New Music Friday: January 27, 2023

I’ve come across some good tunes over the past couple weeks that I’d like to share with you. There’s something here from so many different genres which makes this even more fun. Take a listen to these jams and let me know what you dig! Enjoy!

01) The Baby Goats- Two Shakes: I’m really digging on this band. I’ve seen them a few times at The Cobalt Presents shows and they are pretty damn fun and awesome. I love that they embrace the 80’s new wave sound and add a little something else to it to give it a bit more charm. Their live show is quite fun as well. By the middle of the first song, you can’t help a little foot tapping or head bobbing. It’s catchy, infectious and fun! Definitely check THE BABY GOATS out!

02) Groundstate- Floating Away: The 2000’s nu-metal era is starting to make a bit of a come back. I keep hearing a lot of bands trying to embrace a sound that quite frankly got convoluted and over-saturated by generic crap. Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of bands from that era we want to forget. One band that I’ve heard most recently is Groundstate. These guys have been able to take the best parts of that era and mix it in with a bit of 90’s alt rock and the end result is pretty good. Their sound is definitely reminiscent of that time so it does strike a nostalgic chord with me. Check it out!

03) Ghost- Spillways (featuring Joe Elliot of Def Leppard): Ghost is one of those bands you either like or don’t. I happen to like it. It’s just fun and totally over the top in a good way. This track with Joe Elliot sounds straight out of the 80’s around the time that Def Leppard’s Hysteria was on top of the charts and they were one of the biggest bands in the world. There’s so much seriousness in the world that a band like Ghost is perfect to let you forget about all that and just have fun!

04) Metallica- Screaming Suicide: I don’t know about you all but, I’m excited for a new Metallica album. They’ve been an all time favorite of mine since I was 4 years old and that is never going to change! This second single they’ve released “Screaming Suicide” is pretty damm good. It has some cool throwback moments to their early years, a bit of the bluesy sound from Load and still a kick ass attitude compliments of James Hetfield’s vocals and lyrics. James is seriously one of the most underrated writers (both musically and lyrically). I can’t wait to hear this song live. I have a feeling this one will be quite explosive when they hit the road

05) Seven 40 Seven- On and On: Seven 40 Seven is another band that I’ve seen at a few of The Cobalt Presents shows. These guys are a straight up rock n roll band. Solid songs and a really fun live show to top it off. A band like Seven 40 Seven is much needed in the music landscape now. I’m so tired of all these laptop rock bands. These guys are just here to rock with no frills or filler, just rock!

06) Turbid North- The Decline: I recently came across this band and I fully dig on this! It’s badass and rad! This is their first album in over 7 years. They have a sound that combines space-rock, doom, and at times full-blast death-grind and all together it’s hypnotic and brutal!. Think about it as though Black Sabbath met Failure and then somehow Napalm Death and Kyuss all merged to form a band. I’m looking forward to Turbid North hitting Los Angeles. I need to see this live!

07) Vanishment- No More Torture: I was recently introduced to the band Vanishment and I am totally into it. It’s parts, thrash metal, speed metal, NWOBHM, and even a little bit of a stoner metal vibe. This band is comprised of former/current members of Pacific Northwest bands like Himsa, Hell Promise, Heiress, Lair of the Minotaur, Trial, North American Bison and more. The combination of all these influences coming together like this is pretty damn good! I for one am stoked to hear more from Vanishment!

08) MAL- Ritual: MAL is one band that I’ve been following for quite some time. I love this band. They bring a really cool take on 90’s rock mixed with prog to make something that stands on it’s own merit and then some. They really know how to cut deep with the way they write songs. One moment you can be head banging away at a part of a song and then next thing you find yourself swaying in a cool trance as all the elements they have come together. Live they are something else too. It’s an experience when you listen and see MAL. They are another band that have played many Cobalt Presents shows and each time they play, I never want it to end. Check Out MAL!!!

09) Centershift- Fade Away: I love this song. It’s so damn good. It’s one of those tracks that when you hear it in the context of their album, it ties it all together beautifully. It’s deep, a little dark and yet full of hope in a very cool and interesting way. Centershift released their debut album, A Different Shade Of Color in late 2022. It’s one of those albums that takes you on quite a journey, as an album should. The track “Fade Away” is exquisite and a really good representation of what the band brings to the table! If you haven’t heard Centershift, you should probably fix that!

