Junius' Post-Rock Martyrdom Far From Catastrophic

The sonic envelope of rock music today is ever expanding, and generally for the better. The Mylene Sheath Records has recognized the possibilities of greatness within the post-rock subgenre, and after releasing the incredible new album from Constants earlier in the year, the label is back with another triumphant slab of assaulting beauty in the form of Junius’ sophomore full length The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist. Since 2004, the Boston natives have been perfecting their craft, releasing several EPs and their debut, while constantly touring and amazing fans worldwide. Their massive touring schedule has paid off, with the band emerging tighter and more focused than ever on The Martyrdom. Based around the views of Immanuel Velikovsky, a Russian born American psychiatrist originally focused on psychotherapy, before switching to the exceedingly controversial cosmology, and his ever growing fascination with the stars and planetary interaction. Such an intellectually themed album deserves music that matches its grandiose nature, and Junius deliver on all counts. Shimmering layers of seemingly endless guitar waves, deep booming rhythms, and gorgeous vocals swirl around with cosmic energy creating an expertly crafted blend of post-rock and dark new-wave influences. The constant highly orchestrated evolution of sound progresses through pulsating tempos, dynamics, and subtle intricacies keeping the album infinitely interesting and ultimately memorable. While the songs may not be “catchy” or filled with pop-styled hooks, the sheer battle between heavy dissonance and hypnotic beauty is more than enough to draw listeners back for the multiple spins required to fully embrace the ambitious sonic magnitude that Junius conjure up.

“Birth Rights By Torchlight” opens with a recorded passage of Velikovsky defending his research, “And if I transgressed, and went into many fields of science and humanities, it was not because I was born a rebel. I was coerced to trespass…” A loaded statement, followed further with criticism for planetary theory taught in textbooks set the tone for the record, as Junius come crashing in amidst their own ambient backdrop, with a singular blast of power and staggering rhythms that builds with each enormous push. Joseph E. Martinez’ vocals, perhaps what truly set the band apart from the pack, emerge with their own commanding wail. Vibrant tempo changes abound as the song slows to a single bouncing guitar only to lift and regresses with sweeping quiet/loud dynamics that cement Junius in the top tier of post-rock bands. A choir of mysterious chanting begins “The Antediluvian Fire,” accompanied by stirring echo heavy guitars as the band begins their ever building descent into the emotional depths and haunting vivid imagery. Clearly enunciated vocals make certain every word is understood, with a vibe similar to the strength of Joy Division and new wave’s finest. Careful construction of melody, harmonics, and structure are obvious throughout as the breaks hurtle with gorgeous power and control. After another thought provoking excerpt from Velikovsky, Junius casually launches into “The Dramatist Plays Catastrophist” with an understated piano and vocal intro. Dense time-melting drum structures combat for your attention against the contrasting vocal melody in a stunning push-and-pull where nothing suffers only thrives as the dust settles. Stellar orchestration swirls with textural mastery as lyrics of rebirth and revolution cleanly ring out.


“Ten Year Librarian” is a brooding display of gradually increasing intensity, with numerous layers slowly dripping into the mix, including mesmerizing bass, double tracked vocals, and the eventual symphony of angular washes of guitar. Just as the storm threatens to overtake control, layers are peeled back with fresh ambient breaths of air before the claustrophobic darkness creeps back into focus. Martinez sings “It’s closing in… my battle begins! And now it’s my time to show all the true wrath of God, the past we forgot,” referencing Velikovsky’s theory of past interplanetary struggle within our universe. The two years spent making this album were well spent, as the record pushes epic to another level, taking enormous compositions and stretching them into colossal landscapes. The second half of the album finds Junius even stronger, as evident on “Stargazers and Gravediggers”. Delayed guitars roar and swarm over the pounding rhythms, with well-built vocal melodies rallying just on top of the mix. “Elishiva, I Love You” perhaps evokes the most obvious new-wave passion, with low verses and a soaring chorus. While the music permeates with liquid fluidity, deep tribal drums pummel against the pop inspired melody.

“Letters to Saint Angelina” is the crowning achievement of the album, from the overall textural beauty to the gorgeously crashing cymbals leading into a legit hook that forges into the next stratosphere. The guitars contrast the drums, feeding off each other as they exchange leading roles in gripping your attention. “The Mourning Eulogy” delivers an ominous funeral procession vibe with marching snares rolls, choir accompaniment, and of course the ever billowing crescendos. It’s clear that Junius took their time creating this record for a reason. Every last note, rhythmic shift, vocal melody, and electronic nuance is carefully placed and never over done. Junius leave their unfathomable artistic mark on the post-rock genre with what may very well be considered their true masterpiece. Be sure to check out a physical copy of the album with stellar artwork from Drew Speziale and Matt Gauck.

There is great music being made in all corners of the world, no matter how remote or distant those places may be. Perth, Australia's Karnivool are a testament to that, hailing from the planet's most isolated city, and emerging with one the greatest progressive / alternative records of this generation. Sound Awake may arguably be the best album of 2009, a very strong year for rock of all genres, and the record wont even be released in America until February of next year. As the band prepares for world domination, guitarist Mark Hosking was gracious enough to answer some questions about getting ready for America, following up an album like Sound Awake, the exceptional Aussie prog collective, and much more...



EIS: How are you? How’s the Sine Waves and Mirrors tour going?

MH: We are great!! Tour is going amazingly! We just finished playing our Adelaide show at the Thebarton Theatre to a fantastic 1400 odd people.

The Australian Tours always amaze us at how many people really dig the new stuff as well as the older albums, selling out the size rooms we are playing around Australia is humbling to say the least! and the respect the people that come have for the music is really amazing to see.

EIS: You recently released the Set Fire to the Hive EP digitally to American audiences to get them acclimated to the band before you release Sound Awake in the states. Are you promoting a big push for the album in the US?

MH: From the responses we have received from the digital EP and the two month tour we did there back in 2007, we are amazed at what exposure we have in the United States from the little work we have done so far, so we know the step up is going to be something akin to climbing a volcano! But we back our work ethic and we are very confident in our live show so we are extremely excited about releasing Sound Awake in the US and touring our collective arses off over there. Nothing we do is smash and grab, we are a long tern band with a long term project so we are prepared to tour as often as we physically can in support of the album which we are pretty proud of so it's going to be an exciting year!!

EIS: Speaking of the US… you’re already confirmed for next year’s SXSW festival, which will draw massive industry interest. Do you have plans to tour the entire country while here?

MH: We do. I'm not sure exactly how much I can say at this point but SXSW will be the first date of a few dates whilst we're over there which will get us a fair way around the country before we have to go and tackle other territories, but we have definitely made a commitment to the American release and to the people who have contacted us thru the website and other sources wanting us to tour there and say hello. Hopefully we are coming to a city near you, and if we're not, we promise we will be before too long!

EIS: Going back to the Set Fire to the Hive EP, "Roquefort" (with Empire Horns) is an incredible take on the original. The horns add a vibrant texture, what was it like to play with a brass section? Do you have plans /would you like to do it again?

MH: The horns on "Roquefort" were always part of the original idea for the song. Roquefort, its a cheesy rock song with a twist and we had originally written horns for the song but simply ran out of time whilst recording Themata in Australia. We're lucky enough to be great friends with another Australian band called The Cat Empire, and we wanted them to record on the horns version, they were amazing, coming into the studio and blowing a bunch of tracks and we spliced and mixed it all together, taking some parts that we had originally wanted and some improv work that they did on the day! Its a great sound and we have often got guest horn players to play it live including the Cat lads when we're in Melbourne! Its great fun.

EIS: As for the live version of "Deadman," the track really portrays how great the songs come across live, for many people who have never had the opportunity to see the band. How would you describe the live show in comparison to the records?

MH: We are all about the live show. We are all such huge lovers of music in every form and have all seen a thousand live shows and love comparing what was the best thing about each and every show. We take that out on the road with us and try to create more of an experience live than a collection of songs. Music is something that should lift you into a state that is different from your own and take you places that exercise your minds love of rhythm and melody, we love challenging ourselves to perform beyond ourselves and beyond the band collective and love growing the live show every time we play, its so much fun!



EIS: How set in stone is the setlist for each concert? Do you change the songs often or is there a fairly standard setlist?

MH: No we change it a lot depending on mood and crowd. Our lighting guy hates us. He's always the one along with our whole crew really asking us for the setlist and trying to get it off us more than ten minutes before we go on stage. We love changing things up and we love letting the set react to the crowd or the room on a night, it's exhilarating.

EIS: Are there any plans to release a live album/DVD?

MH: There are! Live album may happen but we have boxes full of HDV cassettes and other various footage from tours in the US, Europe and Australia / New Zealand. We've documented so much but still haven't had a chance to edit thru it all and make a package out of it, with three full production film clips and more to come its only a matter of time, but as with the music, we will wait until its something more than a moderately good DVD release so that it reflects exactly what we want it to reflect of our touring shenanigans and live performance as well as studio takes etc etc.. its coming!

EIS: Sound Awake is an ambitious release that really seals you in with the prog rock elite over the past twenty years. What has the reaction been like to the album from the fans/press? Were people surprised by the growth from Themata to Sound Awake?

