Indie Shoutout vol. 5

Cassie is a Finnish post-rock band with much potential to grow over the barriers of ordinary post-rock. Their newest release is an EP titled Old Light which was released February 2014. The band's sound is very typical for the genre with dreamy guitar leads and long crescendos. The female vocals which are not so typical for post-rock bring a nice touch and the sound of the lead vocalist Sofia Thurén fits the sound of the band so well. Believable and beautifully emotional lyrics are a key point in the vocals also.

Old Light EP

Post-rock is known for bringing "non-rock" instruments to the mix and so does Cassie with the inclusion of a string quartet. The almost-a-cliche "post-rock tremolo" -sound is amazing combined with the tremolo violins in the opening track of Old Light. 

The first track simply called Old Light Is a pretty typical post-rock song with a long crescendo which erupts in the end. What makes this track for me are the beautiful vocal melodies and the AMAZING quest appearance of Callisto-vocalist Jani Ala-Hukkala. Being a huge Callisto fan I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw he was in this track. His screams create a post-hardcore-ish vibe to the high-point of the track.

The second track Keep Your Kings In The Back Row starts out with a nice groove. The song has a nice tone to it with the strings bringing a nice touch of comfort. The track is very enjoyable and beautifully arranged to the point of myself failing to see any (even minor) problems.

"You are so afraid of life and I only have courage for myself"

The EP ends with a track titled White Waves. The track starts with a bang which sounds much like a Caspian song but then it continues with a beautiful melodic and dreamy part. The vocals carry the song towards the calming latter half of the song which starts out with a guitar lead. The song proceeds to a beautiful "explosion" of vibrantly colorful sounds again much like a Caspian song and continues to an even more tough part with a slow blast beat which erupts the whole song. The track ends and the listener is left with a complete expression of the bands sound. 

Overall the EP is a great piece of art with much potential for the future. What comes to the quality of composition, arrangement and production the sound of Cassie is on par with bands like Caspian, Explosions In The Sky and other epitomes of post-rock. The vocals are a major pro from me and I just fell in love with the vocal melodies of the album. The Old Light EP made me take a closer look on the band's earlier stuff which i have earlier considered as too cliche'd. 

I hope Cassie continues their effort to make more amazing releases and wish them luck on their tour which takes place both in Finland and the UK.

Love

- Matti

ps. more stuff coming soon as I'm done with my matriculation exams.

"Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself"

One of the most influential songs lyric-wisely I've heard in a long time:




Also the new La Dispute record is amazing

Deafheaven - Sunbather (Album Review)

I was totally blown away with the pure talent of the San Francisco -based Deafheaven's second LP called Sunbather. The deep post-rock parts contrast perfectly to the black metal and screamo elements giving an eerie feeling to the compositions. The album got me totally hooked from the get-go.

The albums receive was like a two-bladed sword. Black-metal purists bash the album for not being true black metal and other's seem to love the album for the new steps it takes in the world of black metal. I personally think the post-rock and shoegaze influences are a great addition to the otherwise-boring-ish endless stream of blastbeat and screeching vocals. The mix between the genres is constructed well in Sunbather. 

The album starts with a song titled Dream House which in my opinion is a perfect epitome of the band's style. Also some of the screamo elements come clear in the track. Dream House ties in with the next song Irresistible forming together a 12 minute duo of songs. Irresistible is sort of an outro to the starting track.

Next is the title track of the album, Sunbather which is first of the three over-10-minute songs of the album. It continues the strong feeling of the album. Sunbather shows amazing expression of feelings of loneliness and sorrow both lyrically and composition-wise. After Sunbather comes another one of the more soothing tracks called Please Remember. It derives elements both from noise and acoustic music and works as a bridge between Sunbather and the next monumental track Vertigo. Vertigo starts with a chilling and almost scary guitar play and develops to an explosion a bit after the 3-minute mark. The composition of Vertigo seems the most black-metal-ish to me of the album with all the tremolo-picking and blast beat. Of course the ending is has a lot of screamo influence being a lot slower than the mid-part of the song and features those identifiable post-rock guitars also.

