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Monks of Mellonwah: Neurogenesis EP

Here Comes The Flood — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:19:00 GMT

Middle-of-the-road rock trying to get loud and nasty. The Neurogenesis EP by Australian quartet Monks of Mellonwah. They used three different big name producers for four tracks. Jeff Bova (Michael Jackson), Ryan Miller (RM Music), Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, RHCP) have ironed out all the wrinkles and found each other in a radio friendly sound that is adequate and mostly harmless. A&R will love them, the general public will pick them up and drop them when the next one comes along.

All the promise that was showing on in their previous EP Stars Are Out, with the stand-out track Swamp Groove, is gone. Back to the drawing board.

Monks of Mellonwah:
Will Maher: vocals
Joe de la Hoyde: guitar, backing vocals
John de la Hoyde: bass
Josh Baissari: drums

Neurogenesis is a self-released EP. Release date: May 24. Full stream on Soundcloud

Tracks:

Neurogenesis
Neverending Spirit
Kyoto
You Shine
Neurogenesis (Radio Edit)

» monksofmellonwah.com

Ben Browning: Lover Motion

Here Comes The Flood — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:16:00 GMT

photo: Jackson Dickie

Cut Copy bassist Ben Browning has just released Lover Motion, his first solo EP. Gus Franklin and Haima Marriott (Architecture in Helsinki) helped him out and Cut Copy's Dan Whitford was on hand to provide keyboard programming, adding an Eighties glow to the tracks.

In terms of music Browning makes the cut, but his vocals leave a lot to desire. They are rather flat, which is a blessing in disguise, because his lyrics suck. He tried really hard to come up with something meaningful and soul searching and ended up with hyperboles going nowhere. Thankfully Night Dunes and Bullet Island are instrumentals. This is the kind of clean-cut electronic pop that will be piped through the PA during a fashion show of a designer who put an intern in charge of the music, because she looked like she might in touch with the hipster dance crowd.

Lover Motion is released on Cutters Records. Full stream on Soundcloud.

Tracks:

I Can't Stay
Night Dunes
Feels Like
Mistaken Images
Bullet Island

(Ben Browning - Night Dunes)

Live dates:

04/27 Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands w/ DFA's Jon Galkin (DJ Set)
04/28 Washington DC @ Sweetlife Festival
04/30 Los Angeles CA @ School Night @ Bardot
05/02 Los Angeles CA @ Saint Rocke
05/03 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey (with Metronomy)
05/04 Los Angeles CA @ Central

Video: Ben Browning - I Can't Stay

» facebook.com/benbrowningofficial

The ABC Club: White Lies

Here Comes The Flood — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:08:00 GMT

Leeds quintet The ABC Club earned some love from NME, a blessing in disguise for many promising bands. Their new EP White Lies sounds sad, sweet and dark, with falsetto vocals and guitar licks lifted from the Pulp and Blur songbooks.

Whitby is the stand-out track, an acoustic love song about this small seaside town in North Yorkshire. Title track White Lies sounds a lot like The Smiths, albeit with less pathos and a muffled drum sound.

Whitby by The ABC Club

White Lies is a self-released album. Buy it from the band's website. Release date: April 16th.

Tracks:

White Lies
Grandfather Clock
Scattered Light
Whitby

Video: The ABC Club - White Lies

Live dates:

04/01 Stereo, York
04/03 The Macbeth, London
04/04 Start The Bus, Bristol
04/06 The Bowery, Sheffield
04/07 The Independent, Sunderland
04/09 Bumper, Liverpool

» theabcclub.co.uk

Cover Me: Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby

Here Comes The Flood — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:08:00 GMT

Watch NYC folk band Town Hall cover the traditional Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby, a song that was sung by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.

The band's full-length Roots & Bells is coming out on April 15th. The CD release party will be held at Webster Hall.

» townhallband.com

Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band: new single "Black Egg", recording new album "Stuff That Rotates"

Here Comes The Flood — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:04:00 GMT

Danish dance pop duo Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band are back and sharing Black Egg, the first single from their fortccoming album Stuff That Rotates out April 30th on Crunchy Frog in Scandinavia and May 20th in the rest of the world.

(Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band - Black Egg)

Live dates:

05/24 Copenhagen, Denmark @t Huset i Magstræde
05/26,Roskilde, Denmark @ Gimle

» snakeandjet.dk

HCTF review of Peace Boat.

Clouds On Strings: Pomology

Here Comes The Flood — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:59:00 GMT

Chico, CA prog quintet Clouds On Strings have made a concept EP about fruit. That's right, about fruit. Pomology puts the spotlight on an Apple, a Banana, a Kiwi and a Grapefuit. These guys sound old school in a good way. All the fun aside these guys can actually play, mixing avant-garde with a bit of jazz and lots of progressive rock. The contents of this EP are highly nutritious, low on fat, and high on fun and musicianship.