MH: The media reaction and critical reaction to Sound Awake has been mind bending. We never really thought about how people would take to the album which may sound strange but it really just wasn't a concern to us. We had a lot of 'stuff' to get out of ourselves and Sound Awake was always that vehicle for us, it started of as being what we wanted Themata to be and then took a dramatic tangent into a completely different album that was in many ways more than we had hoped would fall out of us, but at no point did we ever say (perhaps this is a little self indulgent) I wonder what the people who liked Themata will think of this? It just wasn't a concern, music is personal, I think once you start writing to an agenda you should stop.

EIS: With so much critical acclaim, are you nervous about recording the follow-up to what many are considering a masterpiece? How quickly do you begin working on the next release? Have you begun demoing any new material?

MH: No, we are amazed at how excited we are to get back into the studio already. We thought in the mixing stages of Sound Awake when we were all truly exhausted mentally and physically that the thought of picking up a guitar made us feel quite sick. But since it's release we've already discussed direction for the new album and where we are going personally and as an entity. It's really exciting how positive we are about a new album, we know what we can do better and where we can take music... its going to be an exciting work.

EIS: Has Ian’s [Kenny] work with Birds of Tokyo influenced/contributed at all to Karnivool’s sound?

MH: I don't think so. There were a few times when people would say 'that sounds a bit birds', and we would assess it and decide whether that needed to be taken on board, but usually as with any other source of external influence there's not a lot you can do about it, music is music... we would write the music and Kenny would sing the melody lines that pop out of his head over the top. We all have such different backgrounds in music and we all influence the piece, Kenny has always had that 'pop' influence on the band, whilst the rest of us stretch and drag it in deeper weirder directions.

EIS: The xylophone introduction on “Simple Boy” is gorgeous as the albums opener. What inspired its use? Was it always planned during the writing stages of the song?

MH: As per usual with our music our songs take on 1001 forms before finding their final resting place in structure, tempo and feel. I think from memory that the xylophone piece started in the middle section of the song and then as we do we cultivate themes thru the songs and its introduction to the start of the song really encapsulated its later recurrence which is something you may notice in a lot of our songs. You just know sometimes when you try something somewhere and it feels 'right'

EIS: What inspired the overall vision of Sound Awake? What was the writing/recording process like?

MH: The overall vision of Sound Awake about half way thru the writing process became about a study of vibrations called Cymatics. We researched and found that a lot of the themes and thoughts and memes we had already contributed to the album all seemed to stem from this amazing process. The best representation would be the pattern creations of sand on a vibratory surface, as a resonant frequency is oscillated up and down the spectrum it creates various patterns that are sacred geometry at heart but obviously sharing relations to chaos theory and Fibonacci and other such mathematical patterns, its just something that makes you think about so many different things, and that's what we felt from the music, or music in general from the start! We wrote everywhere, hired houses in the woods, up mountains, in industrial areas, out of garages... we put pieces together in jam rooms, on computers, recorded melody ideas into mobile phones, emailed principles and thoughts and directions to each other and just kept gathering hard drives full of music that we worked on over the whole process, then tediously searched thru it for things we loved and things that correlated together and held itself together. A long amazing process that drained us immensely but left us excited about what it would become.



EIS: The band hails from Perth, Australia… said to be the most secluded major city in the world. What kind of impact did this have on the band early on?

MH: A lot. I first moved to Perth to join the band six years ago whilst we were writing Themata. Coming from Melbourne, Perth was a quiet town, to me it was a perfect place to work because there weren't as many distractions as other cities. And the music scene here is large, in relation to its population its crazy, and really self supportive which was amazing. It's a great place to write music and live.

EIS: It seems there is a strong community of progressive/alt rock bands in Australia with you guys, Cog, The Butterfly Effect, Dead Letter Circus, and more. What do you think brought on this surge of progressive leaning bands? Is it a close “family” between you guys?

MH: It is a tight family. We're all friends with each other and keep in touch. It's hard to pinpoint why... Australia is a great breeding ground for progressive and lateral thought, and perhaps just the way the music industry works over here and the influential musicians that were filtering into Australia from the US and Europe led an entire generation of musicians to love a specific style of music that was progressive and thought provoking. It is strange that it's had so much success whilst being from such different areas within Australia, it was a movement that had a big influence on people over here that's for sure.

EIS: For us American fans who may not be too familiar with independent Australian rock bands, what bands would you suggest foreign fans of your band get familiar with?

MH: There are a lot of great bands here in Australia, we are lucky enough to be able to pick our own supports here and I'll say that we love the bands that tour with us, we chose them on what we are all into at the time, the last two bands Sugar Army, and Coerce are prime examples... both different and both great musical entities.


EIS: With wide spread success at home, does it feel humbling to play more intimate clubs on other continents? It must feel refreshing to find fans that know all the words and love the music half way across the world…

MH: It is truly amazing. The last run we did in the United States was at the end of 2007 and we had people front row singing along to every song!!!?? We would ask them how they heard about us and they would always say the internet, or friends from Australia, or they didn't know but it was always amazing how into the band they were. The first headlining show we did in the US was amazing, people bringing us presents and buying us drinks and keeping in touch with us ever since! It is extremely humbling, and playing the small clubs is amazing for us, it reminds us of where we started in Australia and makes for some amazing intimate moments that we haven't experienced for some time... its truly an amazing thing.

EIS: You’ve worked real hard to get where you are today, so with the European takeover already in progress, and America on the horizon, do you feel a sense of worldwide success approaching? [laughs] Does promoting the music on a global scale change anything for the band?

MH: The principle of world wide release is quite odd to us. We always felt I think that the music had a wider audience, perhaps because we were originally inspired by so many musicians from beyond Australia's borders, but for it to become a reality like it has is amazing. Truth is fact. Reality is perception. Seeing with our own eyes how far the music has gone has made us better people, and just getting reactions from people so far removed from our own local surroundings gives you confidence in the medium of music and what it can do for humanity.

EIS: Thanks so much, and I know myself and many others are highly anticipating your return to American soil.

Exploding in Sound presents... CIRCULATORY SYSTEM!!

The year is coming to a close, and the world approaches the ever futuristic sounding year 2010. With the decade in its closing stages, a strange and disjointed musical era comes to an end, but not before Exploding In Sound returns with the biggest and most triumphant compilation yet… CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. Like the organ system that spreads nutrients our bodies can’t live without, helping fight disease, Exploding In Sound aims to do similar for your musical distribution network with the fourth installment of its acclaimed series. Through the nineteen track Circulatory System compilation, I aim to spread great new music to everyone interested in helping fight the disease that is tired old generic rock. It’s with the spreading of the compilation that we can combat the toxins being force fed to us with truly incredible new music that will prove beneficial for the mind, body, and soul. Featuring new music from some of the greatest independent bands in the world including The Willowz, Rishloo, Constants, Radio Moscow, Irepress, Stomacher, The Boxing Lesson, and many more, Circulatory System is a 100% FREE digital download, containing artwork, band descriptions, links for further enjoyment, and more. With a release date strategically following in the wake of Thanksgiving weekend, I am enormously thankful and humbly gracious for everyone who has helped put this record together, especially the bands, their labels, and management. Without the willingness and cooperation of these incredible artists none of this would be possible, and your cooperation is appreciated and never forgotten. To the fans of the site, thanks for your continued support and I know you'll enjoy what I truly believe to be the most spectacular compilation yet! As always, support the artists and great music will continue to be made. Thanks.

Sharing of the download link is HIGHLY recommended and encouraged to anyone and everyone you think might be interested. As this is a FREE compilation, the goal is to gain the maximum audience achievable, and the power of word of mouth is never underestimated. THE TIME TO LET THE ‘CIRCULATORY SYSTEM’ FLOW HAS ARRIVED… GET OUT THERE AND DOWNLOAD, SHARE, POST, and SPREAD the word to everyone you know. Great music is being made, and it’s up to us, the fans, to deliver it to as many willing listeners as possible. ENJOY!

Special thanks go out to all of the bands, Zachary Howard for his incredible artwork, Ty Griffin (tygriffin.net), Lindsay and Joel at The Mylene Sheath, Ben Gram, Craig Cirinelli, Mary Ghaffari, Larry Suglio, Ryan Cano (The Loyalty Firm), Casey Tipton, Alex Mohler, Tony Pennington, Jenny Tuite, Ridd Sorenson, Pete at Ernest Jenning Record Co, my family, friends, and everyone who is supporting the cause. We're only getting started.

- Dan Goldin / Exploding In Sound





Tracklisting and Artist Information:

1. Radio Moscow – I Just Don’t Know (from the album Brain Cycles)

Storming out from Story City, Iowa, Radio Moscow have been making an impressive name for themselves over the past few years with their raucous amalgamation of blues, garage, and stoner rock that shines pure and uncompromising. While comparisons to a heavier version of The Black Keys are inevitable, not too shockingly the band was first “discovered” by The Keys’ Dan Auerbach who produced their debut album. Radio Moscow has made an enormous leap since their debut, with their most recent offering Brain Cycles, a fuzzy, psychedelic, time shifting, jam inducing, freak-out.

