In what's become a yearly tradition our friends in Miami darkwave band Astari Nite are releasing new music for Christmas. This year they are releasing new single"Lovesick" and we are happy to be premiering it on OTR. It is a big tune reminiscent of the new wave/post punk days of yore. Complete with big catchy choruses and slick guitar/drum work. It was produced by Rees Bridges who has worked with Dirty Vegas, Pete Doherty and Tears for Fears and mastered by Emily Lazar "The Lodge" who has worked with such legendary acts as David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Foo Fighters and Sonic Youth. That's a hell of a pedigree.
Check out "Lovesick" below, and if you like what you hear you can download the track from their bandcampChristmas Day.
Our friends in Astari Nite released new single "The Boy Who Tried" on Christmas Day. I was supposed to post about it, but I got a little side tracked with the holidays and a trip to NY. It's a great sounding goth jam! Mychael's voice is sounding more confident than ever. They are offering the track as a pay what you like option on their bandcamp. In addition to the new single they will also be performing Live at The KitchenClub event at The Garret on Sat, Feb 7th as part of their Release Party for their New EPAnonymous,which also happens to be where I will be DJ'ing!Come out and say hello. It's gonna be fun!
Digging the new single "You" from LA'sThe Chain Gang of 1974. So good it got me downloading their new album 'Daydream Forever' that was just released this week. The track reminds me of artists like M83 or Twin Shadow. A big and powerful tune, especially when the chorus kicks in. They also have a track "Sleepwalking" which is darker and gothier that was featured in the recent Grand Theft Auto V game. Considering how much those games sell it must have been a big boost for their career.
Check out those two tunes below and if you are as impressed as I am, I'd look into acquiring the rest of 'Daydream Forever', just as I am about to do right,,,, now.
Miamidark wave band Astari Nite are getting ready to release new album 'Stereo Waltz' in January. Today they released new single"I.O. 1987" and OTR is one of the first places where you can hear it. In addition to the new single they released a video for another album track "Pyramids" last month. Check out both of those below and be on the lookout for shows to coincide with the albums release in the months to come, including an album release party January the 24th at The Vagabond.
Miami band Astari Nite has just released their new single "Pyramids" today. The track is from their forthcoming debut album produced by Steve Thompson who has worked with big acts such as Guns & Roses, Madonna, Blondie and many others. Digging the tune! It is their most polished tune to date with a dark and gothy sound. Can't wait to hear the rest of the album.
For now check out the first single via the soundcloud below and if you like what you hear they are giving away the track for free via their site.
NO is a band from Echo Park, Los Angeles. Their single "The Long Haul" from their EP Don't Worry, You'll Be Here Forever has a striking sound to something Interpol would come up with. The trio, sometimes quartet is currently touring Europe. They have shows in Barcelona tonight and in Madrid tomorrow. Let us know what you think.
Born and raised in London, Kyla La Grange comes to us fierce and ready to deliver classic indie/goth pop. Her sound can be rather infectious packed with dramatic interpretation. She mixes it up with mystical tones and melodies that give you nostalgic feelings of lost emotions. Her words are carried and delivered by passionate expression,making her contribution to music one to be talked about. She solidly places herself in the list of most promising female singer-songwriters to emerge in London's current music scene machine. Check her vibe out and enjoy.
The Voyeurist are a dark electronic pop duo from London. Their debut EP Hexed is just being released this month. Their reps sent along first track "Chase" which has a dark dancey goth sound that always appeals to me, kinda like Crystal Castles on their more melodic side. Check out the track below and if you like what you hear it's a free download. Stream the rest of the EP on their soundcloud.
Zambri, who I wrote about last November, is releasing their debut EP "Glossolia" November 8th on Kanine records. Caught them play a show last week and now I find myself more captivated with their distorted yet rich dueling vocals and hypnotizing rhythms. The birds eye view Glasslands (music venue in Brooklyn) has to offer, left me overrun with anticipation for their record. Download "On Call" here and check out a live performance of it they did below.
The Soft Moon's cryptic post punk has recently landed on my radar after glowing reviews from pitchfork. Reminiscent of bands like Joy Division and Bauhaus, Luis Vasquez incorporates retro analog and drum machine effects with echoed and layered vocals to refresh and individualize this familiar goth rock feeling. It's done quite well, mostly intense and glaring throughout their self titled late 2010 LP release with tracks like 'Out Of Time' it also softens ever so slightly with tracks like 'When It's Over'. Check out both tracks below!
