"Thinking of You" by The Night VI

Yeah. One does not quit his passion after a fraction of time, that I know, but maybe it is part of our faulty humanic system? Gotta believe in that. Now, as the song says between the lines, "I've been laying low" for some time but finally here it is, a delicate, touching, emotional, felicitous set of letters that are turning my complex thoughts into simple blog posts encoded in songs. Well. Today's guest is the distinguished The Night VI, supposedly an "Anglo-French" band namely Sophie-Rose (vocals), Anna (harp), Bogart (bass), Jack (lead guitar), Kristy (keyboards) and Bo (drums), with their sort of masterpiece (yeah, couldn't think of any other word here) "Thinking of You" that is sure to take you away like a darkening leaf on a melancholic night of autumn, trying to find its holy ground to decay at peace.

The song is one of those which hosts the harmony of instruments and the voices - apparently Sophie-Rose has a voice that is meant to take you away, thinking of that someone, someone special probably. Having the priviledge to listen to a song of such quality calls to mind a strange feeling, questioning on whether or not leaving your beloved one behind could be a better idea than it first seems.

Guitars, keyboard, then drums and then the vocals - along with perfect touches on harp strings somehow, make this one worth listening. When it comes to the inner world of the harmony, I guess since thinking of someone would be a way too serious act - and for that person to occupy a nicely heated chamber in your heart - so is and does the song, in its most literal sense, reminding you the good old days with a cool breeze of a cold night that you could have been spending, perhaps, in a better way. Anyways, here's to the song:

Considering the fact that the band has released their debut album just a month ago, it is my humble opinion that it is quite a success - even not even taking into account the thousands that are following them on various social media platforms providing support. If you feel like doing so, here are the links that you'll find convenient. Please enjoy.

            

"W.D.Y.W.F.M?" by The Neighbourhood

I'm gonna write this review on a pretty, pretty brand new alternative rock band after a long break. Although I still feel the apparent lack of energy to do posts everyday like I did weeks ago, a stunning band which seem to make not only rock music but also some nice hip-hop and rap dressings as well, and I guess this is also apparent from the picture on the right. The Neighbourhood consist of (from left to right) Zach Abels (guitar), Bryan Sammis (drums),  Jesse Rutherford (vocals), Mikey Margott (bass guitar) and Jeremy Freedman (guitar). Now don't let the British spelling of "The Neighbourhood" fool you; they are actually based in Califournia. Or California as we all know it.

Having released two EPs titled "I'm Sorry..." and "Thank You", their first studio album "I Love You." came out just a few months ago, on April 2013 via Columbia Records. With 21-year-old Rutherford in the lead, they are dubbed as one of the fastest rock bands that got popular in almost no time.

Personally I had a chance to try out their latest album and to be honest, no other album amazed me that much since LP's Meteora and that was pretty long ago. Perhaps their success can be attributed to the innate skill of making use of different beats and genres in each song, concocting a brand new style and that is why their style took me back to years ago, to my high school times when I secretly listened to Linkin Park at night over and over.

Since I've been posting entries on marvellous songs, I'm also marvelled by the incredible ideas to stylize these bands in the new age of music, through various means. Apparently, The Neighbourhood stylize themselves with black & white images and videos but not only that. The British spellings also catch the prudent reader's eye.

Anyways, here's my pick - the full title is "What Do You Want From Me?" and it is as strong and beautiful as the other records in the album. The style is pretty apparent and coherent in each and every track.

Pretty, pretty awesome album that. Feel free to support them guys. They are currently touring North America, but they probably know that once they've built a strong fanbase over there, European fans will also be waiting for them with open arms over here.

                

"I Will Steal You Back" by Jimmy Eat World

Today's guests hail from Mesa, Arizona - Jimmy Eat World is actually a band with a history in music, a bunch of guys teamed up back in 1993. Yeah, pretty much time has passed since then! However, as a young music lover residing outside the US, I don't even remember whether I heard them or saw their videos before. And this little detail has gotten me to write down this new post, specifically on  I Will Steal You Back from their seventh studio album, Damage, which is already released almost a month ago on June 11 under Dine Alone Records. The members of the band are (from left to right) Rick Burch (bass guitar, back vocals), Zach Lind (drums), James Adkins (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Tom Linton (rhythm guitar, back vocals).