BUY THE ALBUM.

2. The Willowz – Repetition (from the album Everyone)

The Willowz have been making great garage inspired alternative rock since the beginning of the decade, with each new record exceeding the previous. As the band ages, so do their musical influences, incorporating elements of blues, soul, Americana, punk, and grunge into a uniquely catchy sonic assault. Richie James Follin (singer/guitarist) oozes with a confident swagger in his voice, and the Willowz eclectic style exudes a raw coolness that can’t be manufactured. Their new album Everyone, a set of ten infectious tracks that will emblaze themselves in your memory, is now available digitally, and will be in stores December 15th.

BUY THE ALBUM.

If you just can’t get enough of these guys (and I know I can’t) be sure to check out Richie and Loren’s (drums) further musical output as Barracks. Their self-titled debut album is available for FREE download HERE!! Similar to their music with The Willowz, Barracks sound is heavier and far more psychedelic. The riffs are explosive and the rhythms pounding with a strong 90’s grunge tonal quality. Be sure to check this out!

3. Ultra Violent Lights – In Lieu of Pay (from the album Here in Filth)

The time to take notice has arrived, Ultra Violent Lights’ debut record is available everywhere, and has been restoring faith in mainstream rock with each new listener. The loaded overdriven guitars, pulsating hypnotic bass, and razor sharp drumming expertly slink through moody shoegaze, new wave, and alternative rock influences similar to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Stylish, filled with memorable hooks, accessible, and yet exceptionally loaded with artistic integrity, Here In Filth, should help make a name for the young band that one can only hope will be around for many years to come.

BUY THE ALBUM.

4. Woolgather – Wind-Up Bird (from the album Programmes: Vol. I - The Pleasure Principle)

Austin, TX has become the ultimate breeding ground for incredible new rock bands, and Woolgather may just be one of the brightest. Their progressive song structures find room for inescapable melodic beauty, crushing layered heaviness, and stunning vocals and lyrics from the extraordinary Casey Tipton. Combining the complex with the gentle, Woolgather’s dark passion is driven by expansive guitar compositions infused with gorgeous pianos and skillfully shifting rhythms. Serene and haunting beauty is never far on their debut, Programmes: Vol I, an album that sits very comfortably alongside progressive art rock luminaries such as Dredg and Wintersleep.

BUY THE ALBUM.

5. Stomacher – Police (from the album Sentimental Education)

San Francisco’s Stomacher built up a strong and loyal following as In Reverent Fear before changing their name, and fine tuning their dark and elegant sound. Their “debut” under the new moniker, Sentimental Education, is the band’s undeniable masterpiece, a stunning collection of beautiful foggy atmosphere and delicate soaring melodies. Massive ocean-sized waves of reverb and delay wash over the guitars, mixing with passionate vocals that would make Thom Yorke jealous, for a simply jaw dropping sound that is equally rich in its artistry as pop sensibility. The big grooving rhythms guide the new wave/post-rock influenced quintet, as Stomacher has created a timeless record that demands repeat listens.

BUY THE ALBUM.

6. The Boxing Lesson – Muerta (from the album Wild Streaks & Windy Days)

Austin’s The Boxing Lesson without a doubt create some of the most epic space rock performed today. Calling back to the glory days of Pink Floyd, the band draw from a wealth of genres including space, progressive, art, indie, and ambient rock, all merged together by their infatuation with swirling moog synthesizers and experimental electronic layering. Since their debut full length, the band has become a duo, due to the unjust incarceration of their drummer Jake Mitchell, arrested for growing marijuana and charged under the Patriot Act as a terrorist. The Boxing Lesson push onwards, readying an EP and full length release for 2010 with the help of their manager, Ryan Cano (The Loyalty Firm), and the support of a rapidly growing fan-base. FREE JAKE MITCHELL.

BUY THE ALBUM.

7. Gift Horse – Missionaries (previously unreleased)

Since the very first note I ever heard Gift Horse play, I knew I was a fan for life. The Athens, Georgia quartet offers an unbelievable mix of 90’s indie rock, grunge, and shoegaze for a sound that honors its influences, but roars with originality. The band’s style can be equally attributed to a love for My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr., with wall of sound blasts of noise riding side by side with carefully constructed melodies and honest hazy vocals. With an exciting year that saw the band storming SXSW to wide-spread praise and touring with the Meat Puppets and Dead Confederate coming to an end, Gift Horse prepare for an even bigger 2010. Their debut album will be released in February, while preparing to head out on a full scale national tour shortly after.

8. Tangents – Fall Asleep Again (from the upcoming album One Little Light Year)

Lush and melodic, seductive and experimental, organic and alternative... Tangents is not what you may expect from a duo containing Derek Kerswill (Unearth/Seemless), but it’s the strengths of singer/guitarist Dave Witham (Flat 12/Of The Hour) that makes this project soar in the vein of Jeff Buckley, As Tall As Lions, or even Radiohead. Witham’s magnificent voice rises over the spiraling sonic backdrop with dazzling control and splendor. Ambitious songwriting creates the catchiest music either musician has released to date, and is sure to turn some heads when the album is released early next year.

9. Constants – Damien (from the album The Foundation/The Machine/The Ascension)

Arguably the best current post rock band in the world, Boston’s Constants offer a crushing rare breed of beauty that pulls its gorgeousness direct from its heaviness. The dense as bricks layering of their The Mylene Sheath debut may very well be one of the best releases of 2009, and for good reason. Constants pummel their songs with monstrous guitar textures that draw from space, prog, art, and especially post-rock. To call these three gents a “power” trio is a vicious understatement, as so much more than sheer power goes into their astonishingly united wall of sound. The time signatures are unique and intricate, the delay effect is vibrant, and most incredibly, the vocal melodies are striking and clear. Progressive post-rock at its absolute finest, Constants deliver equal parts brain and brawn.

BUY THE ALBUM.

10. Bloody Knives – Buried (from the EP Bloody Knives)

When Austin, Texas based shoegaze/grunge band The Joy Bus announced it was breaking up, many people, including myself, were deeply upset by the loss. The fellas didn’t let that last for too long however, as two thirds of the band reemerged as Bloody Knives, a new visceral shoegaze band with a propensity for all encompassing noise blasts and bleeding textures. Preston Maddox’s woozy vocals cut through the rusty storm of guitars, drums, keys, and programming to add contrasting melodic references that will draw you in over and over again. The duo creates a riotous amount of sound, with every nuance carefully placed in the sonic landscape.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE EP HERE.

11. Rishloo – Downhill (from the album Feathergun)

Seattle, Washington has been in need of a new hometown hero since the decay of the grunge era. If any band is ready to take the city’s musical throne, it’s the mighty, exceedingly creative, and triumphant prog rock champions, Rishloo. Since 2004 the band has been one of the country’s best kept secrets, developing a devout nationwide following while staying underground and true to their visionary music. Beloved for their refusal to compromise, Rishloo have self-released two widely acclaimed albums, and will be releasing the highly anticipated effort Feathergun on December 8th. Never content on repeating their previous work, they continue to push their progressive tendencies ever further with attention to shifting dynamics and rhythms, as well as captivating hypnotic melodies and vocal structures. Signed or unsigned, Rishloo are one of the greatest progressive bands in the country.

BUY THE ALBUM.

12. The Dirty Dishes – Stolen Apples (from the EP In The Clouds)

Buzzing with hype from the local Boston rock scene, The Dirty Dishes have great reason to be excited. Singer/guitarist Jenny Tuite and company play music that can be dreamily ambient one moment and jarringly spastic the next. Their combination of shoegaze, indie electro synth pop, and progressive rhythm structures creates lush whirring backdrops for Tuite’s beautifully slow dripping vocals. Their debut EP, produced by Tuite, Keith Freund of RIBS, and Mike Thomas of SuperVolcano captures the vocals perfectly in the mix, as the band achieves a stunning combination of shoegaze atmospheric gloom and post-punk fury with dreamy pop attitude.

BUY THE ALBUM.

13. Solar Powered People – Melting Ice & Snow (from the album Living Through the Low)

Modesto, California’s space rock collective Solar Powered People hail from the much celebrated school of Failure and Hum influenced bands, adding their own unique take on the subgenre. Strong attention to atmosphere compliments the ringing guitars, floating drifts of layered sound, and expansive walls of effects pedals. The band often pushes itself into a hailstorm of thick guitars, with a sharp rhythm section serving as the backbone; keeping everything in form. Firm yet simple vocals glide through the futuristic arrangements adding catchy sing-a-long melodies that hook into your subconscious and don’t let go.

BUY THE ALBUM.

14. Blind Dog Sky – I’m Comin’ Home (from the album Blind Dog Sky)

The eclectic side project from Satellite Tragedy frontman Ridd Sorenson, Blind Dog Sky takes just about every last thing that was good about the 90’s alternative rock radio and molds it into one genre defying album. What Sorenson may lack in promotional effort, he more than makes up for in his music, whether being influenced by swampy blues, lo-fi slacker grunge, or full blown space rock. Blind Dog Sky demonstrates a clear knowledge of pop music but remains honest and free of the cookie cutter corporate machine. Nothing more than a man with genuine rock songs to sing, Sorenson uses his alter ego as a showcase for his impeccable song writing prowess. Digital copies of the album are available for FREE download HERE!!

