sir mix-a-lot
06-07-2006, 07:45 PM
You've stumbled upon the wonderful world of Decoy Music's weekly Listening Station. So plug in your iPods or whatever you use and get ready to fill it with items selected by staff, readers, and bands you know and love. You could also buy an album, even. I know, far-fetched.
Kamran Doesn't Believe This Album Will Ever Be: Fear Factory - Obsolete
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/fearfactory.jpg
Website: (http://www.fearfactory.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/fearfactoryofficial)
Conceptual metal albums that bare any merit are hard to come across; thank God for Fear Factory. This 1998 masterpiece revolves around the story of a Matrix-like future with robots in control and other shit. I think there's a guybot named Edgecrusher and another guybot named Smasher/Devourer. It's pretty complex, so I won't go into all the details. In addition to the sweet story of robots and stuff, the music is totally sweet. Songs like "Shock," "Edgecrusher," the tunefully epic "Descent," and the super-political "Freedom or Fire" set the tone for a nu-metal spectacle. And who can forget the totally unnecessary and, at the same time, essential cover of Gary Numan's "Cars?" The title may be Obsolete, but Fear Factory proved they were years, nay, decades ahead of their time.
Daniel Alcinii's Name Is Longer Than This Write-Up: Champion - Promises Kept
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/champion.jpg
Website: (http://www.xchampionx.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/champion)
Aggressive, straightforward, straight-edge hardcore done the right way. Need I say more about the now-fallen Champion?
Jordan Sometimes Just Can't Get Enough Keytar: Deadsy - Commencement
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/deadsy.jpg
Website: (http://www.deadsy.com) :: Listen: (http://www.deadsy.com/phantasmagore/media/Better%20Than%20You%20Know%20_unmastered_.mp3)
Truth be told, I literally shit on myself when I first heard this album. I'm sure it didn't help that, moments before listening, I had just eaten a 2 lb. bag full of laxative gum. This is probably the single greatest release of 2002, maybe even all time. It's a sorely underrated album in the sacred realm of the 80's synth-rock nu-metal movement. They single-handedly altered the course of DreamWorks Records forever. They sound like Orgy having an intense love-making session with Marilyn Manson, Kidney Thieves, Depeche Mode, and Tom Petty. Forget the fact that these guys were fronted by the son of Cher and Greg Allman...okay...don't forget that. I guess that's just one more reason why these guy rocked so hard! I really hope they're working on a new album; the last 4 years have really been dragging without a new Deadsy release. God blesses them. Amen.
Brandon Picked Up On At Least One Of The Subliminal Messages Found In High Fidelity: Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/ofmontreal.jpg
Website: (http://www.ofmontreal.net) :: Listen: (http://www.ofmontreal.net/audiolounge.html)
I passed up a chance to see these guys live when they toured with Tilly and The Wall. At the time, they were only a name to me and I wasn't too familiar with their music. However, after I got home, I started listening to them and then kicked myself for not sticking around. These guys have a great folksy 70's feel to them, and they've got a great groove that helps add that little pep to your day. So if you want to try something a bit different because you're tired of all the same sounds that continue to rehash themselves over again, then give these guys a shot. For fans of: The Shins, Iron & Wine, Tilly and The Wall.
Jayme Passed Sociology: Dysrhythmia - Barriers And Passages
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/dysrhythmia.jpg
Website: (http://www.dysrhythmiaband.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/dysrhythmiaband)
All right, it’s been a while since I really heard a band that set out to challenge listeners with what they are doing; however, this week, that streak came to an abrupt halt once I finally listened to Dysrhythmia’s latest effort, Barriers and Passages. Barriers and Passages is basically the musical equivalent of every great sixty car pileup that has made headlines in the past few decades… except combine that clusterfuck with the chaos of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake that disrupted the World Series and sent parts of San Fransisco and Oakland (ironically, the two teams playing) into shambles. Now, try to imagine had all of that destruction been injected with brief, unexpected moments of cool breezes and relaxing yoga sessions. That’s enough to make your head spin, right? The dissonance that is Barriers and Passages serves as a lesson on how to shit on preconceived musical mores, rigid genre classifications, and the idea that many hold of music being a source of relaxation. Sure, you can get lost in this album and forget your worldly problems; however, if your idea of instrumental music only consists of the ethereal cloudlike soundscapes of bands like Explosions in the Sky or Mono, you might want to turn around. Barriers and Passages is a complex, creative, and discordant trek through a stretch of haunted woods in which you shit your pants during its heavy attacks (and by heavy, I don’t mean overly distorted guitars and regurgitated growls) and cry in uneasy anticipation as you progress through the silent downtimes. With that being said, if you’re a fan of bands like Isis, The Ocean, Pelican, Dillinger Escape Plan, or Genghis Tron, then enter the woods and, for the love of God, bring an extra pair of boxers– this is an adrenaline rush you junkies will probably want and need to take again.