The last couple of Songs are called Windows and The Pecan Tree. Windows is another one of the bridge tracks connecting the last song to the continuation. Windows has an amazing feel of depression and melancholy with the piano sound and samples. The Pecan Tree starts off with a surprising blast beat beginning. Then after 4-minutes of screeching and blast the song breaks to a post-rock styled part which then build up to it's full extent and lets off all the feelings it has left to pass on. The song fades out and almost leaves you wanting for a better ending (sort of a finishing touch, the last burst of feelings).

Other than the ending the album feels and sounds amazing giving you a full experience of the band's message.

8.5/10
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Peace and love,
-Matti

Indie Shoutout vol.4

Rats Will Feast on suomalainen hardcore-punkkia ja post-rockia yhdistelevä bändi, jolla on kaikki tarvittavat eväät tulevaisuutta varten. Suomalainen melankolia puree kovaa ja haikeat melodiat tuovat sopivan kontrastin riistävälle hc-punk-mätölle. Rats Will Feastin nimikkoalbumi on kuuden kappaleen paketti pelkkää tunnetta. Bändillä on paljon yhteneviä piirteitä ∞ (Eight):in kanssa ja bändit sopisivatkin uskomattoman hyvin samalle lavalle (ovatpahan bändit vieläpä samasta kaupungista kotoisin).

Kuuntele ja vakuutu!

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Rats Will Feast is a Finnish band that fits hardcore-punk and post-rock in the mix. The Finnish melancholy bites hard and the sad melodies bring about a huge contrast with the hc-punk riffing. Rats Will Feast' self titled album is a six song package full of emotion. The band has a lot in common with ∞ (Eight) and the two bands would fit nicely on the same stage together (and they even originate from the same town).

Listen and be convinced!

Garage Festin fiilistelyt! - Big feels @ Garage Fest

Kävin lauantaina fiilistelemässä Kerubin Garage Festissä Death Hawksia enkä ole vieläkään päässyt yli bändin ylivoimaisesta live-esiintymisestä! Happoisen psykedeeliset progekappaleet iskivät kovaa ja syvälle. Soundi-lehti ei turhaan valinnut Death Hawksin kakkosalbumia vuoden 2013 parhaaksi kotimaiseksi albumiksi; bändin lavaolemus ja kappaleiden tiukka progressiivinen soundi ansaitsevat arvostuksensa.

Olin koko keikan ajan aivan fiiliksissä lävitseni tunkeutuvasta musiikin virrasta ja pyrin vain antautumaan musiikin katkeamattomalle tunnevyörylle. Koko yleisö tuntui olevan kuin transsissa.

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Last Saturday I went to Kerubi Garage Fest to see and feel Death Hawks and I've yet to get over the band's outstanding live-performance! Their acid-filled psychedelic prog songs hit me hard and deep. The Soundi -magazine didn't pick Death Hawks' second album as the best Finnish album of 2013 in vain; the band's stage presence and tight progressive sound surely deserve it's appreciation.

I was super hyped all trough the show from the flow of music going through me and I just tried to surrender myself to the continuous flow of feelings I received from the music. The whole audience seemed as if in a trans of some sort.

So This Is The New Year

Happy new year everybody!

Peace and Love!
- Matti

Top-10 albums of the year (part 2.)

Back to business! :D

#5 Rosetta - The Anaesthete 

Rosettan uusin levy The Anaesthete on astetta energisempi ja nopeatempoisempi verrattuna bändin aikaisempiin tuotoksiin. Space-rockiksi/ space-metalliksikin lajiteltu Rosetta tuo jälleen kerran ainutlaatuisen äänimaailmansa esille post-metalliin sekoitetuilla mausteilla. The Anaesthete ei aivan nouse edellisen kokopitkän A Determinism Of Morality:n tasolle, mutta kaukana ei olla. Albumi on ladattavissa ilmaiseksi osoitteessa http://theanaesthete.bandcamp.com/.