BUY THE ALBUM.

15. Blood Warrior – Blood Letting (previously unreleased)

Don’t let the name fool you, Blood Warrior are not a heavy metal band, they’re actually not heavy at all. Spearheaded by Greg Jamie of gothic folk visionaries O’Death, New York’s Blood Warrior draw from the same roots, but with a decidedly more relaxed and psychedelic approach to their music. Old time folk music of the dustbowl era combines with gospel and Americana to create gorgeously dark vocal harmonies, rich acoustic textures, and simple staggering rhythms. The band has been gaining widespread acclaim for their live shows, including a much hyped performance at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon. Blood Warrior recently released a limited edition 7”, and will follow up with their debut record on Ernest Jennings Record Co. in 2010.

BUY THE 7”.

16. Waxhouse – Ration (previously unreleased)

Hailing from London, Waxhouse are an exceptional new alternative progressive band that should create a big impact in the scene. The band may be young in age, but don’t let that throw you off, their sound is rather mature and tastefully complex. Intricate rhythms coincide with angular guitar flourishes that derive from the same school of thought as Oceansize and Biffy Clyro. Fantastic vocals are what truly set the band apart, and together with their peers in Arcane Roots (another Exploding In Sound favorite), Waxhouse are in no short order for musical talent, ensuring an incredible future lies ahead for the UK quintet. The band will be releasing their debut EP early 2010.

17. Monument To No One – Planetary (from the album Monument To No One)

I’m not sure what it is about Austin, Texas that screams “space rock,” but Monument To No One are the latest band from the prestigious city to burst out on the scene. On their self titled debut, the quartet show their penchant for endlessly walloping guitar feedback and distortion, sharp precision snare work, and hypnotic warping grooves. The guitars shimmer off each other through lengthy compositions, proving Monument To No One’s flair for mind expanding psychedelic exploration that sets them apart from the pack. Their music is raw and corrosive, with treacherous riffs and battering drum fills that drift into another dimension.

BUY THE ALBUM.

18. Emptyself – Just Go On (previously unreleased)

Emptyself is the solo project from the elusive Cire frontman/mastermind Eric Johanson. Originally creating music from his native New Orleans, Johanson relocated after Hurricane Katrina took all he knew to Auckland, New Zealand. His music is incredibly personal and heartfelt, even with much digital manipulation there is still a driving human emotion always present. His voice is powerful and stunning, often reminiscent of Maynard James Keenan, without merely being a cheap imitation. Haunting and steeped in bleakness, Emptyself creates electronic sonic landscapes for his vital and potent vocals to sprawl over undisturbed.

BUY THE ALBUM.

19. Irepress – Adeluge (from the album Sol Eye Sea I)

The epic nature of Boston’s Irepress can best be described as monolithic. The band craft wildly shifting (primarily) instrumental progressive post-rock that delves through multiple genres within single songs, but always remains focused on their unwavering talent and attention to detail. Time signatures are maligned and contorted with their snarling contusion of hardcore, metal, and avant-garde jazz exploration. Sprawling works of art circle around thematic tension and release, consistently building while fluctuating tempos and reverberating guitars pour continuously forward. Irepress have built a solid foundation over the years, and prove to be one of Boston’s hardest working and most intelligent rock bands, looking forward to 2010 with new guitarist Ben Gram (Eroica) joining the ranks and new music in the works.

BUY THE ALBUM.

OCEANSIZE's Mike Vennart: The Exploding In Sound Interview

Here in America we have just about every opportunity, luxury, and commodity you can ask for, but there are certainly many exceptions. Possibly the biggest omission from our country is the wide spread adoration of one of the greatest bands of the past decade, Oceansize. With a massive cult following in Europe and the UK, the band has consistently delivered three of the greatest records to be released since their inception, as well as several EPs and a brand new monster of a boxset entitled Feed to Feed. The set features 4 CDs and 3 DVDs that are taken from the band's recent performance at the Manchester Roadhouse in which Oceansize performed each of their albums/EPs in their entirety over the span of three nights. Released nearly simultaneously with the band’s brand new “stripped down” EP Home and Minor, Oceansize are once again bringing their delicately constructed ambitious blend of progressive, alternative, and post-rock on tour throughout the UK/Europe. Lead singer/guitarist Mike Vennart was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions for Exploding In Sound regarding the new releases, the band’s legacy, the overall lack of concern for America, and obsessive fans…



EIS: Home & Minor was released just a few weeks ago, are you going to be playing a lot of the material from it on the current tour? The horns add an incredible texture on “Getting Where Water Cannot,” any chance of bringing a horn section into the live mix?

MV: We're doing 2 songs from 'Home & Minor'. Sadly we're not playing "GWWC" on this tour... The horns are pretty necessary and we'd need a bigger bus. Not to mention the fact that it's by far the most easy song to fuck up. Maybe we'll pull it out when we're feeling a bit more brave. But yeah, that's the first time we've ever used horns in 11 years! I'm pretty happy with them - they sit in the mix as little drones, like a constant colour running through the chaos on top of it.

EIS: What inspired Home & Minor, the first release from your home studio to be a more restrained set of songs?

MV: Well we were pretty adamant that we weren't gonna rush the 4th album, but our record company wanted to a product to keep the 'kidz' happy in the meantime. We had already written 'Legal Teens' and figured that that song/vibe wouldn't really sit well with any rocking numbers... We've always talked about making an ambient record... a more sprawling, intimate affair. These days I tend to listen to more textural music, so the heavy thing hasn't really been at the forefront of my mind recently. I dare say there'll be some seriously loud shit on the fourth album though.

In terms of actual lyrical meaning, 'Home And Minor' (the EP) is a look back at the wonder of late childhood/early teenhood. It's a funny old time in everyone's life, I'm sure, where everything is temporary, even though it feels like your gonna have this strange fear for the rest of your life. The words are kind of about those fears, the fears that you can only have as a child. I remember feeling like my senses were so intensified - i can still remember the smell of the fields surrounding the village i lived in, the wet leaves around my feet in the churchyard, and the overwhelming urge to change into another person every hour. Weird times. Glad it's over.



EIS: Now that the EP has been released, what can we expect in the last two artwork panels on your Myspace?

MV: I actually have just found out - it's a video of Gambler and myself talking about some stuff like this. [see below]

EIS: Feed to Feed came out every bit as epic as intended. The release commemorates 10 years as band. Do you feel it’s a fair representation of how you’ve gotten from where you were in the beginning to now?

MV: I dunno. I mean, the actual visual production isn't exactly the most dynamic. It was done at the last minute on a very tight budget with only five cameras. It's a kind of 'official bootleg' vibe. I'm very happy with the audio mix; Mark Williams did an amazing job with the 5.1 mix. It sounds very raunchy and real. Other than that, it's simply a document of probably the best shows of our lives so far. The vibe was electric. We had our friends and family supporting us - Amplifier, Biffy Clyro, Rose Kemp, Manatees. People traveled from all over the world to be there and it meant a lot to us.

EIS: When the show begins you ask “Are we actually here, and are we actually doing it?” in a joking disbelief. When did you get the idea to put this all together?

MV: In all honesty, I nicked the idea wholesale from Biffy Clyro. I attended 4 shows of theirs in Glasgow, each night they played a different album. It was a very unified, for-the-fans experience. We're very much an albums band so i thought it would be something worth doing, for us as much as the fans. Combined with the fact that it coincided with our tenth anniversary, it was cause for a bit of a party! We announced the shows about six months beforehand, and the anticipation built up so much, and we were pretty nervous by the time we hit the stage on the first night.

EIS: Joined by members of Kong and Amplifier on the opening night, did it help to ease into the show to have close friends playing with you?

MV: We wanted all of our friends there with us - We've spent some of the greatest times of our lives with JonLee and Sel, not to mention the Biffy boys.

EIS: With each album having its own distinct sound, did you enjoy playing any particular album the most?

MV: I think the second record [Everyone Into Position] went down the best. It's the most singable, the most melodic and anthemic. It was sort of conceived as a festival set album so the audience was on fire that night.

EIS: Your albums come across as such complete compositions and sound tremendous played in their entirety. Is this something you enjoy doing? Had you done it before the Manchester Roadhouse residency?

MV: It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work. We had to relearn a lot of material. The fact that Steven hadn't played many of the songs didn't present much of an obstacle - he learnt everything really quick and ended up knowing the stuff better than the rest of us! It's not something we've done before or since. One day, maybe...



EIS: Did the same audience come out for each night of the performance? Or was the crowd varied between each album?

MV: I'd say around half the crowd was there for the whole weekend. Meeting everyone at the pub after the last night was a really rewarding time - definitely underlined why we should keep doing this.

EIS: You mention a special thank you to people who have traveled from all over the world (USA, Israel, Scotland) to be in Manchester for those performances, so when can we expect to see Oceansize touring in the US?

MV: The 64 million dollar question. We'd love to come over, but we're not gonna blow 30 grand in the process. I'm sure we could pull a decent crowd, but at what cost? We'll certainly lose money, money that wont come back in from record sales. Money that could be spent better making more records.

