I've been busy and not-so-busy this summer with a lot of stuff (mainly my graduation, music festivals, my band and my civil service [equivalent to military service only non-military]). New bands have found their way into my library of music but I've also re-discovered some older material that has been totally forgotten (i.e found a copy of Brave Murder Day by Katatonia in a second hand music store last week).
Lately I've also had a look towards Finnish rap artists like DJ Kridlokk, Eevil Stöö, Tuuttimörkö and such.
Anyway, the main point for this update was to talk about Ilosaarirock music festival which is held in july every year in my hometown of Joensuu. For me it's the best festival Finland has for many reasons. First of all the festival area is beautiful, large and versatile (suiting a music festival perfectly). I have lots of memories regarding Ilosaarirock (for example the best show I've ever been to was ISIS at Ilosaarirock in 2009). The line-up is always great and variant with artists from different genres like hardcore, electronic, rock, metal, pop etc...you name it.
This year was yet again a great one for Ilosaarirock as the line-up had some bands I was really anticipating for some of the bands. The memorable artists/bands this year were definitely Gracias & The Globe Band (hip-hop), OJJ (electronic), KC/MD Mafia (hip-hop), Oranssi Pazuzu (psychedelic black-metal), Night Lives (hardcore), Haim (indie rock), Opeth (progressive rock/metal) and last but not least Portishead!!
The highlights of the festival were definitely Opeth and Portishead. They both played an extremely pleasant show and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Opeth played some older material (early 2000's Deliverance/Damnation era) as well as newer stuff (mainly from Heritage and Watershed). Mikael was funny as always and his growls seemed fine to me. I don't really get the hate from fans towards his growling vocals (I mean c'mon the man is over 40 already with over 20 years of touring and playing in several bands and growling his lungs out like a beast for so long).
Portishead was beyond magical and huge. They played songs from all of their albums and the total playtime for the show was over one and a half hours. They didn't speak anything in between the songs until a few thank-you's after the show. The visuals they had were very fitting to the songs with some psychedelic vibes and moody photography.
All in all once again I had a great time in Ilosaarirock this year (also this is a bit late as it was a month ago but I've been busy so that's a valid excuse).
Next time I will write about one of my favourite albums of all time and a re-mastered version that was released this year.
Peace and Love
- Matti
perjantai 8. elokuuta 2014
maanantai 7. huhtikuuta 2014
Indie Shoutout vol. 6
Night Lives is a fresh sound in the music scene of Joensuu, Finland. Their hardcore sound instantly triggers an image of the hardcore monster Converge in my mind. Night Lives released their debut LP titled Shadow Of Man this month. The album contains 8 strong hardcore songs with a bit of sludge and post-metal thrown in the mix for some personality.
I had heard of Night Lives in early 2014 when I heard a couple of songs from the upcoming album from their bandcamp-site.
Shadow Of Man is divided into 2 sides as it's only released as vinyl and digital download (links below). The A-side starts with a track called No Dawn which demonstrates the band's contrast-filled sound of hardcore and post-metal. The second track Burn Tradition was probably the first track I heard of this band. This track brings more of that hardcore punk element to the album which then continues in the track Vows. Strong riffs and the vocal sound accompany each other through the track which ends on a melodic and melancholic lead guitar melody/riff. The last track on the A-side is called Break which is pure Converge-styled HC.
We then switch to the B-side which starts with a mellow and eerie intro to the song First Tide. The song develops into a huge crushing explosion. The song then connects itself to the next track Last Wave which continues with the energy-filled punk riffs. After that the record calms down to the title track Shadow Of Man which starts with a cello intro giving the song some distance from the rest of the album. Shadow Of man is clearly my favorite track of the album as it sticks out the most of the eight songs. The last song Dawn is a slow closing track that has a lot or melodic guitar leads and post-metal-ish crushing.
Over all the album reminds me a lot of the epitome-record Jane Doe of Converge. I will definitely check Night Lives out in Ilosaarirock this summer
Shadow Of Man is available for download for only 6€ @ nightlivesband.bandcamp.com.
Peace
- Matti
I had heard of Night Lives in early 2014 when I heard a couple of songs from the upcoming album from their bandcamp-site.
Shadow Of Man is divided into 2 sides as it's only released as vinyl and digital download (links below). The A-side starts with a track called No Dawn which demonstrates the band's contrast-filled sound of hardcore and post-metal. The second track Burn Tradition was probably the first track I heard of this band. This track brings more of that hardcore punk element to the album which then continues in the track Vows. Strong riffs and the vocal sound accompany each other through the track which ends on a melodic and melancholic lead guitar melody/riff. The last track on the A-side is called Break which is pure Converge-styled HC.
We then switch to the B-side which starts with a mellow and eerie intro to the song First Tide. The song develops into a huge crushing explosion. The song then connects itself to the next track Last Wave which continues with the energy-filled punk riffs. After that the record calms down to the title track Shadow Of Man which starts with a cello intro giving the song some distance from the rest of the album. Shadow Of man is clearly my favorite track of the album as it sticks out the most of the eight songs. The last song Dawn is a slow closing track that has a lot or melodic guitar leads and post-metal-ish crushing.
Over all the album reminds me a lot of the epitome-record Jane Doe of Converge. I will definitely check Night Lives out in Ilosaarirock this summer
Shadow Of Man is available for download for only 6€ @ nightlivesband.bandcamp.com.
Peace
- Matti
sunnuntai 30. maaliskuuta 2014
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.
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.
ps. more stuff coming soon as I'm done with my matriculation exams.
Old Light EP
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.
"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
lauantai 29. maaliskuuta 2014
"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
Also the new La Dispute record is amazing
maanantai 24. helmikuuta 2014
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
--
Peace and love,
-Matti
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
--
Peace and love,
-Matti
tiistai 21. tammikuuta 2014
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!
--
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!
Kuuntele ja vakuutu!
--
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!
maanantai 13. tammikuuta 2014
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.
--
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.
Olin koko keikan ajan aivan fiiliksissä lävitseni tunkeutuvasta musiikin virrasta ja pyrin vain antautumaan musiikin katkeamattomalle tunnevyörylle. Koko yleisö tuntui olevan kuin transsissa.
--
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.
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