Eclectic Vibes - August 2012
by Andrew Frey
garbage
PONDEMONIUM!
Madison ubergroup Garbage plays the inaugural Pondemonium show at The Duck Pond in Warner Park on Aug 9 in Madison with none other than the FLAMING LIPS! The live show of the Flaming Lips is legendary and will hopefully be in full effect for this great coupling. The Dum Dum Girls open. http://www.pondamonium.com/
SUMMERSET
A new festival is going down this month and it looks awesome! Headliners are Pretty Lights, Umphrey’s McGee and Big Gigantic, but also on the bill are NAS, Black Star, Lotus, Infected Mushroom, Mimosa, Griz, John Brown’s Body and far too many others to list. These 3 FULL days of music and entertainment on Aug 24 - 26 (including Sunday) are primed blow your socks off! All the activity takes place in Somerset, WI so you can see how it got named. www.summersetfestival.com
MICRO REVIEWS:
This Month's Rating Scale is from 1 – Improbable through 10 – Probable
Baroness - Yellow & Green
Baroness
Album title: Yellow & Green
Record Label: Relapse Records
Rating: 10
This release has all the trappings of being a landmark, breakthrough album. It debuted at #30 on Billboard’s top 200 and sold over 12,500 records in its first week, making it the highest debut in Relapse Records history. Baroness really show off their vocal prowess and musical composition skills, here. Each song is masterfully crafted to compliment their progressive hard and heavy rock innovations. Bravo!
(2260) Page Views
Baroness online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Download Yellow & Green from Amazon
• Purchase Yellow & Green on Amazon
District 97 - The Trouble With Machines
District 97
Album title: The Trouble With Machines
Record Label: Laser's Edge
Rating: 9
What a treat! Fronted by 2007 American Idol Top 10 Female Finalist, Leslie Hunt, this extremely melodic and concise prog rock band from Chicago has drawn musical accolades for their adventurous instrumentation and passionate delivery. If you are looking for an excellent contemporary dose of prog fronted by outstanding female vocals, look no further!
(2153) Page Views
District 97 online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download The Trouble With Machines from Amazon
• Purchase The Trouble With Machines on Amazon
Dynohunter - Techtonic Drift
Dynohunter
Album title: Techtonic Drift
Record Label: self
Rating: 9
Uniting the conventional DJ performance with a live band has been the ticket to success for a new wave of livetronica musicians, and this Boulder based power trio plans to be a force to be reckoned with in this realm of versatility and innovation. Gotta love that Coloradotronica sound!
(2205) Page Views
Dynohunter online:
• Website • Facebook
Guano Padano - Two (2)
Guano Padano
Album title: Two (2)
Record Label: Ipecac Records
Rating: 9
If you happened to be trapped in a spaghetti Western being filmed by Fellini or Coppola, this may very well be the soundtrack. Surf, jazz, country, folk, blues and attitude fill the songs with ambience, emotion and dynamics. Guest vocals from Mike Patton.
(2244) Page Views
Guano Padano online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Two (2) from Amazon
• Purchase Two (2) on Amazon
niceFingers - Intercontinental Beat Collection
niceFingers
Album title: Intercontinental Beat Collection
Record Label: self
Rating: 9
The beatslinger duo of Nick Waterhouse and Dave Schneider is niceFingers. The intercontinental part of their release is just that, collaborating musically across continents. Dreamy soundscapes are lushly decorated with pulsing bass and a fresh outlook.
(2119) Page Views
niceFingers online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Intercontinental Beat Collection
Philm - Harmonic
Philm
Album title: Harmonic
Record Label: Ipecac Records
Rating: 7
Behold, another side project from legend/drummer extraordinaire, Dave Lombardo. Although not even remotely as fever pitched as his Slayer days, this is still heavy and his beats are amazing. Overall, this release works best in the noteworthy experimental atmospheric interludes, but resides too often in forgettable post-hardcore or post-apocalyptic delirium. Thankfully, this release has multiple dynamic options.
(2281) Page Views
Philm online:
• Facebook • Wiki
• Download Harmonic from Amazon