EIS: The US hasn’t gotten a chance to see much live Oceansize, and the albums, other than Frames have all gone discontinued. Are there any plans to conquer the states? The country may need lots of things, and is certainly in need of more Oceansize in its life!

MV: [See above] It means a lot to us that we've acquired some interest over there, really it does. We toured there in 2004, supporting Mclusky. We'd only just released our first album. It was a lot of fun, but ultimately it was a gigantic waste of cash.

EIS: As a band that has developed a true cult following for your incredibly artistic and gorgeously heavy music, what are your experiences like with fans? Any crazed over excited fellas?

MV: We certainly do have some rabid fans. Maybe it's something that just comes with being a band with a bit of a history - a body of work. There's quite a lot to investigate now and we've had heaps of people with Oceansize tattoos, or lyrics inked on them. All that kind of stuff is just so OUT THERE, so unreal, that i can't quite get my head round it. I'm passionate about the bands i love (indeed i have a Cardiacs tattoo) but I'm pretty blown away that someone puts us in that kind of bracket. An honour, for sure. But if i allow myself to chew on it for too long, my ego will run away with itself.

EIS: Oceansize come across as a very unique band with such attention to detail, texture, time, and space. Who would the band site as their main influences? What bands you do you feel musically in tune with these days?

MV: Bands we love (new and old) - Cardiacs, Mr Bungle, Deerhoof, Pavement, Nine Inch Nails, Mogwai, Mclusky, Shellac, Zu, Heavy Vegetable / Thingy, Battles, Alva Noto, Talk Talk, Biffy Clyro, Faith No More, Devo, Ramones.... literally hundreds more.

EIS: It was great to see Mark get his due respects from MusicRadar.com, has he let the praise go to his head? [laughs] Has the balancing between Oceansize and Kong been smooth?

MV: Kong never really gets in the way. When they're on tour it gives me chance to work on stuff at home... Sort out the lyrics etc. And no, Mark hasn't turned into a prima dona, but he, and we, are thrilled he's finally getting the recognition he deserves. He's the fucking best, and I'm allowed to say that cos I'm not him.

EIS: Releasing DVDs from now on is going to be pretty difficult to follow up Feed to Feed. Have you considered doing a collection of your music videos?

MV: It'd be pretty brief! Besides which, I'd happily bury one of our videos forever - I'm looking at you, Heaven Alive.

EIS: In your Myspace bio you need to include a footnote to the universal praise for the first two albums because you say your dad doesn’t enjoy them [laughs]. Any change in his opinion? What kinda stuff does he go for?

MV: That particular male that's biologically linked to me can't really be called a music fan of any description, so it was pretty much a given that he'd hate the band. He'll buy a 'greatest hits' album and only ever listen to the first song. His lack of belief in me isn't something that keeps me awake at night though.

EIS: Thanks so much for the interview, and enjoy the rest of your tour. Hope you can make it over here once again!

Into the Mind of Cave In's Steve Brodsky: The Exploding In Sound Interview

Steve Brodsky is known and adored by many as singer/guitarist for the legendary alt/metal band Cave In. As dynamic as Cave In are, Brodsky, a self proclaimed "recording junkie" has always found other avenues for his vast creative output through solo albums and several other bands. With Cave In on hiatus, he found time to front many different projects, all with great musical results. After four years however, Cave In are back together and just as mighty as ever before. With an upcoming string of East Coast tour dates only a week away, Steve was gracious enough to sit down and talk about Cave In's triumphant return, his solo work, the all-too-shortly lived Pet Genius and The Octave Museum, influences, the future, and so much more...



EIS: First off, how does it feel to be back with Cave In? What brought the reunion to fruition?

SB: Feels good. Considering our 15 year investment, it's pretty cool that we can still get in a room with each other and enjoy the results. For a while, living in different parts of the country/world made it difficult for the band to do anything. But now with all of us taking residence in the Boston area, it's much easier for Cave In to get together, to function, to be creative and have fun with it all.

EIS: Did you have to go back and study any Cave In tracks that had slipped your memory?

SB: I made a "homework" CD of all the songs we considered relearning. Passed em' out at practice and everyone laughed. Rightfully so, some of this stuff is probably etched permanently into our brains, which renders the act of referencing recordings somewhat of an unnecessary step. That being said, relearning songs like "Inflatable Dream" and "Luminance" took a bit more effort than the rest, simply because it's been so long since we played them. For me, it's all about the "skin" that I used to wear, and slipping back into it before finding those familiar notes and movements.

EIS: With Planets of Old and Perfect Pitch Black there is a great mixture of the two distinct styles the band has become known for. What are the live shows like since reuniting? Is there a happy balance between the ultra aggressive and the more spacey material?

SB: I'd rather not spoil the surprise, but it's fair to say our current set is all over the map. Having survived a total of 3 test-drives (aka "shows") without being changed, I guess that in itself makes for a happy balance.

EIS: How long did the writing process take for Planets of Old? Did everything come naturally back together after being apart for so long?

SB: We spent about 6 months writing 4 songs. Mind you, these days we're not going to the rehearsal space multiple times a week like we used to do. Leisurely pacing ourselves works out well in the sense that no one's rushing to produce a "product". In turn, the recording of the EP took only 2 nights to complete, from tracking to mixing. I like hearing the urgent effects this produces - you don't give yourself enough time to sweat the little things.



EIS: Can we expect a new full length album from Cave In? Are you still planning on releasing the reunion show on DVD?

SB: Not sure. We have new songs, but there hasn't been a clear-cut "format" we've decided to use for them. The DVD is completed and it will come with a CD version of "Planets Of Old" released on Hydra Head early next year.

EIS: During the beginning of the decade you released two solo albums while still active with Cave In. What inspired those records? How was the reaction?

SB: I've been a recording junkie since I was 13 years old, playing in various bands with J.R. and obsessively recording our rehearsals on a boombox. The excess of this hobby only grew when my dad helped me figure out how to use a 4-track machine. Naturally, boxes of tapes began to overflow and I just figured it was time to do something. You can probably hear the inspirations of Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, Eric's Trip, Elliott Smith... home recording is the occasional pastime of many friends of mine which equally, if not more, inspires me also. Any sort of interest my solo records gained for me was always beyond my own expectations, simply because it was somewhat difficult picturing a life for these songs outside of their little storage spaces.

EIS: When you guys announced the hiatus, you emerged soon after with your first new band, The Octave Museum. Were those songs you had already been working on? What made you decide to play with a full band as opposed to releasing more solo material? What influenced the psychedelic pop sound?

SB: "The Voice Electric" had been kicking around for a couple years, beginning as a solo recording that came out on a Chrome Peeler Records compilation called "You've Got Your Orders". The song "Red-Headed Butterflies" started as a demo on what was the very first Pro Tools rig that Kurt Ballou sold me. At the time, I found that I couldn't complete finished versions of songs that I was truly happy with, so that's when I got the idea of forming another band. And I was pretty into Dungen, and Kevin Shurtlef generously turned both me and Johnny Northrup onto "S.F. Sorrow" by The Pretty Things, which in part explains why The Octave Museum sounded the way it did.

EIS: Shortly after releasing the album and a large European tour you decided to disband, and immediately resurfaced with Pet Genius. The line-up was identical to Octave Museum aside from switching drummers to JR, but the sound went in a grungier direction. Were these songs ever intended for Octave Museum? What brought about the decision to start Pet Genius?

EIS: It wasn't a large European tour we did - just about a week's worth of shows in the UK. Shortly afterward I went through some personal life drama, which kicked up a storm of break-up's, fall-out's, a job loss... kind of a messy time in general. Anyway, Pet Genius was supposed to be another solo record but I asked J.R. if he'd like to be involved. After the situation with him not playing with Cave In for a period of time, I found myself missing our creative bond together. And we pulled the first Pet Genius record together in just a couple weeks. For having a such a full plate at the time, I gotta hand it to J.R. for doing a fantastic job. As a band, Pet Genius never quite had the momentum of The Octave Museum. But overall there were some really fun shows and good hangout's. In hindsight, I sometimes miss the element of terror at having to cover all sonic guitar-space in a 3-piece band.

EIS: Did you get a general reaction to the projects? Did fans expect something heavy from you with the other guys working on Clouds and Zozobra?

SB: There will always be those people who can't help but compare because they're dissatisfied by what they hear. And it's fine - they'll just move on to the next thing. I find myself doing the very same thing sometimes. In defense of this, what can you do but just ham it up and hope someone hears your efforts for what they really are? Maybe that's why The Octave Museum played our last shows dressed in costume. I wore a ridiculously large pink afro wig, including a pink afro pick, Buddy Holly bottle-cap glasses and layers of pink robes. Johnny donned a sort of samurai-terrorist jogger garb complete with a headband, a homemade T-shirt and running trunks. Kevin unbuttoned his jeans and respectfully played himself. The final few shows in particular were a blast, simply because we didn't care who we were or where we had come from.

EIS: I’ve always admired your lyrics for both Octave Museum and Pet Genius. What influences your writing? The name of this very site is actually taken from a line in your song “Red Headed Butterflies”.