Ben Doesn't Even Like Stephen King: The Deadlights - The Deadlights
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/thedeadlights.jpg
Website: (http://www.officialnothingface.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/nothingface1)
I don't know what it is about The Deadlights that made them one of my favorite groups as a teenager. Perhaps it was their ability to combine Pantera with The Smashing Pumpkins while still writing heart-churning, bittersweet anthems like "Sweet Oblivion." Maybe it was the fact that they used vocal effects to get the proper Corganesque nasal tones. Whatever it was, I still, to this day, find myself screaming, "Fuck you! You should have never tried to fight me! You should have realized this is the life that you deserve. Time is the fire in which you burn!" for, essentially, no reason. This album is soothing, aggressive, and tribal while diminishing none of the facets that make it so intriguing.
Jared Would Like To Point Out That Instrumental Post-Rock Can't Be Political: Rise Against - The Sufferer And The Witness
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/riseagainst.jpg
Website: (http://www.riseagainst.com) :: Listen: (http://myspace.com/riseagainst)
If you're looking for an album to rock out to for the summer, look no further than the new Rise Against record, The Sufferer and the Witness. Punk records always make the best “cruzin” tunes. Tim McIlrath's dirty croon will literally inspire you. Expect the same uplifting lyrics with biting social commentary that are an old hat for this band. If Bush was good for one thing, it was pushing the pens of lyricists around the world.
It amazes me this band escaped my ears for as long as they did. This band has integrity oozing out of every pore. For them to join a major label and not turn into another pop punk blunder is quite the testament to that. Dare I say Rise Against is the next Bad Religion?
Scott Still, After All These Years, Is Not: Drowning Pool - Desensitized
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/drowningpool.jpg
Website: (http://www.drowningpool.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/drowningpool)
What can I say about Drowning Pool that hasn't already been said by countless fans worldwide? This is nu-metal Mecca, people. These Texas-based virtuosos crafted a phenomenal debut in Sinners (which went platinum within a year, only further proving my point), and came back after the death of their lead singer with 2004's amazing Desensitized. Remember "Bodies??" Well, multiply the awesomeness of that song by infinity, and you'll begin to grasp the level of badass emanating from every song on this album. Come on; there's a blonde with huge, pentagram-clad tits on the album cover holding an aluminum bat! Can it get better than this? I submit that it cannot.
Sam Turns Out Tricks While Listening To: The Bronx - The Bronx
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/thebronx.jpg
Website: (http://www.thebronxxx.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/thebronx)
The Bronx is badass. With their follow-up to their 2003 self-titled debut, The Bronx oddly enough release...The Bronx. Sadly, the disc is a short-lived 33 minutes. Within that half hour, The Bronx manages to borrow influence from all styles of rock, country, and punk.
Adam Would Never Raise His Children In: Apartment 26 - Hallucinating
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/apartment26.jpg
Website: (http://www.apartment26.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/apartment26)
I remember reading in late 1999 that a kid whose father just happened to be in Black Sabbath had started a semi-industrial, semi-nu metal group called Apartment 26. At the time, this was more than excellent news. I scrounged up a few bucks and bought their self-released EP on Ebay for 6 bucks (it was also signed by the whole band, so eat your heart out.) I loved the heck out of this CD and then shelled out a fat 20 bucks for an advance copy of the debut album, Hallucinating. This was my pre-mp3 days, so getting a CD 2 months in advance of its street date was a big deal and ended up being money well-spent. The band wanted to be compared to a light version of Nine Inch Nails, but Gravity Kills, Pitchshifter, and Stabbing Westward were more fitting descriptions. It's a real shame that the band will only be remembered for featuring Geezer Butler's son, because they churned out two solid albums before the interest wavered and they called it a day.
Chris Conlan Likes To Double-Space Between Paragraphs Because It's Excellent Practice For The Double-Fisting He Does Of Overwhelmingly Unspectacular Bands (And Boy, Does He Hope These Guys Are Legal!): Eighteen Visions - Eighteen Visions
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/18visions.jpg
Website: (http://www.eighteenvisions.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/eighteenvisions)
I'm going to set myself up for slaughter, but after listening to Eighteen Visions's new self-titled album, this is their best work to date. I've been waiting for a while for a band to make an album like this. The album is full of arena-sounding 80's hard rock/metal songs.