The first bars of Apple contain the sum of the band's musical heroes. With violin player Matthew Weiner channeling Jean-Luc Ponty, the quintet changes pace and takes twist and turns, like they are bouncing within the core of the subject mater, bumping into seeds, and cutting their way to the carpels. Banana is more rock oriented with a jazzy orchestral vibe, not unlike Rush - it a song that can open up on stage. Kiwi is more complex, with Joshua Hegg's meandering keyboards interlocking with layered vocals. The EP's closer Grapefruit is the closest they get to King Crimson, with a bit of Zappa in his Flo & Eddie period thrown in.

Caveat! The Start Menu is nearly half an hour of the singer inventing you in dozens of ways to press next. It can be skipped without offending the band. Otherwise, dive in and end up either in a rage or laughing uncontrollably. "Welcome to Pomology, a musical cornucopia. Come with me on a fruitful adventure through rhythm and harmony. Over the hills and through the fertile valleys of your brain. Press next to begin."

Clouds On Strings:
Michael Bone: guitar and vocals
Matthew Franklin: drums
Joshua Hegg: keyboards
Randall Jangula: bass and vocals
Matthew Weiner: violin

Pomology is a self-released album. Buy it from the band's website.

Tracks:

Start Menu
Apple
Banana
Kiwi
Grapefruit

Video: Clouds On Strings - Banana
(live @ @ The Beachside Grill, Oceanside, CA)

Live dates:

03/15 Café Coda, Chico, CA
03/16 Blue Lamp, Sacramento, CA
03/20 Grant and Green Saloon, San Francisco, CA
04/05 Café Coda, Chico, CA
05/23 La Salle's, Chico, CA

» cloudsonstrings.com

Rooftop Runners: We Are Here

Here Comes The Flood — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:59:00 GMT

Canadian brothers Benedikt and Tobias MacIsaac are Rooftop Runners. Currently living in Berlin their new EP We Are Here is a soft-spoken journey through dark pop with a dose of trip-hop.

The brothers' voices blend seamlessly, taking off the edge of The Cure inspired bass lines in Energize and She Devil. Lazy guitar figures out of the Pavement songbook collide with piano and keyboards flourishes. The MacIsaac's are well versed in creating adventurous textures. The songs creep up on the listener, tapping you gently on the shoulder. With just a hint of Marlene Dietrich cabaret shining through in Streets and channeling Bowie in his "Heroes" period during Bang Bang, they have made a musical snapshot of their adopted hometown.

We Are Here is a self-released EP. Buy it from the band's website. Release date: April 3rd.

Tracks:

Bang Bang
Energize
She Devil
Streets

(Energize by Rooftop Runners)

Live date:

03/02 Liverpool, UK @ The Engine Room

Video: Rooftop Runners - Streets

» rooftoprunners.com

Eilen Jewell: on tour in New Zealand and Australia

Here Comes The Flood — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:38:00 GMT

Alt.country singer Eilen Jewell goes down under promoting her Queen of the Minor Key album. First ever shows in New Zealand.

03/16 Bodega, Wellington, New Zealand
03/17 The Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand
03/22 The Corner Hotel, Melbourne Richmond, VIC, Australia
03/24 Meeniyan Hall, Meeniyan, VIC, Australia
03/25 Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh, VIC, Australia
03/28 The Vanguard, Sydney, Australia
03/29 Clarendon Guest House, Katoomba, Australia

Video: Eilen Jewell - Warning Signs

» eilenjewell.com

HCTF review of Queen of the Minor Key.

Stone Axe: Stone Axe II Deluxe Edition

Here Comes The Flood — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:41:00 GMT

Stone Axe might well be the most prolific stoner rock band these days. They have released two full-length albums, split singles, EPs, love vinyl in various formats (7", 10" and 12"). Oh, and there are different editions of their albums for the USA and Europe, too. Keeping track can be hard, since most of their one-off's appear on small labels specializing in (very) limited runs. With the release of Stone Axe II as a Deluxe 2CD set, fans of the band are treated to over an hour of those rarities on the second disc.

Core band members Dru Brinkerhoff (vocals) and Tony Teed (all instruments) don't do filler. Making sure that every note counts they bring back the ghosts of Thin Lizzy (Those Were The Golden Years) can do Cream better than Cream themselves could (at least nowadays), with a high energy cover of SWLABR.

Tony Reed is self-styled Seventies rock archivalist and he has internalized every hook and riff from that era. Thankfully he doesn't fal into the trap of epigonism, but he has found his own style, a rumbling sound that come to the fore in instrumentals like the galloping Stonin' and the monumental closer of the set, Transmissions (pt2). Brinkerhoff's finest moments are the bluesy Shine On and the trashy throat ripper Metal Damage. Stone Axe that can sound dangerous even when the play acoustic. Chasing Dragons off the original album makes you look over you shoulder to make sure that the nightmarish creature isn't lurking in the corner of the room.