Hooray For Earth is in the midst of a month long residency at Pianos in NYC and I went out to the first show excited to see them live since I hadn't before (they were pretty seamless).
One act that I had heard of but never thought too much about was Zambri who as I shouted in the middle of their set, "KILLED IT"! Their sound is dark and exciting and the stage presence of the sister vocalists was a compelling marriage between end of days style rhythms and daunting vocals that fans of goth legends Siouxsie And The Banshees will surely appreciate. I poured over youtube material trying to find something that might display how captivating this group is live and could only find videos with not so great sound, but worth checking out.
To say I am excited about what kind of record they end up making is an understatement. To keep up with news from this group make sure to keep their website on your radar. Check out "Carry" feat. Jon Philpot of Bear In Heaven and "Easier" below.
The other night I was at a bar in my neighborhood in Brooklyn when I struck up a conversation with the DJ. I was complimenting him on his song selections and we ended up chatting a bit. I told him I write for a music blog and he told me he was in a band. I checked out his band to find a truly inspirational story about four guys in Tehran Iran who's love for "western music" drove them to illegally record their first record and move all the way to NYC so that they could make music freely. Made me think about freedom of speech and how sad it is that some countries ban something as beautiful and precious as music and creativity. Not only did they record illegally but played illegal shows in basements and secret clubs. As said by the lead singer Raam:
"Playing in the undergrounds of Iran was by far the most exciting thing I had ever done in my life. We've played many shows over here in the States, but only a few can compare to those crazy underground gigs. Music is something you can't take away from the people; no matter how hard certain governments try, kids will always find ways to have fun."
Hypernova's sound is full on dance rock. Dark gothy lyrics and guitars and drums that are made for sweaty dance floors. I'm glad these guys stuck it to the regime and found away to make music. They're second album "Through The Chaos" was released in early April. They've been compared to Interpol, Joy Division, and She Wants Revenge. They opened up for Sisters Of Mercy. They sound pretty much like success.
South African born and current US residentAshton Nyte who used to be in goth band The Awakening just released his first US album'The Valley'.
His reps contacted us with his first single/video"Jennifer" and I am loving it! He has an amazing deep baritone voice reminiscent of artists like Peter Murphy and David Bowie and I am a sucker for that. In fact the people from South Africa dubbed him "Johannesburg's Bowie". Indeed he has a spectacular voice and although I haven't heard the whole album yet this first track is a heck of a start.
Here's that first video/single for you guys to sample and maybe peak your interest in checking out more from this amazing artist. You can sample/pick up the rest of his album at retailers like amazon or iTunes.
Another Black Season is the solo project of classically trained LA musician Robert Michaels. He sent over a couple of tracks for consideration on OTR and right away I was entranced by his dark synth-pop sounds. Being as I'm a goth at heart I'm always attracted to music with a dark edge to it and this is definitely it!
He sent over a demo for "Blue the Stars" which is not quite ready to be posted and "Tonight's the Best Thing" which is fantastic! Has all those signature synth sounds, dark deep vocals and catchy hooks that always reel me in. Check it out and see if you agree. Looking forward to hearing a lot more from Another Black Season, that's for sure. You can always make space for some good dark pop. Check out his myspace player link above for more goodness that you can get on iTunes.
Got your costumes ready?? I do! I'll give you a hint on mine. It's anotherTim Burton/Johnny Depp character. Been doing Burton/Depp characters last couple years with Edward Scissorhands two years ago and Sweeney Todd last year. Thought I'd continue the tradition, at least till I run out of characters from them. Which might be a while cause they have so many, but that's fine by me as I love everything they do.
Anyways this year Halloween falls on Saturday which means Friday and Saturday are both gonna be pretty insane! In anticipation been downloading Halloween related/dark gothy tracks all day to sprinkle in my sets over the week-end. Thought I'd post a few of those to get you guys into the spirit.
Hope you enjoy them and have a great/safe Halloween week-end!!
Here's the beginning of one of favorite movies and another Tim Burton classic Nightmare Before Christmas.Just in case you ever wondered were holidays came from...
Saw this great 'live' video the other day for Dead Man's Boneswhich is Ryan Gosling the actor! The guy's got talent! I loved his movie Lars and the Real Girl and now it seems he can play/sing as well! The song/video is pretty dark & eerie which I love! Definitely gives me a goth feel. Love the piano he uses and the kids choir with all of them dressed in their Halloween costume is a genious idea! Here it is plus the mp3...