The band goes around alternative rock mostly, so in case there are alternative fans out there, this is your band. Actually one can get enough information from the net since JEW is already popular by now, whereas I would rather define this level of popularity as an underrated one. I'm apt to think that these guys only aimed for good music and just recording it without any label, thus getting popular worldwide has perhaps never been their ultimate goal. Anyways, for potential fans out here outside the US, here it goes.

I thought the most intriguing thing to do for the prudent reader would be digging the net and finding out where the weird title of the band comes from, so I just did that. It became clear to me after reading the interview Chris Blackburn did with the vocalist Jim Adkins here. Funny story to read.

"Actually, it's a picture that my little brother drew ... probably five years ago. My brother Jim beat up my younger brother Ed, and Jim ran into his room and locked his door, and Ed drew this picture that said "Jimmy Eat World", and it was a picture of him eating the world. My brother Jim is kind of a big guy. A stupid name."

As to my pick I Will Steal You Back, well, it's a pretty powerful one and one step closer to the energetic and captivating nature of old rock. Just the type of music that you would want to listen whenever you need some good mood and energy. Jimmy Eat World - here they are, ladies and gentlemen.

I hope they'll reach out to European fans more in the coming years! Let's give them likes folks.

          

"The Ocean" by Tonight Alive

Today's guests are from Australia, namely Tonight Alive, a band that made quite a reputation with their energetic and rapid approach to reshape popular music for the last 5 years after being founded in 2008. The members of the band are (from left to right) Matt Best (drums), Jake Hardy (rhythm guitar), Jenna McDougall (vocals), Whakaio Taahi (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Cam Adler (bass guitar, backing vocals).

It is best to mention here that although only a few years has passed since they began making noise, Tonight Alive was honored by the radio station KROQ in 2010 as one of the top Australian bands in the U.S., making it in the list beside some well known artists and bands such as Oasis and Savage Garden.

After releasing two EPs (All Shapes and Disguises and Consider This) in 2010, their first studio album What Are You So Scared Of? met music fans in 2011 under Fearless Records label. I personally had the chance to listen to this incredible album and I should point out that their punk-pop style is really similar to Destine, a Dutch band, whose members kind of grew up listening to American artists, so their work turned out to be not an imitation, but just another and perhaps a more creative version of it.

My pick amongst their songs will be from their upcoming album though, namely The Other Side which is to be released in September 2013 via Sony Music in Australia, Fearless Records in USA and Search and Destroy in the UK. To help their fans jump on the bandwagon they have already released a single from the upcoming album on 12th of June, The Ocean, which is quite promising. Well, it's hard to say their style has diverged, but I have a funny feeling that this new album will be a step closer to alternative rock. Anyway, by the time we get our hands to their record, it will already be sorted out. Here's my pick:

Below is a wild lyric video from their YouTube channel:

For the ones who are interested in listening to them live, they are currently on Warped Tour 2013 in North America. They'll soon be out in Philippines in August for Bazooka Rocks II Festival, and then beginning from September they will be touring Europe including Poland, Ireland, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands (personally I'd love to catch up with them in Poland if my schedule allows). Below are links to their presence on the net, feel free to give 'em a hug.

            

"Your Side" by Fear of Men

While I do not have any idea whether the name of this very band rooted from androphobia, I do have some ideas on what kind of music these 4 young and brilliant people have been conducting, thanks to a spontaneous and lucky encounter with their Soundcloud feed. Well, say, artists could analystically see through the innate nature of the philosophy behind their songs, however, I'll make a clear step-by-step explanation for engineering students like me. Most of the time, you get to start off with a soothing tune, soft touches on strings, and an ambient environment that you keep walking around till the end. Then, it's already high time that a captivating voice prepares you to take off with rather stronger beats and then you are already taken away. That is called the incredible Fear of Men.

