CoNtrivedNiHilism

What will I do here? Album reviews or topics revolving around music, movie reviews, talk about things I have cooked recently or will be cooking, reviewing Anime I watch seeming how I have noticed we do have other people here that watch it, talk about what got me in to music in the first place, my desires or goals, my writing, views or opinions on political topics...there will be a lot of content here so I do hope I can have my journal get the go ahead!

I might even post up some short stories I've written in here. Who knows? Hope there's interest here and I look forward to see who peeks in here!

Alright! Looks like I've been given the green light for this thing. Going to kick this off with my top ten albums of 2014, so far! That number will obviously grow once other albums I am waiting for are out, and I've had time to listen to them. Bare in mind that I will primarily be reviewing albums within the realm of Rock, Metal, their individual sub genre as well. It won't be all too often that I review anything outside of that, save for some Indie release or Alternative too. Time will tell. I will likely post each album, with each new post here.

10.

Band: Crosses
Album: S/T
Release: February 11, 2014 via Sumerian Records
Length: 56:00
Tracklist:

1. "This Is a Trick"
2. "Telepathy"
3. "Bitches Brew"
4. "Thholyghst"
5. "Trophy"
6. "The Epilogue"
7. "Bermuda Locket"
8. "Frontiers"
9. "Nineteen Ninety Four"
10. "Option"
11. "Nineteen Eighty Seven"
12. "Blk Stallion"
13. "Cross"
14. "Prurient"
15. "Death Bell"



So. This little project here began in 2011 when Deftones singer Chino Moreno and childhood friend Shaun Lopez (guitarist of Far), as well as Chuck Doom, got together and began recording, roughly around 4 hours a day. The group ended up with 16 songs total. The songs were released gradually over a series of EP's the band put out, which consisted of two EP's total. Additionally. Contributing musicians to this project also included Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, LOADED), and Chris Robyn of Far for live drum tracking, as well as Dredg drummer Dino Campanella for touring.

If you're a fan of Deftones, Team Sleep, Far. You can probably get some kind of an idea of what the material on this album sounds like; dance oriented at times, funk vibes, ambient, pulsing riffs, at times tribal like drumming, Chino's all too well known vocals...some of his best yet are showcased here on this album, even some of his best songwriting to date. However. It is also a bit tough to place Crosses in any specific genre, they bounce around a lot...

To sum it up. This album is pretty big. It's got a lot of variety. The material is solid and hard to find anything wrong with it. I favored this over Chino and one of his other projects, Team Sleep.

I highly recommend this, ladies and gents. I will post a few tracks here to preview. Their live show is pretty awesome too. Saw them back a few months ago.





Telepathy has a bass line that really gets me moving, it's got this sort of funk groove to it. Love it.

CoNtrivedNiHilism

Entry - Part 2

Continuing my top ten albums of 2014 so far. So let's commence on.

9.



Band: Nothing More
Album: S/T
Release: May 13, 2014 via Eleven Seven Music
Length: 68:00
Tracklist:

1. Ocean Floor
2. This Is The Time (Ballast)
3. Christ Copyright
4. Mr. MTV
5. First Punch
6. Gyre
7. The Matthew Effect
8. I'll Be Ok
9. Here's to the Heartache
10. If I Were
11. Friendly Fire
12. Sex & Lies
13. Surface Flames
14. Take A Bullet
15. Jenny
16. God Went North
17. Pyre

I first discovered this band back in 2012 while doing my usual YouTube new music searching. The name was kind of interesting, and the album cover was kind of unigue. Their S/T was actually released once before the official label release when they signed to Eleven Seven Music, which is how I heard most of this album before it was released this year. Nothing More has released four albums; Shelter, Madhatter's Bliss, Vandura, The Few Not Fleeting, and their S/T effort released this year.

Compared to their previous release back in 2009, The Few Not Fleeting. Their S/T takes on a more serious theme, revolving around human nature. I'd call the album a sort of personal study or observation as humanity as an entirety; the greed, lust, pretty much anything you can imagine or think about regarding human nature, how we treat ourselves, others, or this world in general is a topic on this album, at least it was what I took away from it.

What is impressive about Nothing More is their ability to craft extremely focused music. The opening intro track Ocean Floor sets up the coming onslaught of the aggressive, yet hauntingly direct detail of society in This Is the Time (Ballast)...singer Jonny Hawkins sings almost in a desperate tone, pleading..."When did we become these sinking stones? When did we build this broken home? Holding eachother like ransom notes, Dropping our hearts to grip our brother's throat..." The opening verse of this song, along with how the song starts in general, hooked me straight away. Jonny Hawkins voice is distinct, with excellent range and control. He's known for his throat singing, as you can see him do in live footage...