SB: That's cool. It took me a second but I get the reference now... and my attorney will contacting you shortly, hah hah. Anyway, I've always had an affinity for the Kurt Cobain approach of piecemeal writing - simple melodies with short-attention-spanned lines creating something more complex than what you hear upon the first few listens. More simply put, it's just another form of poetry. Aging has me wanting to stray from this method in favor of something else... perhaps greater clarity? I don't quite know myself but there's always more records to be made in the future, so time will tell. Continued love for Willie Nelson, Jawbreaker, Daniel Johnston and Wu-Tang always helps, too.

EIS: Do you have any plans to work on anymore material with Octave Museum or Pet Genius in the future?

SB: Pet Genius just put the finishing touches on a 6-song EP that was recorded a couple of years ago. One of these songs, "Video Stills", went on a recent Hydra Head cassette sampler. But as of this writing, there's nothing fresh in the works. I stay in touch with Johnny and Kevin so there's always a chance, though.

EIS: Just in case your musical output wasn’t scattered under enough names, you decided to release your most recent solo record under Stove Bredsky. Black Ribbon Award is a bit of a departure from the previous two solo albums, with slower, noisier, and more droning atmosphere. I read these songs were originally written in the late 90s, did they come before your first solo album? What made you decide to release them last year?

SB: Not sure what I was trying to accomplish with a pseudonym like that... in the end I just set myself up for confusion. It's like, first he's Steve, then it's Stephen, and now... Stove? Who the hell is this guy? Actually, the name originated from a joke that Aaron Turner came up with by reversing the first vowels in a person's first and last names to come up with a new nickname. "Stove" kind of stuck with some of my friends and I guess I tried running with it. "The Black Ribbon Award" has only a few songs that were written in the 90's - "Trout", "Orange Sunshine Medicine", and "Fall Days". The rest was fairly current for the time, and writing for the aforementioned 3 songs predate anything that appeared on my first solo record, "Expose Your Overdubs", by a couple of years.

EIS: You toured in support of the album with Zozobra, Kayo Dot, and Pelican; all infinitely heavier than your solo records. Do you find it at all difficult playing a stripped down show with such heavy bands?

SB: My way of dealing with this is simply turning up as loud as I can get away with. On the Pelican tour, Trevor was kind enough to let me use his amp stack so that helped things. The silver lining here is that it's made me rethink what it means to play solo. You don't necessarily have to be soft, you don't always have to be quiet... I'd rather go chameleon-style into these situations, prepared to show whatever colors necessary in order to blend in with the show.

EIS: Touring for your solo projects you are often listed with Cave In in parenthesis following your band. Do you think that creates expectations for your sound?

SB: Naturally, yes. It's not something I'm looking to escape from, either. "Cave In" will always be bigger than "Steve Brodsky". I guess you can't fault a promoter for using this if he thinks more people might come to your show. But aside from that, I'm proud of playing in this band, I'm proud of many things I've done with this band, so why wouldn't I want to be associated with it? I'll happily play Cave In songs at my solo shows - or at least a few that I manage not to butcher without the other 3 guys on stage.

EIS: How would you compare touring/recording with Cave In to your other projects?

SB: Cave In has 15 years of experience under our belts. There can be a number of situations, tours, recordings, jokes, pranks, etc. that get referenced at any given moment when we're together. In this way, we're like brothers. It's unfair to compare Cave In with any other bands/projects I've been involved with. If anything, I always find it healthy to step outside of one's comfort zone and expand upon your musicality by getting into the mindset of another person, another collective of individuals, to see where it leads you.

EIS: Are you still working on music with The Holey Moleys? Can we expect an album/shows from the group?

SB: The Holey Moleys started a recording last summer. I was using Audrey's (Audrey Ryan, also in the Holey Moleys) laptop to work on mixes when it crashed and unfortunately, we lost almost all our work. The only plus side to this is that once I remixed the basic tracking from the original 4-track tapes, I found these mixes to be of better quality than before. Now if we can just pin down a day or two to re-record vocals.... hopefully before Christmas.

EIS: Ever consider Cave In versions of any of your solo material? I must say tracks like “Dead Battery,” “Spacegirl Saturn,” “Prepare for Landing” or “Man on the Mountain” would sound terrific with a Cave In treatment. [While they certainly are already incredible songs]

SB: This is something that the band has rarely, if ever, talked about doing. In truth, I believe there's a much stronger connection with our music pieces that are created collectively. That being said, I'm not opposed to it. On the flipside to this question, doing a version "PG" by Clouds would be a blast, and Zozobra's "Invisible Wolves" was always one of my favorites to play live.

EIS: The Cave In reunion show was held at Great Scott’s, an extremely small venue in Allston. With the demand for the show being enormous, what made you decide to play there? Do you have a favorite place to play in Boston?

SB: We just wanted to play a show and didn't really think much else. It wasn't until the show sold out in less than 20 minutes that we got to thinking maybe we'd screwed up by not choosing a larger venue. That being said, Great Scott is a fantastic place to both play and to see bands play. There's great live sound you can also experience from the back of the room comfortably without wearing earplugs, which is somewhat of a rarity in Boston. The Middle East is another longtime favorite of ours and we're really looking forward to playing there on 11/22.

EIS: You submitted a great contribution to the Seaweed tribute album Hours and Hours. How did you get involved with that project? Was Seaweed a big influence on you?

SB: Thanks. Craig from Engineer contacted Hydra Head to see if I'd be interested. I've been fairly obsessed with the "Four" album in particular for a number of years. Picked it up during my phase of mindlessly buying Sub Pop records in the mid 90's. Saw them play in Boston on the very first day I moved into the city 12 years ago.

EIS: What does 2010 have in the cards for you?

SB: 09' was kind of quiet for me and I'll be making up for that in 2010. It's the beginning of my 30's so I have to do what I can before the receding hair line really starts to appear and all my gear gets too heavy for me to bother leaving the house with it.

EIS: If Cave In reuniting is a quiet year, I know I can't wait the busy one! Thank you so much for the interview, looking forward to all that new music. Cave In are playing several shows around the east coast this month, for dates click HERE. The band will also be releasing Planets of Old on CD/DVD January 26th through Hydra Head. The DVD portion will contain all 13 tracks from the band's entire reunion show this summer.

Getting To Know Zuu: The Exploding in Sound Exclusive Interview

Los Angeles' ZUU are easily one of my favorite up-and-coming bands in the country, and are just beginning to get the attention they deserve. With some very exciting upcoming plans, potential touring, internet buzz, and blossoming college radio success the band has a lot on its plate pushing towards their promising future. They were kind enough to answer some questions for Exploding In Sound, a proper introduction to a band that you will be hearing plenty about for years to come.



EIS: For those unfamiliar with the band, please introduce yourselves and what you play.

Omar: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Guitar atmospherics

Emvy: Lead Guitar and Guitar manipulation

Tyler Schwarz: Bass and Vocal Harmonies

Kevin Offitzer: Drums

EIS: How did the band get its name? How did you guys form? How long have you been playing together?

ZUU: Hard to tell exactly how it came about but basically we wanted a name that had little or no association with any word, something minimalistic, and ZUU is more of a sound than a word. When the debut EP first came out the name of the band was ZU, then we added an extra U as things progressed. The current line-up was formed over the last four years, although the first ZU incarnation, formed by Omar in 2003 , included other players on the first release. Tyler and Omar had known each other for several years and set out to write songs for ZUU's 2nd LP in 2005, while Emvy joined the group around six months later, still during the beginning of the writing and recording phase. Kevin joined us this Summer.

EIS: You just added a permanent drummer to you line up. Who is he? Relieved to have a solid drummer in the band? Who played drums on the album?

ZUU: Kevin Offitzer has been a great addition to the line up. He takes the vibe of the album a little further, which works great for the live versions of these songs. It's great to have him on board! A friend of ours, Erik Eldenius, played drums on the album, he also played drums on several tracks off the first EP.

EIS: While we all know what I hear in your sound, who do you actually consider your biggest influences?

Omar: Pixies, My Bloody Valentine

Emvy: I have a vast number of influences ranging in styles and genres. When I was writing for this album I focused more on vibe than parts. There aren't too many "leads" and more "moments". I'd say the main influences are Sonic Youth, Autolux, Tool, The Mars Volta, Radiohead.

Tyler: Tool, Tori Amos, The Clash, Elliot Smith, and Neil Young (the short list!)

EIS: It appears you’ve been rehearsing for live shows, can we expect any coming up in the near future? Do you have plans to play outside your region?

ZUU: We'll definitely be playing some local L.A. and surrounding area shows, then we intend to tour US and hopefully Canada in 2010, eventually with the goal of making our way to Europe where we've built somewhat of a cult following.

EIS: How are the songs working out live? Will they be strictly structured to the album versions or can we expect some improvisation

ZUU: The live versions of the songs sound very powerful. You would definitely hear most everything that's on the album, with a few minor changes.

EIS: Word on these internets is you are remixing/remastering your phenomenal sophomore album “Everywhere” with different producers/engineers to make the recordings as big as the actual songs. What can you tell us about that?