10) Bush- Kiss Me When I’m Dead: I seriously can’t get enough of the new Bush album, The Art Of Survival. It’s really, really, really good. I’m not messing around. This album and their previous one, The Kingdom, has the band back on track and have delivered an album that stands up with Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase. There’s a ton of songs on the new album that I could pick to show you. This one “Kiss Me When I’m Dead” though, every time I hear it when I put the album on, I can’t help but turn the volume up a little more and sing along. It’s such a good song! Well done Gavin!

Memorable Live Performances: Bush at Woodstock 99

Woodstock 1999. The festival that went one to be more infamous for stupidity and all the other crap that went on during those 3 days than most of the performances. The lineup featured the biggest bands in the world at the time like Metallica, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against The Machine, and so many more. This was definitely not the Woodstock of 1969. There are many bands performances that I could feature and I likely will one day but, I’d like to focus on one that never gets the acclaim it should. Before the band I’m about to discuss would take the stage, Korn was on before and they absolutely stole the night and show! I really do recommend you watching their Woodstock 99 set. It’s that damn good. The band I’m talking about though is Bush and their performance that closed out the night. Having to go on after Korn is never an easy task. To this day, that band brings it every single time. Plus whoever made the lineup for that day must not have been thinking right. It really made no sense to have Bush on after Korn but, the end result was definitely one of those that saved the day (to an extent).

Bush at the time of Woodstock 99 was one of the biggest bands in the US. Their first album Sixteen Stone had sold millions of copies and so many of the songs on there became radio staples, even to this very day. Their second album, Razorblade Suitcase had debuted at number one and saw the band go even higher into the stratosphere. Bush was also about to release their anticipated third album, The Science Of Things (which is actually a pretty good album and I often think it gets overlooked). So the idea of them headlining did make sense on paper. And when you watch and listen to Bush’s set, you get the feeling that one they had to really step up their game after what Korn just did and two, the band understood what the original idea of the festival was all about. Gavin’s stage banter even hints at it many times. Throughout Bush’s 90 minute set they blazed through the hits as well as some really good deep cuts and a couple covers. Now, Bush is not a metal band or even one of the heaviest bands on the bill but, they delivered a set that was straight up rocking and one that they could walk off the stage and look back on proudly. Bush have always been a solid live band and to this day they still are. In fact their last two albums, The Kingdom and The Art Of Survival are some of the best complete work they’ve done since Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase. Take a moment and watch and listen to this very memorable performance and one that essentially saved night 1 of Woodstock 99.

Bush- Live at Woodstock 1999 (note: whoever was doing sound for their set, messed up bad on the first song):

Live Review: Cobalt Night at Corbin Bowl 1/20/23

Growing up in Southern California, especially in the surrounding Los Angeles area, there has always been venues with storied histories. For example the famous Sunset Strip and The Whisky A Go-Go, Roxy, Viper Room and Rainbow. There was also a venue in the San Fernando Valley that had a very storied history as well. So many bands that you love today got their start, honed their craft and rocked the stage at the famous Cobalt Cafe. For years The Cobalt Cafe would become a sort of right of passage when being in a band no matter how big or small. It was an all ages venue that put on shows every night and provided a place for everyone to enjoy live music no matter the genre. However in, 2014 the Cobalt closed due but, in July of 2021 the Cobalt returned in a new fashion and a reignited fire to give up and coming bands a place to play. The Cobalt Presents now does shows on a constant basis around the LA area (Corbin Bowl, Hotel Ziggy, The Last Call, The Whisky A Go Go, Transplants Brewing and more) bringing in great bands and putting on superb shows.

The other night was no exception as The Cobalt kicked off 2023 with one hell of a bang at Corbin Bowl. The night was eclectic and featured varied bands from ska/punk, punk, skate punk, doom metal, thrash metal, and pop punk. The whole night and band after band was exceptional. The flow of the styles of the bands made it even more fun as the energy level kept rising with each band that took the stage. The place was packed and the familiar faces from back in the days of the old Cobalt were there as well, making it all come full circle.

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End Of Album Songs: Radiohead- The Tourist

Radiohead’s OK Computer is an absolute masterpiece! We already know that. If you’ve never heard the album, you must be living under a rock or in a deep hole. It’s truly one of those albums that will be talked about for centuries. I’m sure you’ve all heard “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police” as those two have been radio staples for years. There is a specific track on the album that I’d like to highlight and that is the final song on the album, “The Tourist.” This song, every single time I hear it, puts me in this fun trance that takes me away from where I am for a few minutes and I get so immersed in this song. The way it’s written has this “space” to it where the notes, chords, drums, synths, vocals, all hit you in these really interesting moments. There’s something else about “The Tourist” that I have always loved and that while the song has a delicate feel to it, there is a heaviness to the emotional pull that grabs you. Thom Yorke has even said about “The Tourist” “That song was written to me from me, saying, ‘Idiot, slow down.’ Because at that point, I needed to. So that was the only resolution there could be: to slow down.” Which when you think about where Radiohead was at in their career at this point makes a lot of sense. Also, one more thing that I love to do with this song is as it ends, is have Kid A cued up and that little dig at the end of “The Tourist” flows ever so perfectly into “Everything In Its Right Place. Give that a fun try when you get the chance, it’s quite the trippy little nuance!