Aside from This Is The Time (Ballast). This album has plenty more to offer, and never really falters off course, while managing to keep you interested with variety and plenty of well executed tracks. Mr. MTV is a close look at the effect of pop culture on our youth, what is advertised toward them, but there's also the flip side of the song detailing how shallow the industry is in general, the lack of vision or direction there is. It's marketing to exploit the greed and lustful desires of us all.

There's plenty here for everyone. Highly recommended. A smart, well put together album.

Stand out tracks:

This Is The Time (Ballast)
Mr. MTV
I'll Be Ok
Here's to the Heartache
Jenny

Indulge in this excellent album, will you!





I'll Be Ok. This song really hit home for me when I first heard it. I can really identify with the lyrics. Well written. This is also my favorite track from their new album. I hope you all enjoy this great new band as much as I do. They sacrificed absolutely none of their originality when they signed with Eleven Seven Music. This band will be great if they keep with the formula they have. This Is The Time (Ballast) has been #1 for nearly a month now if I can recall right. That's awesome for a Rock song in this day and age.

Enjoy everyone.

Pet_Sounds

Good to see another journal going. Is Crosses' Bitches Brew any relation to the Miles Davis album?

__________________
Everybody's dying just to get the disease

CoNtrivedNiHilism

Chino or the band haven't said it has any relation. But now you have me wondering if it does.

Black Francis

First time hearing Crosses i didn't know Chino had that side project and im glad to hear it's not a deftones clone.

that song telepathy does have a great funky bass line, to me it sounded like a modern disco hit with Chino's vocals which surprisingly work with that kinda music.. it's kinda strange though cause it's the same style of vocals he uses on the deftones.

__________________
"Hey Kids you got to meet the MIGHTY PIXIES!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbRbCtIgW3A

CoNtrivedNiHilism

I too was happy to hear that for the most part, Crosses sounds nothing like Deftones, aside from the obvious vocals from Chino. It was a big, fresh sound coming from him. Team Sleep good have similarity to Crosses. But I think Crosses is largely a far better project for Chino, the music is just a lot better and of a higher quality.

And you know, I actually don't think that Chino's vocal approach with Crosses is entirely the same as what he does in Deftones. There a these small differences, but they are enough to catch my ear and I really like it. I guess if I had to attempt saying what those differences are, it'd be things like minor differences in tone, or the range of his voice. There are songs on here where I hear him hit notes I haven't heard him hit before in Deftones.

I just think overall, Crosses is a huge hit for Chino. The music just works. It's like disco fusion, electronica, funk, rock, some r&b vibes here and there, it's just this odd mix that just, well...works.

Anteater

Nice stuff so far. Crosses have the whole pseudo-80's funk thing underlying Chino's usual influences (which is interesting), so I'll explore that more.

Nothing More are fairly catchy too, though it remains to be seen how they'll stack up against the list I've been building this past year. We shall see...

__________________
Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

CoNtrivedNiHilism

Band: The Afghan Whigs
Album: Do to the Beast
Release: April 15th, 2014 via Sub Pop Records
Length: 41:00
Tracklist:

1. Parked Outside
2. Matamoros
3. It Kills
4. Algiers
5. Lost in the Woods
6. The Lottery
7. Can Rova
8. Royal Cream
9. I Am Fire
10. These Sticks


This next album, and band. They're not a band I ever heard of until a few months ago. The Afghan Whigs. Doing a slight bit of research. I guess the band has been around since the mid 80's. The only two original members since the reuinion and new album, are singer/guitarist Greg Dulli, and bassist John Curley.

Do to the Beast is the first studio album in 16 years for the band. It serves as my introduction to the band and so far, I really like what I hear. Greg has an interesting voice, not to mention vocal style but I like it. It sort of gives the music they play, which to me sounds like a sort of classic rock, with pinches of modern alternative. Not sure I'm right about the classic rock part.

Collectively. The album resonates with a sonic pulse, it's got an aggressively hungry appetite, and from what I have heard of older material, it does not sound like the band has lost much or any edge. A band that came to mind when I first heard this band, was She Wants Revenge. I think the comparison is valid. And just because I think it is there. There's a taste of a Nine Inch Nails vibe in some of the songs present on Do to the Beast. The material is somewhat dark in tone, as for what the album is saying collectively, I am unsure of presently. But I know I like what I hear.

