ALBUM REVIEW: Turning Virtue Put the Rock Back in Prog Rock on A Temporary Human Experience

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Prog rock can be prone to wild mood swings and Turning Virtue exhibit this rather swimmingly on their full length A Temporary Human Experience. Within one song, they easily sway between quixotically romantic, sneeringly sinister, and pensively ponderous while keeping a certain sense of no-frills rock ‘n’ roll at their core; a feat almost unheard of in modern prog. That’s not to say they really sacrifice the virtuoso flourishes so beloved by fans of the genre but rather they temper it with some straightforward impact.

The album hits the ground running with its lead-off single and one of its strongest tracks, the continuously climbing “Transcend.” The track pulls itself up, powered by determination and bold guitar work, focusing on new zeniths and only pausing to rest on majestic plateaus. While the album presents a myriad of moods, the urgency of “Transcend” seems to set a tone that permeates the full record; sometimes as an undercurrent, other times as an overwhelming force.

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Gothic Tropic shares new track “How Life Works,” announces upcoming album ‘Fast or Feast’ via Interview Mag

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Los Angeles’ Gothic Tropic introduces a new brand of female fronted, guitar-driven indie rock. Yesterday on Interview Magazine, Gothic Tropic shared their new track “How Life Works” and announced their upcoming album.  Check out the featurehere on Interview Magazine.

Interview Magazine: How did you come up with Fast or Feast, the title of the album?Gothic Tropic: There’s always a duality lurking above anything I do. I feel like some of the songs are very generous and loving and some of them are angry and depressing. Also, some of the shit I’ve been through… Fast or Feast is when it’s good, it’s really good, and when it’s bad, it fucking sucks. That kind of sums up last year and this year. 

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Mercury Girls share “Holly,” announce tour dates with Balance & Composure

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 Photo Credit: Mercury Girls
Four great bands, two great labels and two continents meet on this stellar mini-LP. Frequent collaborators Slumberland Records and Fortuna POP! team up to bring you ‘Continental Drift,’ a smashing eight song sampler of some of the finest pop out there in 2016.

Philadelphia’s Mercury Girls are one of the most talked-about new bands in ages. Featuring members of Literature, Little Big League and Pet Milk, Mercury Girls have a gorgeous, layered sound that combines post-punk dynamics with soaring/jangling guitars, fantastic melodies and expertly-arranged tunes. Their recent single “Ariana” turned a lot of heads, and their two contributions contained herein should make us all quite excited for their in-progress debut album. Listen to an advance stream of their latest single “Holly,” streaming over at The Fader. Be sure to catch them on tour in October/November with Balance & Composure and Foxing, full list of tour dates below.
Baltimore’s Wildhoney have been making music together since 2011, forging a fresh sound from raw materials of shoegaze, punk and good old indiepop. 2015 saw the release of their debut LP and follow-up EP, and now we’ve snagged two top-quality exclusive tunes for this compilation.

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Band Aparte announces debut album, shares “Cherry Chapstick” via Noisey

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Photo Credit: Chustin C.
From down the end of Los Angeles, the barebones gravepunk duo Band Aparte strips down and combines elements of gothic rock, synthpunk, and beachy lo-fi as macabre appreciation simmers in the gut of the city. Vocalist Brian Mendoza effortlessly channels Joy Division and Nick Cave, crooning into a death bouquet with his shirt unbuttoned. But he’s not doing it to imitate Morrissey’s aesthetic —  Band Aparte’s shows are fast and fierce, and the crowd works up a sweat at every venue they play.

It’s a dangerous mixture that has crushed nights alongside such bands as Cruelty Code, Roses, Ghost Noise, and Terminal A.
Stream album standout “Cherry Chapstick” over at Noisey and on SoundCloud.

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Poster Children announce vinyl reissue of Daisychain Reaction, share demo version of “If You See Kay” via Brooklyn Vegan, touring this fall

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Recorded by Steve Albini in 1990, Daisychain Reaction is a raw blast of Midwestern post-punk from the heyday of indie rock. It includes Poster Children’s most well-known song “If You See Kay.”

The album was released on Twin/Tone Records in 1991 and re-released in 1992 on Sire Records in the US and Creation Records in the UK. It has been unavailable on vinyl since.

MYRKUR covers Bathory’s “Song To Hall Up High” – new EP ‘Mausoleum’ out on Relapse Aug 19

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Photo: Stormvild

Danish composer Amalie Bruun, better known as MYRKUR, has reimagined Bathory’s “Song To Hall Up High”. This version was recorded live in the historic  Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleum in Oslo, Norway alongside eight other beautifully dramatic and stripped-down acoustic reinventions of songs from her critically-acclaimed, masterful debut full-length M.

Mausoleum was captured in a cold, dimly-lit tomb covered in morbid frescos that depict the circle of human life from conception til death all with the accompaniment of the storied Norwegian Girls Choir and Håvard (ex-Ulver) on guitar. Mausoleum is an incredible showcase of MYRKUR’s sublime yet haunting voice in a truly chilling, unrivaled atmosphere.

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Canadian shoegazers Slow Down Molasses Announce New Album + Tour Dates

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This is Slow Down Molasses new single Moon Queen, the first from their upcoming third album due in September.

It’s TOTD on Q Magazine right now.

Moon Queen is the first single from the bands third studio album 100% Sunshine. This follows up from last years record Burnt Black Cars, the record which helped propel the bands career forward and gained support from Q Magazine, Noisey & Clash Magazine to name a few drawing comparisons to Slowdive, Toy and My Bloody Valentine for their blend of shoegaze and stoner rock.

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Karim Shuquem / Jonathan Johnson Exhibit Friday, July 8th in Hollywood

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Last Projects gallery and curators Reversible Eye have come together to present Excesstential Style 2.0 a wearable art / performance art exhibit featuring artists Karim Shuquem (Los Angeles) and Jonathan Johnson (Hamburg, Germany).Excessential Style 2.0 has been curated by Reversible Eye to showcase jewelry artist Jonathan Johnson’s new line of “Seven Deadly Sins” themed jackets created with Italian actress, singer, model, and director Asia Argento. In addition, Jonathan will be showing a jacket created with the Tom of Finland estate as well as jewelry created with actress, model, dominatrix Snow Mercy.

Karim Shuquem, who performs in groups The Phantom Limbs, the BoyScouts of Annihilation, and Loto Ball and has been described by Jello Biafra as “one of the most talented and demented front-creatures in all of underground rock”, has a history of finding unusual ways to worm himself bodily into questions of the human condition, agency, ability, and fate. His latest work is a series of “Crime Jackets” utilizing jail suicide / casualty imagery and punk/metal decoration.

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MYRKUR Announces Live EP ‘Mausoleum’ on Relapse – Shares “Jeg er guden, I er tjenerne”

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Photo: Stormvild
On the one year anniversary of her critically-acclaimed, masterful debut full-length,
M, Danish black metal artist MYRKUR unveils a captivating live recording from the historic Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleum in Oslo, Norway. Aptly titled Mausoleum, the album features beautifully dramatic and stripped-down acoustic reinventions of seven songs from M plus one brand new song and a Bathory cover; all with the accompaniment of the storied Norwegian Girls Choir.

Captured in a cold, dimly-lit tomb covered in morbid frescos that depict the circle of human life from conception til death, Mausoleum is an incredible showcase of MYRKUR’s sublime yet haunting voice in a truly chilling, unrivaled atmosphere.

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