Songs like "Victim" and "Black and Bruised" are the tracks that stand out to me the most on this album since they show that the guys still keep it heavy. The songs makes me wish I had a Harley for some reason.
The biggest difference you'll hear is in their anthemic track "Broken Hearted" and "Tonightless." It definitely brings back memories of listening to Def Leppard and the likes as a kid.
It is only a matter of time before these guys are headlining arena tours in support of this album.
Chris Pandolfo Is Green With: Envy - Insomniac Doze
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/envy.jpg
Website: (http://www.temporaryresidence.com/bands/envy.php) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/envycore)
Japanese screamo band Envy was my first love of the genre and I think, to this day, they are still my favorite screamo band. A Dead Sinking Story is still a legendary screamo album, and almost everyone has heard the album, and loved it, no matter what genre of hardcore they are into. With their new release Insomniac Doze, Envy continues down the more epic path of songwriting, pushing it the post-rock sound. I can’t say how much I appreciate their decision to write what they wrote on this album. Emotional, uplifting, heart-wrenching, inspiring, luscious, and more are all adjectives that describe these seven songs.
I still can’t decide if I like A Dead Sinking Story or Insomniac Doze better. Fortunately, they run nicely together if played back to back. Although the songs are much slower and less energetic on the new album, both albums transition nicely back to back. The last thing I have to mention is that Tetsu Fukagowa has the best scream in the genre. Period.
Buy this album when it hits stores in August, or travel to Japan and get it now. Either way, you’ll melt while listening to this album.
Marc Doesn't Like Cutting Himself, So He Subjects His Ears To This Pile: Downer - Downer
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/downer.jpg
Website: (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/artists/Downer/) :: Listen: (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/artists/Downer/video.aspx)
Does anyone even remember this band anymore? Probably not. Switching from clean vocals to annoying screams, music doesn't get much better. Playing in the standard drop D, cliché song titles such as "Weed Eater," "Bi Furious," and "Mud Bath" (that's classic). More teen angst to add to your already angsty collection. This must have been the album of the year 2001.
Sounding like a 6th rate Tool, I must really be punishing my ears to put up with this crap. Was the start of the millennium so into nu-metal that every band resembling Tool or the Deftones in any way, shape, or form getting picked up? I really don't understand how this band was allowed to duplicate their music and spread it to the public. I want to say thank god for letting this phase end, but now we're being hit with bad metalcore bands. If you really want to check this out, I'm sure your local record stores are practically giving these away, and even then you still feel ripped off.
Kamran Doesn't Believe This Album Will Ever Be: Fear Factory - Obsolete
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/fearfactory.jpg
Website: (http://www.fearfactory.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/fearfactoryofficial)
Conceptual metal albums that bare any merit are hard to come across; thank God for Fear Factory. This 1998 masterpiece revolves around the story of a Matrix-like future with robots in control and other shit. I think there's a guybot named Edgecrusher and another guybot named Smasher/Devourer. It's pretty complex, so I won't go into all the details. In addition to the sweet story of robots and stuff, the music is totally sweet. Songs like "Shock," "Edgecrusher," the tunefully epic "Descent," and the super-political "Freedom or Fire" set the tone for a nu-metal spectacle. And who can forget the totally unnecessary and, at the same time, essential cover of Gary Numan's "Cars?" The title may be Obsolete, but Fear Factory proved they were years, nay, decades ahead of their time.
Daniel Alcinii's Name Is Longer Than This Write-Up: Champion - Promises Kept
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/champion.jpg
Website: (http://www.xchampionx.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/champion)
Aggressive, straightforward, straight-edge hardcore done the right way. Need I say more about the now-fallen Champion?
Jordan Sometimes Just Can't Get Enough Keytar: Deadsy - Commencement
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/deadsy.jpg
Website: (http://www.deadsy.com) :: Listen: (http://www.deadsy.com/phantasmagore/media/Better%20Than%20You%20Know%20_unmastered_.mp3)
Truth be told, I literally shit on myself when I first heard this album. I'm sure it didn't help that, moments before listening, I had just eaten a 2 lb. bag full of laxative gum. This is probably the single greatest release of 2002, maybe even all time. It's a sorely underrated album in the sacred realm of the 80's synth-rock nu-metal movement. They single-handedly altered the course of DreamWorks Records forever. They sound like Orgy having an intense love-making session with Marilyn Manson, Kidney Thieves, Depeche Mode, and Tom Petty. Forget the fact that these guys were fronted by the son of Cher and Greg Allman...okay...don't forget that. I guess that's just one more reason why these guy rocked so hard! I really hope they're working on a new album; the last 4 years have really been dragging without a new Deadsy release. God blesses them. Amen.