Lempikappale albumilta: Ryu / Tradition

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Rosetta's newest album The Anaesthere is a bit more energetic and uptempo in comparison with the bands earlier releases. Often categorized in space-rock/space-metal, Rosetta brings once again a unique soundscape through post-metal mixed with some personal spices. The Anaesthete doesn't quite reach the level of their last long play A Determinism Of Morality but it's not far away. The Anaesthete is free for download at http://theanaesthete.bandcamp.com/.

Favourite song: Ryu / Tradition






#4 TesseracT - Altered State

Viime kesän kuunnelluin albumi omalta osaltani. TesseracT:n edellinen albumi One iski pari vuotta sitten niin kovasti, että jäin koukkuun bändin nerokkaisiin biiseihin ja laulaja Daniel Tompkinsin ääneen. Tänä vuonna jännitti miltä uusi TesseracT kuulostaisi uuden (jo kolmannella) laulajan Ashe O'Haran kanssa, ja voin paljastaa, en pettynyt. Ashen uskomaton ääniala sekä heleän kaunis äänen sointi rikkoo progemetallille (tai metallille ylipäätään) tyypillisen karjumisen ja matalamman äänialan. Ashen herkkä, mutta vahva lauluääni ei kuitenkaan mene hevikiljunnaksi, vaan kuulostaa uskomattoman tunteelliselta. Kitara-, rumpu-, ja bassosoundit ovat nykystandardien mukaiset - autentisuutta saa etsimällä etsiä, mutta se sopii TesseracT:in futuristiseen tyyliin loistavasti. Sitäpaitsi Chris Baretton saksofonit luovat mukavan kontrastin parissa biisissä bändin muutoin puhtoisen tietokonemaiseen soundiin. 

Altered State on jaettu neljään osaan (Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality ja Of Energy), jotka kuvaavat nimiensä mukaisesti ihmisen ulkoista sekä sisäistä muutosta. Myös bändin sisäiset ja musiikilliset muutokset näkyvät ja kuuluvat; uusi laulaja, vain puhtaita lauluja, kokeiluja uusilla instrumenteilla ja efekteillä. Pakko ostos progemetallin ystävälle.

Lempikappale albumilta: Of Matter - Retrospect

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Last summers most listened album personally for me was Tesseract's Altered State. Their debut album One blew my mind a couple of years ago so hard I was instantly hooked on their ingenious songs and the singer Daniel Tompkins' amazing voice. This year i was really excited to hear how their new album sounded with a new (already third) singer Ashe O'Hara and i was not disappointed. Ashe's incredible vocal range and bright sound breaks the typical metal growl and lower range. His vivid but strong voice is incredibly sentimental and not at all typical high pitch heavyscreaming. The guitars ,drums and bass all sound on par with contemporary standards - zero authenticity. Yet it works perfectly with TesseracT as they have this beautiful futuristic sound to them. Besides the saxophone parts of Chris Barretto create a nice contrast in a couple of the tracks with their otherwise clean and computer-like sound.

Altered State is divided into four pieces (Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality and Of Energy) which all tell (as suggested by the name) of alterations of life both inside and outside. Also the band's inner and musical changes show and hear out; the new singer, only clean vocals, experiments with new instruments and effects. A must buy -album for a prog-metal fan.

Favourite track: Of Matter - Retrospect

#3 Consciousness Removal Project - Tacit

Vuoden paras post-metal albumi Tacit on uskomaton kokonaisuus ja se välittää konseptin kuulijalle täydellisesti. Kerroin jo aikaisemmassa postauksessa Tacitista ja se Consciousness Removal Projectista, joten sieltä voi lukea lisätietoa albumista. 

Lempikappale albumilta: Colossus II: Thrashing

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The years best post-metal album Tacit is an amazing whole and it passes the concept and story on to the listener perfectly. I already wrote about the album and Consciousness Removal Project in an earlier post so if you wish for more information on the album, read there.

