I’m Lost, Around You

  • Hearing Aide: Sean Rowe ‘Her Songs’ EP

    Upstate NY / Troy native Sean Rowe recently released a very well received full-length album, Madman in 2014 which showcased his songwriting ability. This year he tried something a little different, going for an EP of his acoustic translation and resonance of works from some well-known female artists. This six song EP from Sean Rowe, under the title Her Songs recently made its debut April 28, 2015. It features Rowe’s take on songs by Regina Spektor, Neko Case, Sade, Lucinda Williams, Feist, and Cat Power.

    Rowe’s uniquely baritone voice grabs our attention from the start of the EP just as with his previous releases. It’s just as much an instrument as his guitar, driving melody and emotion into the vehicle that carries the story of each song, embodying the tradition of a singer-songwriter folk performance. For just one singer and one guitar the EP is remarkably full-bodied in sound and character.

    The EP is almost equally divided into two parts, at least in terms of the nature of the arrangements. On “Ode to Divorce,” Let It Die,” and “Color and the Kids,” Rowe maintains the similar simple sound of the original recording and relays the song and its emotion through his own style without much rework of the original. The other three songs take on a new life of their own. It wouldn’t be fair to slight the originals by calling Rowe’s take on them better; rather they are fresh, wholesome, and creative parallels to the originals. “Hold On, Hold On” is given a psychedelic feel through rhythm and “By Your Side” gets stripped down and smoothed from the original’s pop-ballad feel. Perhaps the most profound song is Rowe’s rework of Lucinda Williams’ “Soldier’s Song.” Already a strongly emotional song, Rowe takes it intangible to a new level. Williams herself remarked that “this is the best cover of any of my songs that anyone has ever done.”

    It is worth noting that the composition of the EP renders a better listen through ears connected to the mind and not as the background music to your evening tasks. At just under 22 minutes it makes for the perfect break from whatever your hectic pace might be; listen from start to finish in one sitting.

    Key Tracks: Hold On, Hold On; Soldier’s Song

    Grab a digital copy of Her Songs on iTunes.

    Track Listing (original artist in parenthesis):

    1. Ode to Divorce (Regina Spektor)
    2. Hold On, Hold On (Neko Case)
    3. By Your Side (Sade)
    4. Soldier’s Song (Lucinda Williams)
    5. Let It Die (Feist)
    6. Colors and the Kids (Cat Power)

  • Hearing Aide: Coal Chamber ‘Rivals’

    After being away for over a decade plus, Coal Chamber has rediscovered their furious chemistry and unleashed Rivals, released by Napalm Records and produced by Mark Lewis who has worked wonders with bands like Trivium and DevilDriver. This album delivers and lives up to the hype that was brought forth, however, does it enhance Coal Chamber’s legacy even further?

    It starts off with a fast stylish track “I.O.U. Nothing” which appropriately opens with screeching guitars from Meegs with a fast nu metal beat from Mikey Cox, and Dez Farara’s brutal vocals hasn’t aged one bit. The second track “Bad Blood Between Us” has a slower tempo but everything gets dark and haunting with “Light In The Shadows” something you would expect from vintage Coal Chamber. I saw an interview with Dez Fafara a few weeks back where he stated that this album isn’t a “throwback album” but honestly to me, it is. I’m not saying it sounds like the previous three albums, but it certainly sounds like classic Coal Chamber and everything you would expect from this band, however, they tastefully made this album for 2015 because it is more mature sounding.

    The track “Suffer In Silence” is a real behemoth track. Ministry’s Al Jourgensen makes a guest appearance on this track to make this one a real stand out. Another real stand out track is “Another Nail In The Coffin” because it’s a heavy and erratic. It speeds up, it slows down, it breaks down and Fafara’s vocal tracks are arranged all over the place. Kudos to producer Mark Lewis for being tactical on mixing this track. After the title track and single “Rivals,” the track “Wait” is a fun and catchy song with a real nice groove to it.

    Towards the end of the record “Fade Away (Karma Never Forgets)” is really catchy then it ends hard and fast with “Empty Handed” thus marking an album that is candidate for one of the best albums of 2015. This album proves Coal Chamber is back with a vengeance, picks up where they left off and has us all wanting more. I would highly recommend picking this one up and catch Coal Chamber play these songs live.

    Purchase Rivals here.

    Key Tracks: “I.O.U. Nothing,” “Suffer In Silence,” “Another Nail In The Coffin”

  • Hearing Aide: Eastbound Jesus ‘Hollerin’

    EBJhollarinIt was a long winter for all of us, especially with Eastbound Jesus in hibernation, dedicated to working on their third studio album, Hollerin, set to drop this weekend. Eastbound Jesus spent the cold days at Edie Road Studio in their hometown of Greenwich, NY with producer/engineer Marc Fuller to bring fans the best sounds of their northern rock music to date. The 10 track album captures the essence of an EBJ live rowdy performance as well as representing a more mature sound. Hollerin features special guests musicians Chris Carey (Sean Rowe, Rodeo Barons) and Lowell Wurster and Jaime Armstrong (Lucid) helping to elevate the jamgrass fusion.