Their most recent album released in February 2013 is titled "Early Fragments" which seems to have a sculptural artwork as the album cover, with the previous 2 mini albums also having been released with similar artworks. Photos pertaining to historical remnants and other art-related stuff are always present on their tumblr page. Just recently, actually yesterday they played for free on an art show opening in London.  As you can guess, the context is kind of clear and pointing right to the fact that Fear of Men was actually born from an art project at college.

Al Horner, NME Magazine

As band's guitarist as well as vocalist, Jessica Weiss (pictured above) was doing her fine arts degree when she had to seek suitable ambient tunes for her short films. And luckily, she meets Daniel Falvey who is supposedly interested in the sounds Jessica had discovered in the process. The two began exchanging tracks and over time and not much time passes until this ambient style is converted into something more like electro-pop enriched with enthused vocals by Jessica, and with Daniel as guitarist as well as Michael Miles (drums) & Robyn Edwards (bass), Fear of Men turns out to be really productive when it comes to making music, having released 6 albums on various record labels since March 2011.

Without elaborating any further, I'd like to introduce my pick among their latest songs, which is called "Your Side". I've taken notice of how most critics tip "Born" or "Mosaic" to be the best one in Early Fragments, however, I strongly believe Your Side is the one in which the vocal skills seem to be most "unmatched" when compared to many other, rather more experienced bands, even though this one could be viewed as not as powerful as the other ones in the album. I hope you'll enjoy it.

They say being "modern" nowadays is something to do with role-playing. Having different roles in daily life, yet matching the motivation needed to overcome difficulties in each frontier. To simplify, you could think of a father who is also a boss at work, as well as inferior to his own boss, and of course who is a husband. Imagine that these people are having dinner at the same table and put yourself in the man's shoes and you'll understand what I mean - this could be a close resemblance of life. In this regard, I'll go ahead and praise Jessica for exemplifying the motivation many other people need these days, since she is an example of how any given person can reach their dreams in different areas without making a sacrifice on any of them, and perhaps, a stronger chance to combine them and use these skills interchangealby.
I was following Fear of Men before doing this post today, hence when this idea popped into my mind, I wanted to jump on the bandwagon and write about a brilliant band that is bound to achieve worldwide success in the near future.

Below are the links to their presence on social media. Feel free to support their work.

                    

"Bermuda Locke†" by Crosses

Today's guests will probably be most welcomed by fans of the bands Deftones and Far, both of which are based in Sacramento, California. Having been founded in 2011, Crosses' history goes far beyond than just 2 years actually, since Chino Moreno (on the left) and Shaun Lopez (on the right) have been friends since childhood and with Scott Chuck (in the middle) a.k.a. Chuck Doom, who has joined them rather recently, they saw no harm in being a little bit creative thus the result turn out to be ††† (with each cross representing each band member), with 2 albums released so far, namely EP1 and EP2, both of whose producer is Shaun Lopez himself.

by Ink2Paper916 on devianart

Ascending the steep path of fame as the lead vocalist and guitarist of Deftones, Moreno's lyrics always have a bit of ambiguity that makes it hard for even an assidious listener to decrypt what the story really is. Moreno had something to say on this: "My lyrics don't deal with specific topics. I write down on paper the feelings of the moment, it's not easy to explain the contents of the lyrics or give a logical sense to the words." Yet he has quite a reputation, touring the US, South America as well as Europe with Deftones and his new side-project Crosses. The image on the left is just one of the fan-made pieces of art devoted to him.

After tasting most of the noise they made via Crosses' Soundcloud feed, my pick was "Bermuda Locke†" from their first album EP1. Well, I guess it won't hurt to give a spoiler here - this one is all about passion, instincts and desires. Maybe unstated needs, things that burn inside us with a wild love, yet when courage fails to give them away. The track takes the listener away with a slow intro & delicate touches on keyboard, then step up the tempo a little to captivate with a soft alternative & electronic style and truly reflect the feelings inside (guess we're talking about Chino's thoughts here). Anyways, here's the song, enjoy.

