Album Review: Neverending White Lights - Act III: Love Will Ruin

Album:  Act III: Love Will Ruin [Part 1]
Band:  Neverending White Lights
Release Date:  November 8, 2011









Here is album number 3 from Neverending White Lights (NWL).  NWL continues its trend of using variety guest artists to contribute the vocals.  But on this album you'll hear a lot more input from Daniel Victor (the man behind NWL).  This is because he has noticed the difficulty in touring playing songs sung by many different artists.

The album opens up with another great and powerful instrumental song similar to what he's done in previous albums.  This is followed up with the albums main single "Falling Apart".  Great tune, very catchy.  Another great song to listen to is "Lonely War", a very dramatic melancholy tune.  "Ghost Ship" is probably my favourite song on this album.  It has such a great opening and great chorus.  The song "The Greatest One" has some interesting notoriety.  Fans love the first half of the song, but in the second half there are some hi-pitched vocals mistaken to sound like a chipmunk.  NWL has received quite a bit of controversy on that part of the song.  But Daniel reported (in a Web blog) that that voice is actually his at a high frequency.  That voice is supposed to represent a spirit which is what he was trying to represent with the voice manipulation.  I guess it didn't really work out but Daniel has no regrets.

All in all the album is a good listen.  Act 2 was my favourite album and with this release it still is.  In Act 2 NWL set a very high bar which would be very hard to top.  Still I enjoyed this album and hope you give it a chance as well.

Oh and if you are wondering why this album is titled Part 1, the obvious answer is that there will be a Part 2.  When writing this album NWL amounted a large number of songs, too large for album, so it was split into two.  The second part is expected to be released sometime in Fall 2012.

Rating:  8 of 10

You can sample some of the songs here:

www.neverendingwhitelights.com/player
You can also search around on Youtube.

MSTRKRFT

Origin:  Toronto, Ontario
Genre:  Electronic / Techno









MSTRKRFT is pronounced "Master Kraft".

MSTRKRFT is the other half of Death From Above 1979 (JFK; who is one the two guys in the image).  You will immediately notice the drastic difference in musical direction JFK took from Sebastien Grainger which is ultimately why DFA split.  While Sebastien followed the Rock stream, JFK pursued Electronic and Techno.

Like with Sebastien the parts are not as good as the whole, but MSTRKRFT has managed to produce some catchy beats.  I know this strays of quite a bit from the type of music I am focusing on, but I figured it be nice to complete the full picture.

If you are curious, time to get your feet wet by checking out the following:  "Keep Hope Alive (MSTRKRFT Remix)", "Is You (JFK Remix)", "Paris", "Street Justice", and "Click Click".  They have tons of other songs, mainly remixes so go nuts.

www.myspace.com/mstrkrft
www.mstrkrft.com
www.facebook.com/mstrkrftofficial

Sebastien Grainger

Origin:  Toronto, Ontario
Genre:  Alternative / Rock / Folk










Sebastien Grainger is the former lead singer of Death From Above 1979, which broke up :(.  But they have been touring lately so maybe they'll get back together :D.  He decided to pursue a solo career. 

The vocals you'll recognize but the music style will be quite different from DFA.  Definitely not as adrenaline pumping.  With Sebastien you'll notice more of a drift away from the Electronic side of DFA to a more Rock and Alternative side.  He also adds a bit of a Folk flare that reminds me of Sam Roberts.

Honestly he's not as strong on his own, however his solo music is still good just different.  It's worth a listen.  Check out these songs: "I Hate My Friends", "BlackWater", and "American Names".

www.myspace.com/sebastiengrainger
www.facebook.com/Sebastien-Grainger
www.sebastiengrainger.com

Death From Above 1979

Origin:  Toronto, Ontario
Genre:  Electro Rock








Death From Above 1979 may be the most well known band I have posted thus far and are not really considered Indie.  But I still find that many people are unaware of this group, which is a shame because they are really really good.  My favorite of the bands I have posted so far.  Also my favorite Canadian band.

Do yourself a favour and check these guys out.  Then you'll learn what you've been missing out on.  Any song will do they're all good!

www.deathfromabove1979.com
www.myspace.com/deathfromabove1979
www.facebook.com/DeathFromAbove1979
grooveshark.com/#/death_from_above_1979/songs

Album Review: Kosmograd - Self-titled

Album:  Self-titled
Band:  Kosmograd
Release Date:  September 21, 2011










After blogging about this band way back, they are finally back with some new tunes and their first official album release (see Kosmograd Blog).  Unfortunately the album consists of only 5 songs.  Since it's pretty small I can give you a quick run down of the songs.

"The Weather Of Hangman" is the first track and my personal favourite of this album.  The song is purely instrumental, quite long, and ebbs and flows between light and heavy parts.

"The Owl" is a song a highlighted in my original blog of Kosmograd.  Well they include their best song on this album adding some polishing to it.  Personally I liked the original rough demo track, but nevertheless a great song.

"Velossaraykin" is a very gritty song with an upbeat intro and some metal screaming.  You'll either love it or hate.

"Cheeseburger Picnic" (really weird name) is all instrumental and is much softer kind of song than any other on the album.  It's got a cool but kind of creepy guitar riff.

Finally, the album closes with "Hard Six" starts of slow but in the middle it really picks up and gets more into the typical Kosmograd style.  One way of putting it, it is another song that will take you on a Journey of sorts.  Overall I very much enjoy the album, but I would like more songs.

