As DragonForce blazed the trail for power-metal geeks who like video games, so have TEKE::TEKE embarked upon coaching fans of psych-rock to embrace game-inspired music. Heavy use of pentatonic scales create a whimsical ambiance from start to finish—apt for a video game—and TEKE::TEKE lend a narrative quality that plays out in a similar way to that of a cinematic role-playing adventure. In other words, non-gamers shouldn’t fear being alienated by this unusual project. Read my FLOOD review here.
It was with great delight (and disgust … in a good way, of course) when we learned that Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia was interested in participating in New Noise‘s ongoing Pet Sounds series, in which we talk with musicians about the soft subject of the animals that they keep.
Portland’s Blackwater Holylight stay true to their gloomy outlook on this EP, but the listening experience is far more pleasant thanks to a crisper, cleaner sound. Read my short review on Treble.
Impressively, it took just two records for what began as a two-person project to achieve its potential as a towering ensemble. Read my brief review of Tribunal’s In Penitence and Ruin on Treble.
After a 10-year gap between full-lengths, Pennsylvania rock band Superheaven improved their talents so greatly that their new self-titled record stands as a masterstroke. Read my short review on Treble.
“As a woman who was raised in Nampa, Idaho, I know what the politics there can look like, and it’s usually pretty bleak,” Built to Spill’s Melanie Radford told New Noise. “But (Monday’s event) was a ray of hope.”
“I have very precious feelings about dogs. I don’t want them to get hurt.” So says the gruff frontman of Melvins. Read my interview with Buzz Osborne for the 40th installment of New Noise‘s Pet Sounds series.
The deceptively named Adapting // Crawling harnesses and re-presents the blistering, bombastic, no-holds-barred essence of Iron Lung that established the band—and gave their self-operated record label legitimacy—in the first place. Go to Treble to read my short review of Iron Lung’s killer new record.
Seattle eardrum terrorists Mercy Ties are ready to blow away Boise and a handful of other cities in the West with selections from their catalog, which now includes their recently released first studio album in almost 10 years. Read my interview with the band’s two captains on New Noise.
Sentient Ruin Laboratories, an Oakland-based endeavor founded 11 years ago by an individual who goes by the name “M,” gives superb yet overlooked music—almost always of the heavy, experimental, and obscure variety—the exceptionally high quality that it deserves.
The Bad Penny (beta) 