Favourite track: Colossus II: Thrashing

#2 Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal

Aluksi Sempiternal ei vaikuttanut niinkään hyvältä levyltä, mutta muutaman kuuntelukerran jälkeen albumi aukeni minulle ja tykästyin sen aiemmasta BMTH tuotannosta eroavaan tyyliin. Oli Sykesin "puhdas" lauluääni vaatii totuttelemista deathcorekarjumisen jälkeen. Melodisemmat ja elektronisemmat kappaleet ovat luonnollinen suunta BMTH:n tyylille ottaen huomioon nykypäivän keskivertojen deathcorebändien ylipursuavan lisääntymisnopeuden. 

Sempiternal on kuuntelijaystävällinen vaihtoehto BMTH:n ystäville. Elektro-soundien lisääminen tuo dynaamisuutta, mutta kitarariffit ovat silti murskaavia tuttuun BMTH-tyyliin. 

Lempikappale albumilta: Can You Feel My Heart

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At first Sempiternal didn't seem like a good record but after a few listens the album opened up for me and I fell in love with the new style which broke out of the earlier BMTH style. Oli Sykses' new "clean" vocals need some time to get used to after all the deathcorescreaming. The more melodic and electronic songs are a natural path of evolution to BMTH's style especially considering the overflowing reproduction of modern mediocre deathcorebands. 

Sempiternal is a more listener-friendly choice for someone new to BMTH. The added electro sounds dd dynamics but the good old crushing guitar riffs are still there.

Favourite track: Can You Feel My Heart

#1 Sigur Rós - Kveikur

Wow...ei muuta. Kuuntelin Kveikurin ensimmäisen kerran vasta sen jälkeen, kun olin nähnyt Sigur Rósin keikan Ilosaarirockissa tänä kesänä. Kveikur on taattua Sigur Rós -laatua eikä jätä kylmäksi millään tasolla. Aivan edellisen albumin (Valtari, 2012) tasolle se ei kuitenkaan nouse. Live-kokemus paljasti albumin moniulottuvuuden. 

Kveikur poikkeaa tyyliltään hieman bändin edellisestä tuotannosta, sillä siinä on hetkittäin painostava ja raskas tunnelma ja siinä on jopa hyökkäviä motiiveja. Toki yhtyeen herkkä puoli tulee myös esiin (esimerkkinä kappale Stormur, joka on jopa viattoman kuuloinen). Jokainen kappale tuntuu omaltaan ja on kuin oma itsenäinen teoksensa. Kveikur on taidemusiikkia parhaimmillaan. 

Suosittelen lämpimästi.

Lempikappale albumilta: Hrafntinna

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Wow...nothing else. I listened to Kveikur only after i had seen Sigur Rós' gig at Ilosaarirock-festival last summer. Kveikur is once again guaranteed Sigur Rós quality and it will not leave you wanting more at any level. Still it doesn't quite reach the level of the last album (Valtari, 2012). The live-experience revealed the albums multidimensional levels to me personally. 

Kveikur sticks out a little from Sigur Rós' earlier material as it at times has a intense and heavy tone and even some aggressive motives. Surely the band's sensitive side shows also (for example in the song Stormur which sounds somehow innocent to me). Every song feels like its own and is like its own independent work of art. Kveikur is art at its finest. 

I warmly recommend.

Favourite track: Hrafntinna

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Siinäpä se lista nyt olisi. Jokin toinen päivä saattaisin muuttaa mieltäni järjestyksen suhteen mutta pitäydyn päätöksissäni. 
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There it is now. Some other day i would probably change my mind on the order of the albums but I will stick to my decisions. 

Tässä vielä muutamia mainitsemisen arvoisia albumeja vuodelta 2013:
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Here are some honorable mentions from 2013:

- PMMP - Matkalaulu
- KoRn - The Paradigm Shift 
- Adept - Silence The World
- God Is An Astronaut - Origins 
- Hammock - Oblivion Hymns
- Russian Circles - Memorial
- Blessthefall - Hollow Bodies 
- Cult Of Luna - Vertikal 

Now we have covered the year 2013 and are ready for new albums in 2014! I can hope for new albums by Lapko, Callisto, Periphery and Opeth but only time will tell us. 

Peace and Love
- Matti