Get Everything
Janus: If I Were You
November 30, 2008
Based in Chicago, Illinois. From the album Red Right Return – Nov 2008.
 |
Drawing power from the world’s grid of hurt, desperation, and conflict, Janus now resides in the dark corners of loss, a future of bleak outlook, and ambiguous meaning. Through war machines, rallies, and secret communications, they follow the pursuit of shining a dark light on an existence in need of reveal. The organization’s second campaign, Red Right Return, is a sea of rebellion against the broken standards and whimsically abused power of the current governing body. Deployment |
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
Links
Popularity: 17% [?]
John Brown’s Body: Give Yourself Over
November 29, 2008
Elliot Martin, lead vocalist of the Cambridge based progressive reggae band John Brown’s Body, had some choice words about their musical direction that we’d like to share here:
“I think that the strongest reggae was coming out of the UK in the 70’s and early 80’s,” Elliot explains. “It was the best produced, had the most complex songwriting; it’s the most progressive reggae that’s been made. Steel Pulse, Aswad, Reggae Regular, Misty in Roots, Mikey Dread, Dennis Bovell and Linton Kwesi Johnson were doing groundbreaking stuff. I want to pick up where those artists left off. Of course, we don’t come close to what those artists did, but I think that’s where the idea comes from—that reggae can take other forms. I guess I’m just saying that I see our music as progressive reggae.”
Other artists Elliot listened to extensively–and was influenced by–while writing Amplify include Sigur Ros, Batch, Toumani Diabate, Sly and Robbie, Radiohead, Talib Kweli, Aswad, Funkadelic, King Tubby, Roots Manuva, Masaru Sato and Midnite (whose lead singer, Vaughn Benjamin, lends a vocal to the end of “Speak Of The Devil”). Certainly not the typical play list for a reggae band, but the band’s deep reggae roots are not hard to find amongst all of the other influences.
JBB has has several life changing events the past few years, but the biggest involved Elliot’s voice and threatened the band’s ability to soldier on once more. Fittingly, it was during that same January 2006 tour that Elliot began to notice problems with his vocal strength and endurance; after months of doctor’s visits and vocal training, the problem was finally revealed to be vocal polyps. Elliot not only had surgery in early 2008 to remove them, he also began voice training to teach him to put less strain on his throat. “I feel better every day. Each show back after surgery, I could feel myself getting stronger. Now I think I’m doing things I couldn’t even do before,” Elliot says. “Add that to the energy of the new line-up and this new batch of songs, and we can’t wait to get back on the road. It’s going to be fun!”
“Amplify”, the explosive new studio album from John Brown’s Body, features twelve tracks of drum & bass-heavy, dub-inflected electro grooves that make up the sound JBB is known for, with a forward-thinking, fearless approach to tempos, beats, and feel that expands on what has been brought forth on previous releases.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
John Brown’s Body
“Give Yourself Over” (mp3)
from “Amplify”
(Easy Star Records)
Buy at Easy Star Records
Popularity: 17% [?]
Bankrupt: Sidewinder
November 28, 2008
From their 4th Album/EP release, Rocket To Riot City
 |
Bankrupt have mostly been known for their Ramones / Descendents influenced melodic punk tunes so far. Now they have returned with the five roughest, angriest, and most energetic songs of their career, incorporating elements of Dwarves-style rockandroll punk, and punkabilly (from The Living End to the Peacocks) in their renewed sound to reflect the changed atmosphere around them. “Panic at the fireworks, riots on the streets / We’ve traded in reality for some shattered dreams” No-one has captured the essence of Hungary’s past few years as perfectly as Bankrupt on their new release, Rocket To Riot City. Once the eminent country of the former Eastern Bloc, Hungary has become the sick man of Europe facing economic and political crises, and suffering the roughest riots of its recent history. Hence the title of the album, and the above quote from “Years of Disasters”. |
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
Links
Popularity: 17% [?]
Peasant: The Wind
November 27, 2008
From the small working class community of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Peasant is the pseudonym for Damien DeRose, a talented singer-songwriter specializing in his own beautifully haunting yet minimalistic style of indie folk.
Peasant released the sophomore album ‘On the Ground’ earlier this year on Paper Garden Records, a label out of Nashville, Tennessee founded and run by Bryan Vaughan. You may recognize the label’s popular debut signing, Eagle*Seagull from a few short years back.
Steeped with a somewhat melancholic sound, Peasant sings about ‘The Wind’ in stirring picturesque detail, which subverts the traditional definition of folk and brands its unique imprint into the listeners psyche after several listens. We see Peasant on or close to following the lightly trodden footpaths of such modern trailblazers as ‘Elliott Smith’, ‘Sam Beam’, ‘Tom Brosseau’ or the ‘Great Lakes Swimmers’.
Peasant has had the opportunity to play shows with other rising indie-rock bands we’ve played here at Insomnia, such as Takka Takka, The Muslims, and Japanese Motors. With this notable experience under his belt, Damien is now embarking on a three week tour leading into the Jan. 27th hard release of ‘On the Ground’. He is being assisted by the marketing and distribution of Team Love (Conor Oberst’s label), which is a definite boon.