Stone Axe:
Dru Brinkerhoff: vocals
Tony Reed: guitar
Mykey Haslip: drums
Mike DuPont: bass

Stone Axe - 2 Disc Expanded Edition and the LP are released on Ripple Music. Release date: April 10th (April 2nd in the UK).

CD 1

Old Soul
We Know It’s Still Rock n Roll
Chasing Dragons
Live For The Day
Those Were The Golden Years
On With The Show
Ain’t Gonna Miss It
One More Time Before I Die
Just A Little Bit
Turned To Stone

CD 2

SWLABR
Black Widow
Shine On
Rhinoceros
King of Everything
When I Came Down
Taking Me Home(live)
Stonin’
The Devil’s Hand
Metal Damage
For All That Fly
Nightwolf
The Last Setting Sun
Slice the Darkness
Transmissions (pt2)

Live dates:

03/02 Tumbledown @ The Manette Saloon & Side bar, Bremerton, WA (acoustic)
03/03 Helter Skelter Lounge, Poulsbo, WA
03/10 Slim's Last Chance, Seattle, WA (w/ Vaporland)
03/17 Casey's Bbar and Grill, Belfair, WA (w/ Klementine)
03/30 Hell's Kitchen STONEFREE (Stone Axe perform the music of FREE), Tacoma, WA (w/ Electric Falcons)
03/31 Coo Coo'S Nest, Port Angeles, WA
04/06 Desertfest, London, UK
04/10 The Rambler, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
04/14 The Vortex, Siegen Germany

More European shows will be announced shortly. Stone Axe: Captured Live! Roadburn Festival 2011, recorded at last year's Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands, will be released soon.

Video: Stone Axe - Chasing Dragons

» stoneaxeband.com

Marco Benevento: tour dates

Here Comes The Flood — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:09:00 GMT

Avant=jazz keyboardist Marco Benevento keeps him self busy playing piano in various configurations.

Live dates:

03/16 Arts Block, Greenfield, MA
03/17 Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY #
03/23 The Brass Lantern, Reading, PA
03/28 The State Theatre, Falls Church, VA *
03/29 The Jeffersonville Theatre, Charlottesville, VA *
03/30 Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC *
03/31 Ciderhouse, Knoxville, TN *
04/01 Kirk Avenue Music Hall, Roanoke, VA
04/11 Westcott Theatre, Syracuse, NY $
04/12 Nietzche's, Buffalo, NY $
04/13 The Haunt, Ithaca, NY $
04/14 Red Square, Albany, NY &
04/27 Republic, New Orleans, LA w/ Anders Osborne & ALO
05/12 Beyond Music Festival, Stevenson, AL
06/01 Mountain Jam, Catskill, NY
07/27 Floyd Fest 11 Floyd, VA
08/03 Telluride Jazz Festival, Telluride, CO

# solo piano w/ Bernie Worrell Orchestra
& w/ Tauk
* w/ Toubab Krewe
$ w/ MK Groove Trio

Garage A Trois:

05/01 The Howlin Wolf, New Orleans, LA
05/04 One Eyed Jack's, New Orleans, LA
07/26 Floyd Fest 11 Floyd, VA

Bustle In Your Hedgerow:

03/09 Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock, NY
03/10 River Street Jazz Cafe, Wilkes Barre, PA
05/31 Mountain Jam, Catskill, NY

Sit Ins & Guest Spots & Other Configurations:

03/03 Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY ***sit-in w/ Soulive
04/28 The Blue Nile, New Orleans, LA ***w/ Eddie Roberts, Rob Johnson & more
04/29 The Blue Nile, New Orleans, LA ***Worship My Organ
05/02 Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans, LA ***w/ Eric McFadden, Mike Dillon & more
05/03 The Maple Leaf, New Orleans, LA ***w/ Skerik, Johnny Vidacovich and George Porter
05/04 The Maple Leaf, New Orleans, LA ***The Music of James Booker w/ Johnny Vidacovich & James Singleton
05/05 The Parish @ HOB, New Orleans, LA ***w/ Eric Krasno, George Porter & Johnny Vidacovich
05/23 The Mint, Los Angeles, CA ***sit-in w/ Matt Chamberlain
06/22 Midsummer Meltdown, Schuylkill Haven, PA ***w/ Skerik & Mike Dillon

Video: Marco Benevento - I Saw Her Standing There
(live @ Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ - 2010/10/30)

» marcobenevento.com

HCTF review of Between The Needles & Nightfall.