Been digging the latest album by Portland, Oregon duo Microfilm called 'Slingshot Orchestra'. Their sound is a minimal electronic style that veers into the land of goth and industrial music at times (probably why I dig it).
Love their track titles also which include references to Erlend Oye in 'Johnny X lost his girl (To Erlend Oye & the World)' and 'Dario Argento' who is a great Italian film director who is most famous for his work in the 70's/80's that you should check out if you don't know him. He does very stylish slasher films which usually features heavy metal/electronic music blasting every time someone get's killed. Usually in a very brutal/odd way. I have Tenebre and Deep Red, but his most famous movie is probably Suspiria.
Slingshot Orchestra is available as un-restricted 256 kpsmp3's on Amazon for only $6 bucks! That sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me, especially for 12 tracks. That's like half off. If you dig these tracks go sample/grab the rest of them there.
Mount Sims who originally shot to fame with the emergence of electroclash earlier this decade and their huge dancefloor hit 'How We Do' have now become a full five piece band (used to be just Matt Sims and dancers on stage) and incorporated a darker gothier sound with the release of their latest EPGrave. I for one dig it! Their last album or two wasn't doing it for me. Changes are good! Especially when it comes to artists growing and expanding their sound. I've had the EP title track Grave stuck on Ipod for a few weeks. See what you think...
* On a sidenote I got to meet Matt once at Ft Lauderdale's Phoenix Party were I used to spin a couple of years ago and he came in to do a Guest DJ Set. Real Nice Guy!
The Presets are back with New Album Apocalypso! This time around the Australian duo partially responsible for the emergence of the great Australian electro dance music scene of the last few years, along with others like Cut/Copy have now resurrected Industrial Music!?
While Cut/Copy has gone for more of the 80's New Wave/Pop feel The Presets have gone a bit harder and edgier with their latest release. Hard beats and hard synths are in abundance in Apocalypso. In particular it feels like they have resurrected Industrial giants Nitzer Ebb, of which I had quite a few albums. The album opener Kicking and Screaming (which even sounds like a Nitzer Ebb title) sounds eerily like Nitzer Ebb, as well as Track 4 Yippiyo-Ay. The beats and synths are fast, strong and pounding!
This isn't to say it's all heavy. They still retain their pop sensibilities and in tracks like the Single 'This Boy's in Love' you can hear pop influences by other favorites like Depeche Mode. While in other tracks like 'Talk Like That' they remind me of modern contemporaries The Faint.
Music always comes back around and I was wondering when Industrial Music would make a return. We've already kind of experienced a bit of a Goth revival the last few years with bands like Interpol, The Knife, The Editors, She Wants Revenge, etc... It'll be nice to hear some new interesting Industrial stuff as well. I always felt the reason Industrial/Goth music died out (or at least why I stopped listening), was because there weren't enough artists trying out interesting new things. This is just about right.
P.S. If you have a chance to catch The Presets Live, should jump on it! I've seen them perform twice and their great! Better than their recordings. Only two of them on stage, one on drums and one on synths/vocals, but they put on a great show! Highly Entertaining!
M83 which comprises of Anthony Gonzalez from France is an artist I had heard about never got around to listening to, till the other day. I read a couple great reviews on their newest record 'Saturdays=Youth' which was released on April the 15th so I decided to go check it out. So far the verdict is wow!! They've released an amazing shoegazy, goth, pop tinged album drenched in 80's nostalgia, sound & feel. They even have a look-a-like Molly Ringwald on the cover! Fans of bands like Cocteau Twins, Psychedelic Furs, Tears for Fears, Radio Dept., Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Clan of Xymox or 80's New Wave/Goth bands in general will love this! They definitely tap into that feeling that 80's synth pop music made me feel growing up. The duo female/male vocals really add to the experience and music's beauty. Glad Anthony's putting out this kind of music for the newer generations who weren't around in the 80's to experience and enjoy first hand.
Stand out tracks so far are the First Single 'Graveyard Girl', 'Kim & Jessie' (my favorite!), 'Skin of the Night' and 'You, Appearing'. I'm gonna post up a couple tracks plus the video for Graveyard Girl. If you like these, I recommend you buy the whole thing. It's a good one!