If you're looking for something to satisfy your fix for smart, aggressive alternative music. I think this will do well for you. It's funny that I said I wouldn't be reviewing much alternative in this thread. But when it's good. It's good.

Stand out tracks:

It Kills
Algiers
The Lottery
Can Rova <---- My favorite track from the album...

CoNtrivedNiHilism

It's a pretty nice and welcomed surprise, isn't it, Chino and this project of his? I'd say it is a bit of a different side to him, another look at the other kinds of music that influences him. I'm not surprised that so far, people here on the forum have liked what they've heard from the two songs I posted of Crosses. It's good music. So it's hard to dislike it if it's good, haha.

Nothing More is good stuff. Hopefully you will like the rest of the album if you check it out. It's a bit different compared to other Rock you hear on the radio.

CoNtrivedNiHilism

#7



Band: Islander
Album: Violence & Destruction
Release: July 8th, 2014 via Victory Records
Length: 38:00
Tracklist:

1. Counteract
2. The Sadness of Graves
3. Coconut Dracula
4. Cold Speak
5. Pains
6. Kingdom
7. Side Effects of Youth
8. New Wave
9. Criminals (feat. Sonny Sandoval)
10. Mira
11. Hearts Grow Cold
12. Violence & Destruction

I would like to open this seventh installment in my top ten albums of 2014 thus far, with a band that has done their homework on Deftones, and exactly how to go about applying that influence to their music in a way that does not rip off the sound that Deftones pioneered, or rather built upon with their own influences.

DISCLAIMER!

Deftones was a band that got thrown in with all the other run of the mill nu-metal bands of the 2000's, unfairly so due to the fact that the music Deftones made, and still makes to this do, is leaps and bounds, infinitely more competent than ANY other band from that era of music that was associated with the nu-metal movement at that present time. The list of bands Deftones inspired to get out there and get noticed is a big one. They're not even twenty years in to their career and they're bigger now than they've ever been, I'd go far enough to say they're legends at this point. Deftones for life!

Let's get back on track...

Islander. Back in the middle half of 2014, I happened upon a this group in the right panel of recommendations on YouTube while watching an old Deftones video. I was like, hm, ok sure, I'll check them out. The song was New Colors. At first it didn't catch my ear. But I started listening closer and was noticing a sort of Deftones flare to the song. The chorus kicked in, and at that moment I was like a fish on a hook, flopping around. Suffice to say I was skeptical to find out if they were just a copy cat band. So I dug around and found a few other songs of theirs to check out, those being Coconut Dracula and New Wave. Coconut Dracula had this sort of easy going vibe about it, but it still had a sort of attitude or aggression to it that was interesting. There were nice sections of music that never really stayed the same, sort took on ambient tones. So the song itself sounded a bit space like to me, it was nice. New Wave is actually my favorite track from the bands debut Violence & Destruction. I'll tell you why...

The way New Wave is written collectively, it takes on a vivid imagery, courtesy of the competent lyrical content. The song and how it sounds, it's this chill tune, but pay mind to the use of that word, as I don't mean it in the respect that it's a mellow song. The song has bite. But it's also a song meant to be played loud, to revel in the moment to, as the point of the song is to just enjoy this life, this one life we all have. We're all only here temporarily. It's up to us how we spend that time, how we make it count. New Wave is a solid 10/10.

Some other note worthy tracks from the album are Counteract, which is a blistering album opener that took me back to the aggression of Deftones and their masterful Around The Fur album. Then we have the more straight forward rocker The Sadness of Graves, pulsing verses with a more relaxed chorus, great tones throughout the song. Pains is another standout track. The verses, like with The Sadness of Graves, resonate but with a more eerie contrast, and the chorus is more visceral. Lastly we have Cold Speak. I'd say it is maybe the most straight forward track on the album. But it's an engaging song that will get you moving.

The verdict is this. If you're looking for a band that has done their homework on how to take influence from Deftones, and go about it in a way with their own music that isn't ripping Deftones off, so in other words the music competent, smart...Islander is your band. They're ripe of potential to be something great if they play their cards right, and develop their sound further.

If or when the day comes that Deftones call it a day. Islander is the perfect band to carry on the torch for how to go about that specific style or sound the right way. So is Islander as good as Deftones? Nope. But they're damn good. Sure took me by surprise that I didn't write them off as a Deftones wannabe band.

Have a listen to a few of their songs.







Lucky Rabbit, from their EP.

Enjoy! Another review will be up shortly.