You can pick up Damien’s album at e-music , iTunes, Amazon, or the Paper Garden storefront. Upcoming tourdates follow below. [cs]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
11/27 – Baltimore, MD @ tbd
11/29 – Washington, DC @ Velvet Lounge
12/1 – Pitman, NJ @ Bus Stop Music
12/2 – New York, NY @ Public Assembly
12/3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Connie’s Ric Rac
12/4 – Westchester, PA @ Fennario’s
12/5 – Bronxville, NY @ Sarah Lawrence College
12/6 – Bridgeport, CT @ Acoustic Cafe
12/7 – New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
12/8 – Hartford, CT @ tbd
12/9 – Torrington, CT @ Metropolis Records
12/10 – Providence, RI @ tbd
12/11 – Boston, MA @ TT The Bears
12/12 – Doylestown, PA @ House party
12/17 – New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
12/19 – Cincinnati, OH @ WOXY session
12/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Crow’s Nest
12/21 – Pendleton, IN @ LaundroMatinee session
Popularity: 16% [?]
Drunksouls: Uniform Reggae
November 26, 2008
Continuing the Insomnia Radio Daily Dose’s trip to Europe, this band are from the South of France.
 |
From their Artist Page on Jamendo:
“Drunk Souls: A strange team composed by a former dictator, a pedalo world champion (the famous brazilian star Borgelao), a vicious missionaire, an Eric Clapton sosie and a couple of Chuck Norris fan twins. Don’t be scared by their troubled individual path, just listen to the music they perform together…” This song is the last on their recent album ‘On verra plus tard… Remix 2008′ and is actually called ‘Bonus track – Uniform Reggae Mix 6′. |
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
Links
.
Popularity: 16% [?]
Sambassadeur: Subtle Changes
November 25, 2008
While combing for music through the do-it-yourself online DJ website, Blip.FM I came across a great artist recommended by sudaca70, a fellow site user who is from Argentina. Several tracks were blipped (or streamed) that night and I quickly found myself enraptured by the sounds of the Swedish group Sambassadeur, subsequently exploring tracks over the next few days from their 2008 release, Migration.
Migration is a collection of neo-pop classics, taking their influence at times from iconic underground sounds (such as Yo La Tengo, GoBetweens, Velvets), mixing them together to create a modern – day Swedish – pop classic. Migration includes the acclaimed singles (Subtle Changes, The Park), and a glorious cover version of the Dennis Wilson’s morose classic “Fallin’ in Love”.
Sambassadeur is from Gothenburg, and apparently named after the Serge Gainsbourg song, Les Sambassadeurs. This track, Subtle Changes really seemed to strike a chord and keep causing me to think of certain parts of the urgent main theme from the movie Das Boot.
Thanks for listening, and make sure to drop by Blip.FM. You can catch me there as irsocal.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
Sambassadeur
“Subtle Changes” (mp3)
from “Migration”
(Creeping Bent Organisation)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Popularity: 16% [?]
The Singletons: Once Upon A Time
November 24, 2008
From their recent eponymous album.
 |
With a deceptive name, this band are from from Barcelona, Spain. And they don’t play the sort of music you might expect either. Their sound is no nonsense 70s garage rock , and this song is fairly typical of the eleven songs on the album, which is available as free download from Jamendo. [SM] |
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
Links
.
Popularity: 16% [?]
AMPed New Music Weekly: Show #154
November 23, 2008
This week’s host: Rodrigo from Cowboy Cantor
Show: Insomnia Radio: The SoCal Sessions
Song: Scream (Nico Stai)
Show: Indie Music Sampler
Song: Follow Me Home (Breanna Paletta)
Show: It’s A Frog’s Life Acoustic Podcast
Song: Young (Shagpile)
Show: Eclectic Mix
Song: Smiling Perspective (General Fuzz)
Show: Atlantic Wave Radio
Song: That Cold Hard Sell (Rob Szabo)
Show: PC Podcast with Pete Cogle
Song: Black White (The Raveonettes)
Show: Darkhorse Radio
Song: Ten Fields (Jarah Jane)
Show: Cowboy Cantor
Song: highschoolalloveragain (Certain Stars)
Popularity: 5% [?]
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start: The Red Loop
November 23, 2008
Named after a Konami cheat code used on retro gaming platforms, New Jersey’s Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start recently called it quits. Luckily before they disbanded, they left us with the fantastic 2007 full length aptly titled ‘Worst Band Name Ever’.
“Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start… Why is this the worst band name ever? For so many reasons. With a band name like this you should be looking for keytar solos and overweight comic book loving super fans, right? Well, you only get one of those and it’s not a keytarist on his knees.” [bio]
This track and around forty others can be found for free on their website, although the full length album is also available for purchase at e-music and iTunes.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All
Up Up Down Down: “I’ll Thank You Later”
Popularity: 16% [?]
IR SoCal Welcomes: Ox – LA City
November 22, 2008
About a year ago, I was talking to Leo Cain at the TLP Show about occasionally featuring bands from other areas who were writing songs about the area that we live in. Its definitely refreshing to see others views on the region you were raised in; some who have visited, some who’ve only seen the Southern California area via TV, movies, and other media.
Examining that theme we bring you a track by Canada’s alt-country stylized project, Ox, a favorite from their 2003 album, Dust Bowl Revival. Ox is basically Mark Browning, a one man show who wrote a really great solitary album full of introspective tunes.
Maintaining a grass roots approach – Ox has done it the hard way – thousands of miles in cramped mini-vans… countless nights spent bedding down on floors, couches… pool tables… bad food, stale beer – blown tires, road kill. Ox’s sound is the sound of the open road – from not far above it.
You can pick this one up at iTunes or e-music. Oh bye bye…
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Popularity: 24% [?]