Radiohead- The Tourist:

Radiohead- Everything In Its Right Place:

B-Sides/Collaborations: Queens Of The Stone Age- Era Vulgaris feat: Trent Reznor

Back in 2007, Queens Of The Stone Age released their album, Era Vulgaris. An album in their catalog that I find to be very underrated and often over looked. This album featured some of the band’s best material since Songs For The Deaf. Another thing I’ve always dug about this particular album is the production. There’s a really dirty, distorted vibe that is crisp and clear but feels hard and heavy. Through and through this is a rock record. Live when these songs are played they are grittier than the album and makes it even better. There is a song that was recorded for the album but, would eventually become a b-side called “Era Vulgaris” sometimes more known as “You Know What You Did.” This track was released originally part of a fan site contest for fans to win a “special package” from the band. Selected winners received a CD entitled You Know What You Did with the sole track “Era Vulgaris”, which singer/guitarist Josh Homme confirmed would not be appearing on the record despite being the title track, though it was included as a bonus track on the UK edition. This song features guest vocals from the one and only Trent Reznor. It’s one of those songs that when you hear you wonder why it was left off the original track listing. It’s that good. If you’ve never heard this track you are in for a treat!

Queens Of The Stone Age- “Era Vulgaris (aka You Know What You Did):”

Unsung Masterpieces: Black Magnet- Body Prophecy

One of the most fun things about discovering new bands is when you hear even just one song and it comes together, it’s almost like this cosmic force of meant to be. A little while back I was introduced to the band Black Magnet and they really knocked my socks off. Upon hearing the record it was as though Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine/Broken era and Godflesh Streetcleaner/Pure era came together with bits of Ministry and Skinny Puppy to make the album that brought industrial music back. Formed by James Hammontree in 2018, Black Magnet has set the underground industrial scene a blaze with a ferocious force that will get under your skin and give you chills in the way you’d want a horror film to. Not only does Black Magnet posses an industrial sound there is also a post-punk sensibility within that also coincides with metal that drives it all home with harsh precision and tinges of a melodic pulse. On the latest offering Body Prophecy, the onslaught continues with even more depth and tenacity. One of the things I love most about this album is that it is cohesive and full of life. Each song feels like it’s own revelation but keeps you focus and transfixed on everything that is going on. This is one of those albums that you feel compelled to start over once it reaches the end. I’m completely enthralled by the magnitude and intensity on this album. The production, engineering and mixing by Sanford Parker is exquisite and should be a masterclass on how to make proper industrial albums in today’s world. I’m looking at all you wannabe lame “laptop rock” bands. Black Magnet is a band not just for now but for the future! Also I’m just putting this out in the aether, BLACK MAGNET NEEDS TO OPEN FOR NINE INCH NAILS!!!!

Black Magnet- Body Prophecy:

The Videos:

Floating In Nothing:

Hermetix:

Violent Mechanix:

By: Brian Lacy

Anticipated Albums: Narrow Head- Moments Of Clarity

Back in 2021 when I went to see Quicksand, there was a band called Narrow Head that opened up for them that caught my attention. They had this really cool vibe the mixed 90’s alternative rock and shoegaze together in a way that felt fresh while at the same time paid homage to those that came before them (Swervedriver and Siamese Dream era Pumpkins to name a couple). Since then, I’ve been following them to see where they would go next. Their latest single “Caroline” from their upcoming new album, Moments Of Clarity (out February 10, 2023), is one of those songs that sways with a melodic sensibility while driven with a sheen of distortion that gives a tension to the song that is emotional on one end and revelatory on the other. Speaking on the song “I’ve always thought Caroline was such a singable name,” frontman Jacob Duarte admits. “I’ve written dozens of songs using that name but never really brought them to life. I guess Caroline is a pseudo name I use for lyrics. Just rolls off the tongue. So when people listen to this and think to themselves ‘who’s Caroline?’ I don’t think I know who they are either.”

