The Cannibal Cheerleader lineup for this year’s SXSW 09 Blood Bath keeps getting better with the introduction of the Whispertown 2000 to the lineup. We’re also partnering with OverUnder Records to bring you several New York acts including Howlies! Should be a rocking time, so be sure and be at the Peacock (515 Pedernales) on Wed. Mar. 18th at noon!
With the opening riffs of Kylesa’s latest effort Static Tensions the band clearly has chosen to expand their horizons, dwelling on intense buildups, frighteningly intricate drumwork, and searing guitar lines, all as the songs dip, wrap around, go soft, explode and re-explode, all within ten tremendous tracks. Gone is the sameness of past Kylesa records which, while excellent, suffered at times from an unvaried metal formula – no longer! Utilizing Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants’ voices equally and featuring their dueling guitarwork to maximum effect, Static Tensions is a giant leap forward, a slow-burning metal monster that shows off the group’s development and maturity earned from years of touring. Truly the best metal release of 2009 so far, a blazing record and one not to be missed. Check out a few tracks below!
We’ve been huge fans of Neko Case since her Blacklisted days (and we still can’t get over how awesome Fox Confessor was), so we were ecstatic to nab a copy of the Canadian soulstress’ new LP Middle Cyclone, which definitely does not dissapoint. Featuring hushed instrumentation backing Case’s powerful voice, the album is her most organic yet, due in no small part to the recording location of an abandoned farmhouse. With much shorter songs featuring small vignettes about the multitude of wild characters Case has been known for, Middle Cyclone combines experimentalism with alt-country stalwarts to create one of our favorite albums of the year so far. Give it a sample listen below.
We’re still anxiously awaiting the newest release from Giant Drag, the Swan Song EP, and Annie Hardy continues to tease us, this time with a short excerpt from an upcoming music video for standout track “Stuff to Live For”. Apparently the new video is going to feature Annie being covered with a whole variety of disgusting liquids, so be sure and check it below.
Kylesa just conducted an interview with the influential online metal mag Crusher Magazine. Check it out here and stay tuned for the new album Static Tensions which we hope to grab a copy of ASAP!
Love her or hate her (we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are definitely in the former category) Scarlett Johansson is back again, only this time instead of the great Tom Waits, she’s covering Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” for the soundtrack to her newest film, He’s Just Not That Into You. It’s lacking the effervescent David Sitek production but the sparseness of Johansson’s smoky croon over a simple piano line is a refreshing change of pace. Give it a listen over here.
We are eagerly awaiting the release of Static Tensions, the newest release from Atlanta metal-gods Kylessa, and from the sounds of the newest track on the band’s Myspace “Said and Done” this will be the band’s magnum opus. The track is reminscient of the leap forward Mastodon took with Blood Mountain, so here’s hoping for big things from these guys. Head on over and check it.
Our favorite New York-based dream poppers Asobi Seksu, fresh off the release of the excellent Hush, have released their new video for single “Me & Mary”. As whimsical and esper-filled as the music itself, the video depicts the band’s two chief members dancing through a shapeshifting cartoon wonderland. Check it out below!
Delivering a pummeling performance that rivaled hardcore shoegaze stalwarts, Austin’s own Ume celebrated Emo’s free week by brining their searing brand of experimental punk rock to a packed inside stage. Showcasing tracks from their new Sunshower EP, the trio blazed through fiery anthems that soared with guitar heroics one moment and seethed with hushed, noodly undertones the next. With the driving rhythms of drummer Jeff Barrera and Eric Larson creating a captivating underlying layer, lead shredder Lauren Larson snarled through songs old and new, whipping the guitar back and forth, over and her head and down to the stage with incredible virtuosity. Sounding like a lo-fi Sonic Youth, Ume have captured a new, electric sound that’s as fuzz-filled and shimmering as it is bloody and sharp. Pictures below:
Picking up the new UmeSunshower EP at their show last night, we spent the last 18 hours playing the five blazing tracks on repeat. With trembling, hushed vocals giving way to carnage-inducing guitar lines, Sunshowers reveals the incredible power behind the three members local band. Standout tracks include “Sunshower”, “The Means”, and “The Conductor”. Highly recommended, pick it up at the band’s EP release show Saturday Jan. 24th at the Mohawk. Check it out.
One of Cannibal Cheerleader’s favorite metal acts Kylesa have a new album entitled Static Tensions being released this year (March 17th) that promises to deliver the same fiery antics that we’ve come to expect from the Atlanta metal scene over the past few years. Brooklyn Vegan has an excellent story about the album, including the cover art (above), and a link to Laura Pleasants’ Flickr page (which shows some truly classic pictures of new artwork, bonding time with Mastodon, and other metal goodies). Can’t wait for this one!