ZUU: Yes, we wanted our mixes to be more fully realized and after looking into different potentials of who to work with, we ended up hooking up with Ken Andrews of Failure, who you had recently interviewed on EIS. It was from your exclusive interview that we first learned he was mixing songs for various bands/artists and our manager [the incredible Mary, who is happy to help with any Zuu inquires] followed through with contacting him. We're working with him to remix the whole album for a proper 2010 release.

EIS: Have you received any of the tracks back from Ken Andrews yet? How are they sounding? Get to trade any recording tips with him? Any other producers you’re looking towards?

ZUU: We've received 3 songs so far and they're sounding huge..we couldn't be happier! We're not interfering too much with Ken's process..we look forward to finding out more about his techniques once the whole album's been remixed.




EIS: You guys have been gaining airplay on many popular college radio stations, ranking in the charts alongside 90s legends like Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Were you taken aback by this? Have there been any exceedingly responsive areas/cities?

ZUU: We're really excited to see how the album's taking off.. just recently we were sandwiched between The Mars Volta and Alice in Chains on the college charts in the Chicago area... that was cool! The response has been more wide spread than regional. The West and East Coasts in the States have been really responsive. East Coast Canada has also seen a lot of airplay as have the Southern States in the US.

EIS: How would you describe the difference between your debut self titled album and “Everywhere”? What was the writing process like for “Everywhere,” and how long were you working on it?

Omar: There's definitely been a progression from the debut LP to Everywhere as the band's signature sound evolved through time with Tyler and Emvy on board. We worked on it from 2005 until late 2008 when Emvy and I mixed the songs for the initial release.

Emvy: Writing "Everywhere" was a big experiment. Songs in different stages being written, recorded and mixed. I'm glad it turned out the way it did. The album finally blossomed when Omar and I mixed it.

Tyler: Omar and I started this album writing songs for a mutual friend of ours who passed way, not really in tribute style but influenced by our feelings in the aftermath... Then it just took off in a lot of directions before Emvy solidified as the 3rd member during the writing/recording process. This album had a long turnover, it was a lot of searching ..In the end I still feel it is a record made with our friend in mind even after the time that has passed.

Kevin: From a listening point of view, I think the music, sound, and overall quality matured from the self-titled album to "Everywhere"

EIS: The album features enormous layers of guitar and bass effects. What are your favorite pedals?

Omar: I used vintage amps and guitars, and secret techniques to create guitar and atmospheric effects..

Emvy: My rig in particular went through many changes and phases during the recording of this album. Definitely a challenge on this one. I'd say pedals I can't live without are my Digitech Whammy, vintage Memory Man, and my Kaoss Pad that I run my guitar through.

Tyler: I used the Boss Gt-6B effects unit. I'm pretty minimal in that dept, but I really like it after trying a lot of stomp boxes.

EIS: With each repeat listen I find myself picking new favorite tracks on the album, does the same happen for you? Were the songs written with the others in mind?

ZUU: It probably all depends on the mood of the listener.. It's a good sign if people are connecting to different songs at different times. When we heard the Ken Andrews mixes it definitely highlighted the sound of the band, and even our favorites changed!

EIS: What inspires your lyrics? Has the LA scene delivered any influence?

Omar: The lyrics could be inspired from anything in the moment, the LA scene is an influence, perhaps more on a subconscious level...

Emvy: I'd say we're an LA based band with anything but an LA vibe! but some may disagree...

Tyler: For me the writing process, lyrically, was inspired by our late friend mentioned earlier..but I also drew a lot from the city itself, not so much the music scene, but the endless alley ways and rooftop adventures, old abandoned buildings and freeway overpasses all have this unique feeling that I love about the city, and I think you can hear it sometimes, or maybe see it.

EIS: After appearing on the Exploding In Sound compilation “Future Legendary,” I’ve heard nothing but incredible response to your music. Have you seen any reaction/feedback from your album or the compilation from fans?

ZUU: Yes, we have received responses from fans on music sites and from various music blogs, all very positive. The compilation has been a great promotional tool and we're very honored to be included on this latest one as the first track! We recommend "Future Legendary" as well as the other 2 compilations in your series, to every music lover we know. Can't wait to hear the next one!

EIS: What does 2010 hold in store for Zuu?

Omar: The Ken Andrews mixes and proper release of "Everywhere" and touring!

Emvy: SHOWS! SHOWS! SHOWS!

Tyler: Touring!

Kevin: Hopefully tons of shows, touring, success and some beers!

EIS: That's what I like to hear! Can't wait to catch you on tour, and good luck with everything. Thank you so much for the interview and I look forward to hearing the Everywhere "Ken Andrews Treatment Edition".

Memoria Honors the Alternative 90s: A Tribute Well Deserved

If you read this site, even on rare occasion, one thing should be certain… I love the early 90s alternative/grunge rock era. The music I grew up listening to has developed my tastes since I was old enough to have an opinion, as well as influenced most of my favorite music from this current decade. The impact can still be felt from the fading (but never forgotten) scene as proven by the recent compilation from Yr Letter Records entitled “Memoria: A Tribute to the Alternative 90s.” Yr Letter Records is a small independent record label based out of France, best known for releasing Jonah Matranga’s (Far) solo record “And” as well as several emerging underground bands. As is the situation with nearly all tribute albums, most of the artists are completely unknown, thirteen of the seventeen bands hail from the label’s own home of France. The compilation won’t be entirely foreign to ears in the US however, as the disc features contributions from the aforementioned Matranga, as well as Walter Schriefels (Quicksand/Rival Schools) and Frank Turner. Just as the contributors have a varying degree of fame, so do the bands being covered. They range from the super famous (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer, Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, Deftones) to the cult followings (My Bloody Valentine, Far, Quicksand, Jawbox) to the fairly obscure (Babes in Toyland, Kerbdog, Les Thugs, Grant Lee Buffalo, The Poises, Mega City Four, Chokebore). With such a diverse range of artists being honored the album not only introduces you to new bands, but also bands you may have missed from the 90s. While choosing to cover the classics leaves little room for improvement on the originals, many of them are great reinterpretations, and make for an enjoyable listen. Then there are the tracks I haven’t heard in the first place, which for the most part sound great in their cover versions, piquing my interest for both the artist being honored as well as the one paying the tribute.

Frank Turner opens the show with his furious acoustic cover of Kerbdog’s “Sally”. The Irish grunge band’s biggest hit gains new life on Turner’s passionate rendition. Removing the clunky power chords in place of swirling acoustic patterns, the exceptional song writing is showcased. La Rochelle, France’s Gatechien offer their reimagining of “Bombtrack” by Rage Against The Machine, giving the song a distinct new flavor while remaining within the same funk groove originally laid down by Tom Morello and company. The punchy French accent and attitude pulsing through the vocals adds a great texture to a familiar tune, contributing a renewed sense of immediacy and pounding energy. Walter Schriefels attempts the near impossible, providing an acoustic cover of My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze storm “When You Sleep”. Schriefels has garnered a cult following from his sincere and honest vocal melodies and simplicity, and he proves his formula works despite most odds. The thick hazy wall of sound surging through MBV’s guitars is replaced with layered clean acoustics while maintaining the original’s vibe on an infinitely more lo-fi scale.

DevonMiles hail from Orleans, France and continue to display the promising underground music coming from their national scene on their cover of Weezer’s “Getchoo”. The classic Pinkerton song is given a straight forward interpretation with subtle effect pedal changes and varied melodic embellishments that add to the already great song. Holland’s Cooper submits their version of Jawbox’s “Static” leaning very closely to the original with their boisterous homage. Lula Fortune, another talented French band, covers Grant Lee Buffalo’s “Fuzzy,” a song I have never heard from a band I’d never listened to. Without any previous knowledge, Lula Fortune are able to gather my interest with their brand of mid-tempo reverb soaked guitars and gorgeous high soaring vocals reminiscent of As Tall As Lions or modern day Silverchair. Down to Earth attempt their shot at one of my all time favorite songs, Soundgarden’s “Let Me Drown,” with sub-par results. While the young French band certainly doesn’t butcher the song, they also don’t improve it in any way, with a lead singer that comes very short trying to fill in Chris Cornell’s enormous shoes. Much of the greatness in the original lies in Cornell and lead guitarist Kim Thayil’s unbelievable talent, something that can’t be replaced regardless of enthusiasm. Billy Gaz Station’s version of The Posies “Grant Hart,” is an enjoyable listen with a rapid grungy pop energy that bounces with the melody.

Luis Francisco Arena offers a bubbling atmospheric reworking of Far’s stand out “I Like It” from the phenomenal Water and Solutions. Just as with Soundgarden, the original Far song is one of my favorites, with a cover that can’t simply match the magic and chemistry of the authentic version. Lead Orphans triumphantly pound out a visceral interpretation of Pearl Jam’s “Corduroy” with angst and grace. Imagine the song nearly unchanged, yet with a slightly more restrained vocal, and this song may just actually be improved. You can’t tribute the “Alternative 90s” without one brave band attempting a Nirvana song, in this case coming from Novels’ gravel voiced version of “Aneurysm”. The song can’t hold a candle to the raw angst of the original, but you have to get them credit for trying. The passion for the song and effort to do it justice are certainly there, and no one should be particularly turned off from their contribution.