I for one am anticipating this album as one of the albums to look out for in 2023. Narrow Head have a strong grasp on their influences and are inspired by them, thus creating a sound that while nostalgic, it feels right and fresh for the time. Be on the lookout for Narrow Head when they come through town on their upcoming tour!

Narrow Head- Caroline:

Narrow Head- Gearhead:

Narrow Head- Moments Of Clarity:

Narrow Head Tour Dates:

Feb 04: Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live
Feb 05: Birmingham, AL – The Firehouse
Feb 06: Nashville, TN – The Blue Room at Third Man Records
Feb 07: Lexington, KY – The Burl ~
Feb 09: Indianapolis, IN – The Hi-Fi ~
Feb 10: Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall ~
Feb 11: St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall ~
Feb 13: Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Studio ~
Feb 14: Austin, TX – Scoot Inn ~
Feb 15: Dallas, TX – Granada Theater ~
Feb 17: Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad ~
Feb 18: Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom ~
Feb 19: San Diego, CA – Music Box ~
Feb 21: Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre ~
Feb 22: San Francisco, CA – August Hall ~
Feb 24: Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre ~
Feb 25: Seattle, WA – The Crocodile ~
Feb 26: Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre ~
May 13: Las Vegas, NV – Sick New World Fest        
May 15: Denver, CO –    Hi-Dive
May 16: Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
May 17: Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
May 18: Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
May 19: Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
May 20: Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s        
May 22: New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
May 23: Brooklyn, NY – TV Eye
May 24: Boston, MA – The Sinclair
May 25: Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
May 26: Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
May 27: Durham, NC – The Pinhook
May 28: Atlanta, GA – Masquerade Purgatory    
May 30: Miami, FL – Gramps
May 31: Orlando, FL – The Abbey
Jun 01: Tampa, FL – The Crowbar
Jun 02: Pensacola, FL – The Handlebar
Jun 03: New Orleans, LA – Santos

~ w/ White Reaper, Taipei Houston

Track One: Fear Factory- Shock

Some days you need a song to really get you going for the day. At times it can take a few to get the right one to hit the spot. This morning, while gearing up for my day I went through a few songs that could help get the blood flowing and then it all came together when I put on “Shock” by Fear Factory. From that point, it was on! This track is one hell of an opener and the way it begins their excellent album, Obsolete is pummeling! If you need a song to start your day, I highly suggest this to kick it off!

Fear Factory- Shock:

Memorable TV Performances: A Perfect Circle- 3 Libras on The Tonight Show

This morning I woke up with a part of a song in my head and it took me a minute to realize what it was and then once it hit, I knew what I was going to write about today. The song I had in my head was “3 Libras” by A Perfect Circle. To this day, this song is still one of my favorites and when it gets to that part of the album it gives me chills. One of my favorite performances of “3 Libras” actually comes from their appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (that long ago). This one is a stand out not just for how well they rocked the song but, having Paz Lenchantin play violin throughout the song and having one of my all time favorite musicians, Danny Lohner join them on bass to round it out made it that much more memorable. Revisit this gem of a performance with me!

A Perfect Circle- 3 Libras (Live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno):

Album Of The Week: Arc Angles- Daisy

It’s the beginning of 2023 and already a hard hitting banger of a release has been unleashed upon us! Arc Angles, one of my favorite bands I’ve championed since I started Audioeclectica have a new EP out called Daisy. It’s an unrelenting, pummeling force to be reckoned with. The in your face attitude that kicks in immediately will not only draw you in but might cause you to flip your desk or table and scream in a very therapeutic way.

The five songs on this absolutely direct and immediate release will stay with you for quite some time. The lyrics are thought provoking and interesting. The topics explored come with a depth and substance that many bands today, especially in the mainstream fail to recognize. Musically, there’s so much to delve into. Whether it be the odd time signatures, odd tunings, interesting melodies or the crisp and punch to the face mix (courtesy of Jawbox’s J. Robbins), the way everything comes together on Daisy is explosive as it is complex.

Arc Angles are a band that have taken the time to craft songs that play off their vast influences and have then created a sound that shines on it’s own merit. The way the record flows takes you on path that expands your mind both lyrically and musically. I love to hear a band challenge their listener to find little nuances in what they create to make the listening experience that much more special. Ever since I first heard these guys, it’s been a pleasure to listen to them evolve and further push the boundaries of what they are capable of. If this is the way we are going to start 2023 with, then I dare the rest of the music world to keep up with this!

Overall Rating: A

Arc Angles- Daisy:

Order The Vinyl:

https://rabbitrabbitrecordspress.bigcartel.com/product/arc-angles-daisy