Brandon Picked Up On At Least One Of The Subliminal Messages Found In High Fidelity: Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/ofmontreal.jpg
Website: (http://www.ofmontreal.net) :: Listen: (http://www.ofmontreal.net/audiolounge.html)
I passed up a chance to see these guys live when they toured with Tilly and The Wall. At the time, they were only a name to me and I wasn't too familiar with their music. However, after I got home, I started listening to them and then kicked myself for not sticking around. These guys have a great folksy 70's feel to them, and they've got a great groove that helps add that little pep to your day. So if you want to try something a bit different because you're tired of all the same sounds that continue to rehash themselves over again, then give these guys a shot. For fans of: The Shins, Iron & Wine, Tilly and The Wall.
Jayme Passed Sociology: Dysrhythmia - Barriers And Passages
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/dysrhythmia.jpg
Website: (http://www.dysrhythmiaband.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/dysrhythmiaband)
All right, it’s been a while since I really heard a band that set out to challenge listeners with what they are doing; however, this week, that streak came to an abrupt halt once I finally listened to Dysrhythmia’s latest effort, Barriers and Passages. Barriers and Passages is basically the musical equivalent of every great sixty car pileup that has made headlines in the past few decades… except combine that clusterfuck with the chaos of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake that disrupted the World Series and sent parts of San Fransisco and Oakland (ironically, the two teams playing) into shambles. Now, try to imagine had all of that destruction been injected with brief, unexpected moments of cool breezes and relaxing yoga sessions. That’s enough to make your head spin, right? The dissonance that is Barriers and Passages serves as a lesson on how to shit on preconceived musical mores, rigid genre classifications, and the idea that many hold of music being a source of relaxation. Sure, you can get lost in this album and forget your worldly problems; however, if your idea of instrumental music only consists of the ethereal cloudlike soundscapes of bands like Explosions in the Sky or Mono, you might want to turn around. Barriers and Passages is a complex, creative, and discordant trek through a stretch of haunted woods in which you shit your pants during its heavy attacks (and by heavy, I don’t mean overly distorted guitars and regurgitated growls) and cry in uneasy anticipation as you progress through the silent downtimes. With that being said, if you’re a fan of bands like Isis, The Ocean, Pelican, Dillinger Escape Plan, or Genghis Tron, then enter the woods and, for the love of God, bring an extra pair of boxers– this is an adrenaline rush you junkies will probably want and need to take again.
Ben Doesn't Even Like Stephen King: The Deadlights - The Deadlights
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/thedeadlights.jpg
Website: (http://www.officialnothingface.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/nothingface1)
I don't know what it is about The Deadlights that made them one of my favorite groups as a teenager. Perhaps it was their ability to combine Pantera with The Smashing Pumpkins while still writing heart-churning, bittersweet anthems like "Sweet Oblivion." Maybe it was the fact that they used vocal effects to get the proper Corganesque nasal tones. Whatever it was, I still, to this day, find myself screaming, "Fuck you! You should have never tried to fight me! You should have realized this is the life that you deserve. Time is the fire in which you burn!" for, essentially, no reason. This album is soothing, aggressive, and tribal while diminishing none of the facets that make it so intriguing.
Jared Would Like To Point Out That Instrumental Post-Rock Can't Be Political: Rise Against - The Sufferer And The Witness
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/riseagainst.jpg
Website: (http://www.riseagainst.com) :: Listen: (http://myspace.com/riseagainst)
If you're looking for an album to rock out to for the summer, look no further than the new Rise Against record, The Sufferer and the Witness. Punk records always make the best “cruzin” tunes. Tim McIlrath's dirty croon will literally inspire you. Expect the same uplifting lyrics with biting social commentary that are an old hat for this band. If Bush was good for one thing, it was pushing the pens of lyricists around the world.
It amazes me this band escaped my ears for as long as they did. This band has integrity oozing out of every pore. For them to join a major label and not turn into another pop punk blunder is quite the testament to that. Dare I say Rise Against is the next Bad Religion?
Scott Still, After All These Years, Is Not: Drowning Pool - Desensitized
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/drowningpool.jpg
Website: (http://www.drowningpool.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/drowningpool)
What can I say about Drowning Pool that hasn't already been said by countless fans worldwide? This is nu-metal Mecca, people. These Texas-based virtuosos crafted a phenomenal debut in Sinners (which went platinum within a year, only further proving my point), and came back after the death of their lead singer with 2004's amazing Desensitized. Remember "Bodies??" Well, multiply the awesomeness of that song by infinity, and you'll begin to grasp the level of badass emanating from every song on this album. Come on; there's a blonde with huge, pentagram-clad tits on the album cover holding an aluminum bat! Can it get better than this? I submit that it cannot.