Closing the album is the stunning masterpiece of the record that created my interest in the first place, Jonah Matranga’s intimate take on his good friends, the Deftones’ “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)”. Accompanied only by drum machine, atmospherics, and faint guitar strums, Matranga embodies the mood and warm soul of the song in a rendition closer to Team Sleep than the Deftones, but every bit as effective with its vulnerable exterior. The album isn’t without its low points however, including Dead Pop Club’s cover of Les Thugs, Powell featuring Cyesm’s aggression-less take on Quicksand’s “Head to Wall,” Atomic Garden paying tribute to Mega City Four, Mr. Moustache screaming into Babes in Toyland, and Run Ronnie Run’s homage to Chokebore.

Yr Letter Records has released an interesting compilation well worth a listen, if not just for the fun of hearing a slew of promising French acts pay tribute to the band’s who have influenced our generation’s masses. An album teaser is available to stream HERE (with many of the full songs on the bands' individual Myspace pages) and for purchase HERE!

Karnivool’s most recent release to arrive on American soil doesn’t contain much new music, but for a band that has amassed an enormous following in their native Australia, their entire catalog is still relatively new here in the states. Well aware of that fact, the band and their new US label home Sony/SIN released the digital only Set Fire to the Hive EP, a collection of songs from each of the bands full length albums as well as live tracks and alternate versions. With just four songs, the EP is just enough to whet the appetite for the American release of their sophomore masterpiece Sound Awake, arriving in stores across this country February 16th 2010. The quintet create a fusion of alternative metal, provocative prog, elements of post-rock, and grunge for a sound appealing to fans of Tool, A Perfect Circle, Cog, and Oceansize. Hailed as one of Australia’s most respected rock bands, Karnivool are poised to swarm American audiences, with their EP serving as appetizer for the feast that waits ahead.



The title track “Set Fire to the Hive,” was the first single released from Sound Awake, an album that has received absolutely nothing but critical praise. The track’s guitars buzz like a swarm of pissed off hornets, being shaken to a furious rhythm. The band slams and grooves with expert timing and precision, a shorter songs for Karnivool but there’s no shortage of creativity or absorbing riffs. The song is catchy, heavy, and complex, leaving you discovering new elements with each listen. “Themata” is the title track from their debut album, released in 2005. Showcasing the band’s earlier sound, a time when they were teetering on the border of prog rock and nu-metal, yet still representative of their signature sound. While the term “nu-metal” is dreaded by most, Karnivool help envision what it would have been like done properly and with genuine talent. The distorted vocal line is as catchy as can be, playing off the layered guitars and booming bass line. The band jumps time signatures without warning, always leaving you wondering what’s next from their ever evolving sonic grooves.

“Roquefort,” a track that first appeared on Themata is redone for the EP, with a stunning version containing a brass section intended for the original song, performed by Australia’s Empire Horns duo. The horns accentuate the unbelievable stop start rhythm pounded out by Karnivool’s drummer extraordinaire Steve Judd. The rhythms knockout punch attack is colored with the guitars and horns paving the way for the delicate structure of vocalist Ian Kenny’s melody. Rumbling bass, exploding trumpets, and anthemic vocals drive the song into its stunning crescendo. Just in case anyone was hesitant about the band, they have included a live version of the epic “Deadman,” a highlight from Sound Awake. Judd opens the song with a hypnotic syncopated beat that will immediately bring to mind Danny Carey. While comparisons to Carey’s drumming generally fall flat, Judd, and the rest of the band, proves they can hang in the strange time signatures with the same haunting grace. Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking’s guitar work soars in the wide open spaces, roaring over the shifting rhythm creating an enormous textural landscape that’d make David Gilmour or Adam Jones proud. “Deadman” is a massive song that demands to be heard, highlighting Karnivool at their proggiest, with the live performance taking the band to a new level both musically and spiritually.

With just twenty-six minutes, the EP comes to a close, leaving fans with an itch for more. Take notice America, this is what we are missing. Mighty, thought-provoking, mesmerizing, and intelligent, Karnivool have created heavy prog rock to truly be proud of, demanding multiple listens for greater understanding. They have delivered two phenomenal albums and are ready to bring them our way, so allow Set Fire to the Hive to acclimate yourselves for the impending invasion.

Wolfmother have certainly experienced a tumultuous few years since they first burst on to the scene. The Australian trio’s blend of Black Sabbath-meets-Led Zeppelin worship blasted the band into the mainstream with a level success that surprised many. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and Wolfmother have taken that to heart, as fans of modern rock radio responded with overwhelming approval. Granted the band may not be terribly original, but their “new” old sound was refreshing to current state of commercial radio, bringing enormous stoney riffs into your homes like the hazy bong-toking days of the early 70s never left. Apparently the success wasn’t enough for everyone in the band, as 2/3 of the band exited due to irreconcilable differences at their height of popularity. Frontman Andrew Stockdale continues onward with a new line-up, now a quartet comprised of himself (vocals/guitar), Ian Peres (bass/keys), Aidan Nemeth (guitar), and Dave Atkins (Drums). While a massive overhaul of the founding members may lead some to expect a significant change to the band’s sound, Cosmic Egg is very much what you would expect from Wolfmother, for better or worse. The riffs still bleed with the same blatant influences, the hooks are still catchy, and the psychedelic lyrical nonsense still vivid.



With lyrics about “homemade hydroponics” and a slow sludgy mid song crawl, Wolfmother start things off with a stoner rock cloud of smoke on “California Queen”. The riffs surge against a deep hypnotic bass line, and Nemeth wastes no time showing the new line-ups improvement, with wild energy and eager soloing. The first single “New Moon Rising,” is example of the Aussies’ at their catchiest. A stuttering drum beat and wavering vocals ascend to anthemic levels for the songs punchy and simple hook. The 70s are alive in Stockdale’s mind, and the infectious riffs that come with it are regaining popularity in today’s “Guitar Hero” culture. The Led Zeppelin adoration reaches new levels bordering on tasteless repetition on “White Leather”. The other major contributing factor of Wolfmother’s sound, Black Sabbath, gets its just dues with an enormous derivative riff on “Sundial”. The rhythm section pounds simplistic stomps around the circling fret work, and the Sabbath lads should feel honored by the clear-cut imitation. As for those looking for something new and inventive, Cosmic Egg won’t be breaking down any barriers.

“In the Morning” delivers the albums first ballad, and is driven by layered guitars that wail with bends, as the bass thumps into overdrive. The lyrics are fairly ridiculous, including lines like “everywhere you look when you look into the book,” but are saved by the woozy guitar solos that swirl with grace John Frusciante could be proud of. The evil chug of “10,000 Feet” sets a great tone for anyone who enjoys fuzz so thick you could choke. Even the cymbals’ crash sounds muted through the fog, and the unrelenting attack strives with the apocalyptic moan of Stockdale’s vocals for one of the better songs on the album. The title track is an ode to rock n’ roll, with a riding vibe that conjures up images of “I did a bad bad thing…”. The riff has been used, slightly shifted, and re-imagined countless times, but allows first time listeners to sense a great deal of familiarity. Vacuum processed solo licks bounce through in stereo, as Atkins gets to shine with doubled bass and heavy tribal drums. “Far Away,” is another slow paced ballad with keys and acoustic guitars providing the easy going atmosphere for Stockdale’s dreamy croon, “I believe that love is gonna last forever, and it’s all within my mind”. With a big solo riff plowing over everything and a steady piano stroke, the epic rising ballad certainly has some redeeming Guns N’ Roses qualities to it.

“Pilgrim” focuses an upbeat groove on “gypsy wisdom” and desert atmosphere, for an entire psychedelic nuance helped by the warped “wahs” of the guitar riff. The break down is deeply entrancing with the song slowing to half the time and an explosion of one singular fuzz riff. When the speed picks back up, the fury of Stockdale’s solo rises right along like with it, soaring like a majestic stoned eagle. A scratchy guitar lick runs rampant in circles with the bass line on “In The Castle,” a track sounding as though lifted directly from their self titled debut album. The band has certainly “still got it,” but haven’t shown much growth with what it is they possess. “Phoenix” showcases a semi-restrained vocal approach from Stockdale, until a warm wash or 70’s prog influenced organs signify the chorus and his reemerging howl. The song whips and feeds into a dazzling garage rock wrath as the band expands their horizons ever so slightly. “Violence of the Sun” wraps up Cosmic Egg with a slow tempo courtesy of twinkling pianos, sparse sludge eruptions, and a wailing call to the heavens from Stockdale’s vocals.

If you enjoyed the band’s debut album then rest assured, very little has changed with the second go ‘round. Chances are if you were already a fan, you still will be. For those hoping Wolfmother would develop into their own, further expanding their sonic template, well… better luck with album three. If the big memorable guitar riffs, mythological lyricism, and expansive hooks of the hard rock 70s provided the soundtrack for many years of weed scented entertainment, Wolfmother are eager to supply the new noise so another generation may hazily bang their heads. Many have claimed their music “passionless,” but it’s clear where their passion lies, in continuing the legacy of the great bands before them by re-crafting and praising their influences further cementing their sounds into the future of rock music.