Web Spotlight #7 - Black Prism

I found these guys through some clicks through the related videos section on Youtube.

Black Prism are an L.A. outfit that aren't trying to sound new. In fact, if you said they sounded like anything from the last 20 years they'd probably hit you. Black Prism are instead going for that Doom-y/Acid Rock-like vibe from mid-to-late 70's Black Sabbath. The guitars are fuzzy as all hell, the singer is howling in a not-unpleasant way reminiscent of 70's Ozzy, and it's wonderful. Hell, even their video for this debut single Satan's Country is made to look like some cheap 70's horror movie. The only thing that detracts from that image is the record label Easy Rider's Twitter and Facebook hashtag suggestions being in the bottom left corner.

It seems we're currently in a Hard Rock/Heavy Metal revolution that takes us back to the 70's, and I'm certainly okay with that. Black Prism aren't here to break any new boundaries, but instead explore a side of music we haven't heard from in a while. Check out the video, and if you like it, you can buy it for $7-8

Facebook
Soundcloud (you can download the song for free)
Order Satan's Country

Web Spotlight #6 - Limalo

I found this artist through Reddit's electronic music sub.

Limalo is interesting. They're a music duo from Texas that specialize in atmospheric, ambient,  beat-driven music. In my mind, the strongest comparison is to Boards of Canada. Yesterday, Limalo released their first ever album, Human Bloom, on Bandcamp, and hot damn do I like it. 14 tracks, but it's about quality, not quantity, the longest song is 3:25. Human Bloom was recorded with all analog instruments, and that's a quality I can't praise highly enough, but you can hear the difference. The synths sound earthy and dream-like. The beats behind the synths never get too intense, but their is glitching abound, and that's something I can get behind.

Human Bloom has this great lo-fi sound to it that doesn't sound like a mastering effect. It's not so lo-fi that you lose a lot of detail in the tracks, in fact you can clearly make out everything that's going on, but it's a kind of fuzzy/blurriness that lets you just enjoy it in the background. It doesn't require your full attention, you can just let it roll out and envelop you. It's an action I support, because that means I can let the music be the soundtrack for an experience in my mind. I can just let it take me places. Hell, this is the kind of music I could see getting tied to memories of this summer when I think back in later years. I cannot stress enough how the entirety of Human Bloom is something to experience, but there are tracks that stand out. Clouds In My Puddle, Gamogy's Creek, Magic Lantern, Blurry Mood and Tiwa are all great pieces by themselves that really stood out to me.

Right now the entire album is on Bandcamp, and it's set at a Pay What You Want model, meaning it's donation based. You can enter $0 and get the album for free, or you can choose to pay however much you like. I'll be supporting Limalo and I hope you will too.

Facebook
Bandcamp

Web Spotlight #5 - The Blue Van

I found today's Web Spotlight digging through Youtube bookmarks.

The beauty of the internet, and sites like Youtube, as that you can discover anything that has ever been posted, and it can hit you as if it's brand new to you. So today I dug about my Youtube bookmarks and found this song I couldn't remember bookmarking years ago. Uploaded in November 2008, today's spotlight is The Blue Van's Silly Boy.

The video description reveals that The Blue Van is a Danish band and they particularly enjoy putting their own spin on Britpop. Silly Boy is a nice, quick, fun song. The riff is catchy and the vocals are definitely in the Britpop spirit. Check it out.

The Blue Van on Spotify

Web Spotlight #4 - Witch Mountain

Not sure how I found this band, I just had the link to this track on Youtube bookmarked.

I am a man of the Pacific Northwest, which made me instantly happy to find out that today' Web Spotlight, Witch Mountain, is from Portland. I was however really mad with myself when I found out they played in my town two months ago. Nevertheless, he we are.

Witch Mountain are a among a growing breed in the Metal community, female fronted Doom Metal bands. It's something I greatly enjoy. Last year Witch Mountain released a 6 song EP named Cauldron of the Wild and I'm really digging it. The song I had found wading in a sea of Youtube bookmarks was Beekeeper, and it's the song I'm choosing to highlight today. It's good, gritty, slow Doom Metal with one Uta Plotkin bringing the dark, groovy lyrics and occasional shrieks to the fold. If you like modern Doom, this is one to check out.


Check them out on Facebook

Hear Cauldron of the Wild on Spotify and Bandcamp

Web Spotlight #3 - Ratskull Rascal

I found the lovely artist that is Ratskull Rascal through Reddit's free music subreddit.

Now, I don't know much about this guy, but maybe in the future he could drop by and inform us himself. Ratskull Rascal has just recently released his first EP through Soundcloud, called Quantum Compression, and calls his music a mix between electronic and psychedelic, and that sounds about right.

There are guitars, organs, keyboards and various other fuzzy sounds and tones that blend the genre lines and leave us with a nice down-tempo EP that is great for chill out sessions. When you need something playing in the background, or when you want to just focus on the music and nothing else. There are six tracks and they are all nice, but my favorites seem to be the first and last tracks, Revelation and Genesis, probably because I really dig the fuzzy, distorted guitar sound.The melodies are tight, the songs are pretty short and the ideas within hit me just right.

So check out Quantum Compression, you can listen and download for free right through Ratskull's Soundcloud.

Web Spotlight # 2 - Beliefs

This week I've got some Dream pop goodness to spotlight. I found this week's band, Canadian act Beliefs, through their US record label Manimal Vinyl's Tumblr. Beliefs are a Canadian duo who have been combining light, ethereal vocals with lush wispy audio soundscapes. Before the release of their self-titled album in March, they put out a video for a bonus track for the album, Violets, and it's what got me turned on to Beliefs.

It's light and airy, dreamy and sweet. A perfect song for summer.

Web Spotlight # 1 - Zack Hemsey

Do you remember the score to Inception? Maybe. Maybe not. I do guarantee however you remember the music for the trailers of Inception. The Hans Zimmer-esque rhythm with the "BWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAM" sound that became synonymous with the movie. Well, that sound wasn't a creation of Hans Zimmer's, rather, it was of an independent New York musician named Zack Hemsey. He was the creator of "Mind Heist", the track used in the trailers for Inception. It turns out he does more than just make memorable movie scores. He also makes his own unique brand of hip-hop.

The track I'm spotlighting is "Slave" from his album, Ronin. His lyrics and flow are simple but effective, a song about the common people being slaves to, essentially, the system.  His production is really interesting because of that work in scoring he has, it's more elaborate and uses a wider variety of instruments than what would typically be used. The production has a lot of depth and texture and it's fascinating to hear.

The thing I find most intriguing about Hemsey is the making and distribution of this album. Hemsey did everything on this album himself, right up to mastering and the album art,  which are handled by other people. That means he wrote the songs, he produced the tracks, he preformed on them and he also mixed them before sending them off to be mastered. A one man show at it's finest. He also has made the album as widely available as possible, he uploaded every track from the album to Youtube. If you can access Youtube you can hear the whole thing, start to finish. He's also put up a Bandcamp page where you can purchase Ronin.

With his distinct production, his interest in different forms of delivering content to fans and his varied musical interests, Zack Hemsey is one to watch.

Bandcamp

Web Site