Sam Turns Out Tricks While Listening To: The Bronx - The Bronx
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/thebronx.jpg
Website: (http://www.thebronxxx.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/thebronx)
The Bronx is badass. With their follow-up to their 2003 self-titled debut, The Bronx oddly enough release...The Bronx. Sadly, the disc is a short-lived 33 minutes. Within that half hour, The Bronx manages to borrow influence from all styles of rock, country, and punk.
Adam Would Never Raise His Children In: Apartment 26 - Hallucinating
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/apartment26.jpg
Website: (http://www.apartment26.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/apartment26)
I remember reading in late 1999 that a kid whose father just happened to be in Black Sabbath had started a semi-industrial, semi-nu metal group called Apartment 26. At the time, this was more than excellent news. I scrounged up a few bucks and bought their self-released EP on Ebay for 6 bucks (it was also signed by the whole band, so eat your heart out.) I loved the heck out of this CD and then shelled out a fat 20 bucks for an advance copy of the debut album, Hallucinating. This was my pre-mp3 days, so getting a CD 2 months in advance of its street date was a big deal and ended up being money well-spent. The band wanted to be compared to a light version of Nine Inch Nails, but Gravity Kills, Pitchshifter, and Stabbing Westward were more fitting descriptions. It's a real shame that the band will only be remembered for featuring Geezer Butler's son, because they churned out two solid albums before the interest wavered and they called it a day.
Chris Conlan Likes To Double-Space Between Paragraphs Because It's Excellent Practice For The Double-Fisting He Does Of Overwhelmingly Unspectacular Bands (And Boy, Does He Hope These Guys Are Legal!): Eighteen Visions - Eighteen Visions
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/18visions.jpg
Website: (http://www.eighteenvisions.com) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/eighteenvisions)
I'm going to set myself up for slaughter, but after listening to Eighteen Visions's new self-titled album, this is their best work to date. I've been waiting for a while for a band to make an album like this. The album is full of arena-sounding 80's hard rock/metal songs.
Songs like "Victim" and "Black and Bruised" are the tracks that stand out to me the most on this album since they show that the guys still keep it heavy. The songs makes me wish I had a Harley for some reason.
The biggest difference you'll hear is in their anthemic track "Broken Hearted" and "Tonightless." It definitely brings back memories of listening to Def Leppard and the likes as a kid.
It is only a matter of time before these guys are headlining arena tours in support of this album.
Chris Pandolfo Is Green With: Envy - Insomniac Doze
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/envy.jpg
Website: (http://www.temporaryresidence.com/bands/envy.php) :: Listen: (http://www.myspace.com/envycore)
Japanese screamo band Envy was my first love of the genre and I think, to this day, they are still my favorite screamo band. A Dead Sinking Story is still a legendary screamo album, and almost everyone has heard the album, and loved it, no matter what genre of hardcore they are into. With their new release Insomniac Doze, Envy continues down the more epic path of songwriting, pushing it the post-rock sound. I can’t say how much I appreciate their decision to write what they wrote on this album. Emotional, uplifting, heart-wrenching, inspiring, luscious, and more are all adjectives that describe these seven songs.
I still can’t decide if I like A Dead Sinking Story or Insomniac Doze better. Fortunately, they run nicely together if played back to back. Although the songs are much slower and less energetic on the new album, both albums transition nicely back to back. The last thing I have to mention is that Tetsu Fukagowa has the best scream in the genre. Period.
Buy this album when it hits stores in August, or travel to Japan and get it now. Either way, you’ll melt while listening to this album.
Marc Doesn't Like Cutting Himself, So He Subjects His Ears To This Pile: Downer - Downer
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/ListeningStation/downer.jpg
Website: (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/artists/Downer/) :: Listen: (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/artists/Downer/video.aspx)
Does anyone even remember this band anymore? Probably not. Switching from clean vocals to annoying screams, music doesn't get much better. Playing in the standard drop D, cliché song titles such as "Weed Eater," "Bi Furious," and "Mud Bath" (that's classic). More teen angst to add to your already angsty collection. This must have been the album of the year 2001.
Sounding like a 6th rate Tool, I must really be punishing my ears to put up with this crap. Was the start of the millennium so into nu-metal that every band resembling Tool or the Deftones in any way, shape, or form getting picked up? I really don't understand how this band was allowed to duplicate their music and spread it to the public. I want to say thank god for letting this phase end, but now we're being hit with bad metalcore bands. If you really want to check this out, I'm sure your local record stores are practically giving these away, and even then you still feel ripped off.