    The album begins with blaring guitar rifts, beloved banjo strumming and rebellious lyrics from “Keep on Hollerin” that Eastbound Jesus is known for. Showing a softer side is “Better Things” more of a romantic ballad with an upbeat melody and gracious harmonious with a steady rhythm. “Shoes” features fast string picking, splashing tempo and flowing vocals with a erupting brass solo that is sure to be a crowd favorite. “Cold and Snow” perfectly captures the winter season in Upstate New York with a howling harmonica, diesel rhythm and bitter lyrics such as, “There’s nothing like the cold and snow to make you feel at home.” Hollerin has themes of the simple life about working hard and playing hard, with tales of heartache, good friends and the weather always playing a key role. Their music feeds to your frustrations of the world, forcing you to clap, stomp and howl with grand joy and relief. Get ready to holler for more!

    Eastbound Jesus will be throwing one heck of album release party this Saturday May 30 at Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs with special guests, Lucid. Tickets are available online (click here) for $12 and will be $15 at the door to the 18+ event with a showtime of 9:00pm. Be sure to catch Eastbound Jesus this summer as they will be touring all over Upstate NY to promote their new album.

    Key Tracks: Keep on Hollerin, Shoes, Better Things

    You can stream “Keep on Hollerin,” their first single off of Hollerin via soundcloud.

  • Hearing Aide: Tim Herron ‘Sentimental Blues’

    Tim Herron, a noteworthy musician in the Upstate New York area, blends folk, blues and hints of country on his latest album Sentimental Blues. The album might suit the listener for both a porch rockin’, lazy afternoon or a night spent home alone pondering where life will take you next. The music can feel as easy as the summer breeze, though lyrically it challenges questions of self-worth, life’s moments of repetition, as well as finding solace at the bottom of a bottle.

    Tim Herron Sentimental Blues“Conversations” is an immediate attention grabber, with an easy-listening aesthetic perfect for a day spent driving around town. “Building An Army” takes a political stance towards the military functioning and possibly interfering in children’s educational systems—something that Herron is clearly not a fan of. It’s a stance towards freedom of choice and accepting that children usually might not know what they want to do when they grow up at such a young age—making it easier for the high military powers of the country to suck them in to something they really might not want to do.

    In the second track “Hate To See Them Go” Herron copes with a bad day and notes how all the shuffling around can get him down, while having to say goodbye to those he hates to see go. It’s a heartfelt expression of loss and confusion of place, which propels the listener to question their own troubles, while finding comfort in the breaks of lead guitar that smoothly soar with the rhythm guitar in a clash of melodies.

    Later on in the second half of the album, Herron explores the darker aspects of life with “Wanting Isn’t Needing” and “As You Were Young.” “Wanting Isn’t Needing” acknowledges that everyone suffers and that although life isn’t always easy, there’s a difference between truly needing something versus simply wanting. The song has beautiful string melodies in between verses of vocals that echo vast country land.

    “As You Were Young” tells of a young death coming on a cold fog night. The song tries to accept that everything we love will eventually leave us, and those left standing must find ways to deal with past love and lovely times that can haunt through your present nostalgia. It seems that Herron has found his cure, and that for him is through the relatable and limitless expression that maybe only music can offer.

    Key Tracks: Conversations, Sentimental Blues, Hate To See Them Go

    Listen Here: Tim Herron Website

  • Hearing Aide: Faith No More “Sol Invictus”

    Faith No More has released what is not only comeback of the year, this album so far, is album of the year, speaking of, Sol Invictus makes the first time Faith No More released anything since 1997’s Album Of The Year. Also, this is the first time the band released an album via Reclamation Recordings. What makes this band so fascinating to so many fans of metal is their unpredictability, and the fact they have never released the same album twice. This album is no exception.

    Faith_No_More_-_Sol_Invictus_Album_Cover

    Sol Invictus (which means Latin for Unconquered Sun) starts off with the title track. It begins with a beautiful keyboard track from Roddy Bottum over Mike Bordin’s precision drumming. Once you hear that crazy voice of Mike Patton …BOOM! You know that it’s a Faith No More record. The album immediately goes into “Superhero” which may be my favorite song because it’s a fun, groovy, and heavy track with very catchy keyboards blended so nicely into the overall track. Then the satire track “Sunny Side Up” lightens the mood of that album.

    “Separation Anxiety” goes polar opposite of the previous track and it begins with a killer bass and drum rhythm that leads to a gloomy and dark atmospheric tone that makes this track a real stand out. Sol Invictus wouldn’t be a Faith No More album without some kind of unpredictable and strange track that makes you scratch you head a little bit and make you think “WTF?” and that track would be the fifth song on the album “Cone Of Shame” because I don’t know what the fuck this track is. The album goes into another strange track but this time you get a really get an awesome range of Patton’s vocals on “Rise Of The Fall” and guitarist Jon Hudson really shines on “Black Friday.”

    Going into the tail end of the album, the hilarious but awesome track “Motherfucker” will be playing over and over in your head for days to come. Patton delivers another grand vocal performance on “Matador” before the album ends with “From The Dead” which is an appropriate ending because its upbeat song. Overall, Faith No More delivered a grand and deep album that takes you on an unpredicatable and enjoyable ride. Bassist Billy Gould wrote most of the music on this album as well as produced this masterpiece.   With lots of touring ahead, we can only hope that this is just the beginning for the revamped Faith No More. I highly recommend this purchase. You can buy Sol Invictus here.

    Key Tracks: “Superhero,” “Separation Anxiety,” “Motherfucker,” “From The Dead”