The good news is that this song, as well as the whole album EP1 can be downloaded for free on ††† website. The high quality update for EP1, as well as the album EP2 are downloadable as paid purchases in the same address as well. Below are the links to their cribs on internet, feel free to support them and their marvellous work.

               

"Blindfold the Sun" by Artificial Brothers

As a music lover who admires Poets of the Fall, saw The Rasmus live once in a lifetime, feels taken away by the voice of Marit Larsen every time and also a keen listener of the old Lukas Kasha which disbanded a few years back, I must admit that various bands from Scandinavian region continue to give chills to their audience with their fascinatingly innate talent into making quality music. Now it's time for me to introduce yet another band from the same area, namely incredible Artificial Brothers, an alternative rock band from Denmark.

Having released their first album "Make Our Hearts Sway" in 2012, one can easily be mistaken to think they are a brand new band. However, to the prudent music fan it becomes clear that Artificial Brothers have been making noise since 2009. I had the chance to listen to their music through their Soundcloud feed and the keywords by the help of which I am going to describe my feelings turned out to be sorrow, loneliness, grief and maybe darkness as well.

Their Facebook page actually includes a very precise definition of what kind of music they make. The words are delicately chosen, and they actually reflect the band better than a mirror would, in my view.

"Artificial Brothers moves around in a dark universe with boundary pushing and alluring spaces that consistently reflects on the darker and brighter sides of life. The music is incorporated into a world of vibrant energy and intensity where everything is painted in melancholy. The dark and gloomy musical moods range from minimalistic and sparse arrangements to magnificent and brash rock herds."

These dark images truly symbolize the atmosphere present in most of their songs. And here is my pick among them, "Blindfold the Sun":

For the ones who wish to meet the band members (Mathias Bertelsen, Anders Brogaard, Anders Hvass, Stig Sylvest and Lars Hvelplund), here is a video that the brothers performed live for BalconyTV:

Having taken part in Spot Festival in Denmark about 2 months ago, they are based in Copenhagen with presence in various social media sites. Feel free to support their work.

            

"Love & Fairytales" by Orion Walsh

If a random guy comes at you during your working hours at the office or while you assidiously prepare for a test at school, telling you that he has discovered "what life is all about", most of us would note the audacity first, most probably telling him to get lost right away. Well, Orion Walsh is our marvellous guest today, who is apparently successful doing it by the help of a guitar with pretty strong and charming beats. My guess is that even a group of pirates would not give way to a mutiny while listening to his inspiring tune (assuming that they are avid music lovers of course).

Although Nebraskan singer Orion Walsh released his first album in 2008, he has been touring the US and Europe for the last 10 years and has some history in music with his previous band "Slow Coming Day". He has gained quite a reputation, with some of his tracks being used in some movies and TV shows including America's Next Top Model.

I came across his work titled "Love & Fairytales" on Embark Photography's Soundcloud feed. The track is quite inspiring with meaningful lyrics and I'm sure that the ones who love the sound of guitar will truly cherish this one. That being said, let's get down to listen this incredible song.

And here are the lyrics of Love & Fairytales by Orion Walsh, I tried to be as accure as I could.

Love is only true in fairytales

And we are destined to fail

And life is only but a flash

We come flesh and we turn into ash

Some say we're just spinning

Shows again

What has the beginning

Must end

Time will take you by the hand

And leave you over the ledge

And the mind will steal all you have

Till you're dressed

Till you're dressed up in rags

Love is only true in fairytales

Orion Walsh has released 4 albums so far (Tornado Lullabies, Freedom Lost Freedom Found, The Hitchhiker's Song, First by Water Then by Fire) with his first album Tornado Lullabies (2008) being downloadable for free, here. From his website, we learn another one called "Rambling Hearts" will soon occupy the racks in music stores and what's more, yet another one, actually in the form of casette tape will be on sale with limited amount via The Hunter Records. (Orion hopes you still have your old Walkman!) Feel free to support his work, and get updates on his recent tour in the US by the help of the links below which will direct you to his pages.