Rating:  7 of 10

You can sample the album here:

www.kosmograd.bandcamp.com
www.grooveshark.com/Kosmograd

Album Review: Dead and Divine - Antimacy

Album:  Antimacy
Band:  Dead and Divine
Release Date:  August 2011











I did mention before Dead and Divine (see my D&D blog) is one of my favourite bands so it's a convenient time for me to unveil my new blog article, Album Reviews, beginning with Antimacy.  Antimacy is Dead and Divine's fourth full length album and in my opinion does not live up to the standard set by the third album The Machines We Are (TMWA).  Don't get me wrong there are some amazing songs and I do like the album overall and still listen to it.  However TMWA just set the bar really high and its a tough task for any artist to keep topping their previous work.

There are some great songs on this album and whether or not you are already of fan of this band you should check them out.  Start out with the opening track "Asphyxia Fiend" which has a crazy guitar intro ans sets a fast pace for the rest of the album.

Next listen to "Antimacy" and "Carcinoma" which both have catchy and powerful chorus'.

Finally, "Nothing Is Alright" which is a purely instrumental track that makes you think Dead and Divine should make more instrumentals.

Rating:  8 of 10

You can sample the album at these sites. Note that these links may not work long after this post was made.

www.antimacy.com
www.grooveshark.com/Antimacy
www.youtube.com/Antimacy

Gallows

Origin:  Watford, UK
Genre:  Punk / Hardcore
Recent Release:  Grey Britain







Gallows is another one of the few Punk bands I really like. Their vocals are very Punk-like which may piss you off. It did for me at first. Their music style however mixes Metal and Punk, which is pretty evident in the different guitar riffs throughout a song. But much like a Punk band they are loud, crude, gritty, and in your face. Tame and calm are not words you would use to describe these guys.

Here is the list of songs you need to check out. You may notice a bit of a maturing in their sound on the Grey Britain album as compared to previous ones. "The Vulture (Acts I and II)" is my favorite song of theirs and is truly unique from the rest. One of their few songs that starts off softly almost sounding acoustic-like. For more of their typical stuff check out "Abandon Ship", "Sick of Feeling Sick", "Black Heart Queen" (wicked ending), and "Riverbed" (wicked intro).

www.myspace.com/gallows
www.gallows.co.uk
www.facebook.com/gallows

Cancer Bats

Origin: Toronto, Ontario

Genre: Metal

Recent Release:  Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones

Seriously, what an odd name for a band but it kind of grows on you over time. Cancer Bats produces some good old fashioned Metal that makes you want to thrash your head around. Their sound is very raw, gritty, and grungy. This group only knows how to play one style, fast and hard. Who could go wrong with that?

It is difficult to describe them in words, so you should just check out their songs. Start off with, "Diamond Mine" and "Smilingly Politely" my two favorite songs of theirs. Next for some real head thrashing tunes listen to "Hail Destroyer" (note: the chorus is simply vicious) and "Sorceress".

Even if you are not big fan of Metal I recommend you check out Cancer Bats' cover of the Beastie Boys song "Sabotage". Come on it's Beastie Boys so you got to check it out, plus it turned out to be an awesome cover.

http://www.myspace.com/cancerbats

http://www.cancerbats.com

http://www.facebook.com/cancerbats

Dead and Divine

Origin:  Burlington, Ontario
Genre:  Metal
Recent Release:  Antimacy








Alright, you may or may not have already heard of this band. Dead and Divine is my favorite Canadian Metal band and one of my favorite Metal bands overall. Their songs have very good rhythms which mix vocal yelling (not senseless screaming) with more traditional Rock like singing. They also throw in some variety providing some pure instrumental songs and some very soft slow songs (almost acoustic like). I like them because they are a Metal band that doesn't hit you too hard, but also a Rock band that will blow your socks off. They've released a handful of albums so far and I haven't been disappointed yet.

Normally I don't make a big deal out of lyrics, but when you carefully listen to Dead and Divine's you'll notice they are actually meaningful and almost profound; usually relating to drugs or love.

Since Dead and Divine is so diverse in their songs I will give you a taste of this. Right off the bat, the first song you MUST listen to before all is "Teeth" which is my favorite by far. It is a song that transcends their sound and the genre. "Creature", "Third Times The Charm, Right?", and "Professional Cinderella". For the softer affair check out "Something I've Rehearsed".

http://www.myspace.com/deadanddivine
http://www.facebook.com/deadanddivine

Comeback Kid

Origin:  Winnipeg, Manitoba
Genre:  Punk / Metal / Hardcore
Recent Release:  Symptoms and Cures







Typically I am not a fan of punk music, but Comeback Kid is different because they blend Punk with Metal. If you listen to any of their songs you will immediately recognize the vocalist (assuming you listened to Sights & Sounds from one of my earlier posts). Anyway the lead singer is the same guy from Sights & Sounds; pretty cool. This band has a lot of good catchy tunes, although I'll admit it took me a few listens to get into them, mainly because of the Punk flair. But do not take that as a negative, Comeback Kid is a talented group, it just took me a bit longer to realize that.

Here are some songs you should check out, "Because Of All" which in my opinion is their best song, "Wake The Dead", "Magnet Pull", "Pull Back The Reins" (which has a wicked instrumental ending), and "Get Alone".

Their most recent album, Symptoms and Cures, by far their best work yet. It is easy to notice the maturing and evolution of their sound compared to previous albums.

http://www.myspace.com/comebackkid
http://comeback-kid.com/site/index.html
http://www.facebook.com/Comeback.Kid