Astrosoniq | Quadrant
Already known for their spaced-out, sci-fi inspired brand of psychedelia, Quadrant sets a new pace to Astrosoniq‘s never ending trip into the realms of rock’s history. Knee-deep in a space-jam wonderland they wander through the tides of contemporary rock with ten anthems of sheer class, matured through their 10 years of history together as a band. This is Astrosoniq at their absolute best; pummeling drums, pounding bass lines, powerful riffs and effect-laden vocals, with more experimental and challenging elements than ever before, while still maintaining their hallmark sound. Quadrant is out in North America February 22, 2011.
Wive | Pvll
The music of Wive pulls from and fuses together a broad range of musical elements, including classical composition, electronic/glitch, melodic pop nostalgia and minimalist sensibilities. Quickly swinging from piano-lead waltzes to massive synth washes to straight-ahead melodic hooks, Wive creates an aesthetic that is both somber and hopeful. The recording of Pvll took place in various living rooms, basements, garages and closets in several locations as time, space, and temperature would allow. Utilizing the internet to bridge the gap between the members spread throughout Minnesota, the compositions were relayed back and forth to be honed, refined, dismissed or created, and then polished in a live room. Pvll is out in North America February 22, 2011.
The Antikaroshi | Per/son/alien
Per/son/alien is The Antikaroshi‘s way of telling stories by using only fragments or short lyrics. Having grown up in the East German punk/hardcore underground and raised by direct in-your-face lyrics, with subtleties not to stir up governmental attention, The Antikaroshi try to figure out where they stand now, over 20 years later. Approaching this culture and their music with the knowledge of these circumstances, The Antikaroshi admit that whatever is created will be just a trace – the bit within the byte. So the three-piece delivers an album full of struggles, inner conflict and uncompromising emotion. The sound is deeply rooted in post-rock back and the DC punk/hardcore explosion in the 90′s and even recalls many cherished records from the Touch & Go roster. Per/son/alien is out in North America March 8, 2011.
Beehoover | Concrete Catalyst
The Beehoover of 2010 are unstoppable. More potent than ever is the unclassifiable German duo’s attack, as they’ve honed to precision their unique combination of bass, drums and vocals, capture/release rhythms, the call and response between the two members, and those incredible riffs… Concrete Catalyst now sees the band elaborating their songwriting into unexpected finesse. Prog-laden textures create distinct walls of sound within the raging riffery, culminating into a monolithic album that is so much more than just a collection of songs, yet was recorded and mixed by the band in their own rehearsal room/studio in less than 30 hours. Concrete Catalyst is out in North America March 8, 2011.
Wino | Adrift
The first acoustic solo album from doom legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Adrift is easily the man’s most personal and powerful material to date. Stripped down to the bare minimum — just his voice and his guitar — the songs on Adrift follow classic American songwriting ideals offering a compelling mixture of emotion and storytelling. Wino is a man on his own in a boat without sails. He’s fighting against tides and storms, enjoying the moments of bright sunshine; bound to the will of something external — the wind, destiny and the drift. The twelve tracks on Adrift help elevate this already iconic musician to a new level of storytelling, setting Wino up to fall right in line with greats like Johnny Cash, Woodie Guthrie, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and other classic American songwriters. Adrift is out in North America March 8, 2011. Read General Blaspheme’s review.
