Author: Crossfire

Categories
Music News

Protest The Hero

Protest The Hero have finished writing their second full-length album and will start recording this weekend.

The Canadians, who released Kezia in 2005, spent most of this year on tour, with Dragonforce, All That Remains and Trivium. Speaking of the new record, which is expected to come out in August, bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi said:

“The new album is a further attempt towards bridging the distance between technicality and musicality. We hope to use organized and creative songwriting to explore, both sonically and thematically, the emotions, ironies and realities of our surroundings. The songs probe the paradoxical nature of everyday life- chiefly that aggressive music is an adequate vessel to convey not only feelings of anger and frustration, but also wonder, pathos and optimism”

www.protestthehero.com

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Music News

Enter Shikari release new single

Following their top 5 album placing, Enter Shikari are back with a new single.

Jonny Sniper, taken from the album, is to be released as a download single, CD single and 7″ picture disc on June 18th. To support the single, the band will be continuing to hit the road and have announced dates in October and November to continue where they left off at the Download Festival. The dates are:

October:

21st – Leeds Uni
22nd – Manchester Apollo
25th – Newcastle Academy
26th – Glasgow Barrowlands
28th – Wolverhampton Civic
31st – Cardiff Uni

November:

1st – Southampton Guildhall
2nd – Brighton Dome
3rd – Plymouth Pavillions
5th – Norwich UEA
6th – Brixton Academy

Make sure you check out the video to Jonny Sniper by clicking right here!

www.entershikari.com

Categories
Moves

P-Rods Moves

Saffron Waldon’s new skatepark was greeted by Paul Rodriguez’ supreme skills on a recent Plan B UK Tour.

This nosegrind was one of a bag of tricks that he hucked down this rail. Shit the bed, yes he is that good in real life…

Seq: Gorm

Franklin Stephens – F/S 50-50 Kickflip Out

Sandor Balazs – Switch 360 Flip Revert

John Buchanan – Nollie Double Heelflip Manual

David Gonzales – Take your pick!

Jérémy Hugues – Switch Back Smith

Kevin Coakley – Kickflip B/S 5-0

Top 5s – Excuses not to get a trick filmed.

1. Nah man, have you seen my laces? They’re fucked!
2. It’s too windy mate.
3. I’m starving, fancy going to Tesco?
4. I’ve just eaten man, too full for that shit.
5. Can’t we have a game of SKATE instead? I’ll do it after, I promise.

Pic of the Week

When the outside world can’t offer you a session, it’s time to move indoors. Roman Astleitner blunts his tools for a living whilst Alex Gretter prefers to shoot for one. Get your trowels out and click on the image for video….

Categories
Buzz Chart

Modest Mouse

We were all waiting with baited breath for this new Modest Mouse record for a long time, and suddenly the prospect of the former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr standing alongside Isaac was almost too much to handle. Then finally it happened. Modest Mouse’s tenth album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, arrived and all was good in the world.

Those expecting a return to the sound of early Modest Mouse from albums like Lonesome Crowded West and Moon and Antarctica will be a little disappointed, as this continues in the vein that Good News for People that Love Bad News did, with Epic hoping that it would have its own ‘Float On‘ success story. The first single ‘Dashboard’ is undeniably catchy and Marr’s influence does come through strongly, but the rest of the album is just incredible.

Brock’s songwriting, with wry, beautiful, yet still very cryptic lyrics are a little more barked-out than previous albums, showing he still has the raw passion for music that he has always had. ‘Little Motel‘ is he quieter, mellower track with the suitably dark subject matter, whilst ‘Missed the Boat‘ is the happy sing-along track with strong harmonies.

I do have to admit. I am a massive Modest Mouse fan and obviously may be a little biased towards them, but for the first time, they have made an album with tracks on it I really don’t like. ‘Florida’ and ‘We Got Everything‘ seem so much weaker compared to anything they’ve ever done before. Having said that, the rest is absolutely cracking and they couldn’t have produced a finer record with as many soon to be classics if they had tried any harder.

And I will always be a fan of bands whose singer sticks up for people getting hurt at their live shows. I hope the guy being a tit in the front row at the Royal Albert Hall really did get the shit kicked out of him like Isaac said he would.

Tim Mogridge

Categories
Live Reviews

Juggaknots / Brooklyn Academy – Live

Jehst/Asaviour
Task Force
The Forum
01.06.07

Walking into the Forum at 9pm and seeing a venue empty save around 10 people wasn’t the sort of sight I expected when entering the building that would see the Juggaknots first ever show in the UK. With classic tracks such as Trouble Man and Jive Talk being loved everywhere, I was sure it was going to be a pumped up, rowdy crowd.

However, by 10pm, DJ MK and Ghost were still on the decks, throwing up the usual club fare from Big L through Mobb Deep and Wu Tang to Biggie. Task Force finally got a chance to get on stage after some “technical difficulties” and Chester P and Farma G were on top form, knocking out the brilliant Wah Blow [trying hard to get the small crowd to make a noise] and the always fun Graff Da Bus Up with Farma G’s Cake thrown in for good measure, not to mention Chester’s introduction of Farma’s son Remus when he said “Remus, representing his half term”.

Jehst then bounded on stage for the end of their set, with Chester P throwing in a little something off the top and Asaviour was close behind. Jehst, it seemed, had been spending his waiting time boozing as he was a little jolly and forgot his lines a few times. It didn’t ruin the night however, as his continual “what the fuck is UP Forum?” brought smiles to everyone’s faces. Running through Psychedelic Phlegm, People Under The Weather, Citizen Smif, High Plains Anthem and Pepper Spray [featuring nice cameos from Sir Smuf Lil and Kashmere], Jehst proves that even when he’s half-cut, he’s still the best rapper out there.

I wasn’t able to stay for the majority of the main event, as the limited confines of trains out of London dictated I had to vamoose thanks to the very late start of the night, but seeing Breezly Brewin and his crew, along with Pumpkinhead and the rest of Brooklyn Academy made sure that those who did manage to get out to the show, didn’t have a wasted journey.

Abjekt
[Photo taken from Juggaknots set at Scribble Jam 06 – by Abjekt]

Categories
Buzz Chart

Bonde Do Role

Brazilian party animals Bonde Do Role are currently of interest and with the release of their debut album …With Lasers, it is easy to see why. Whilst their fellow Brazilians CSS are winning over the indie kids, Bonde are bringing in the bigger drums and the Baile vocals to give the music scene over here something it will never have heard before.

Solta O Frango, the second track on the album, sets the scene for the rest of the record perfectly with the 808 claps snapping over the chanted chorus before Marina goes back into hollering the verse as if she were standing on a float at a Carnival.

Gasolina is the stand out track on the album with Diplo’s production proving to be yet another winner on his list of achievements as the horns pump out a low melody and those drums get you pumping and shaking like an epileptic staring at a strobe light.

Single Office Boy is a guitar led song which continues to the singing chorus and feels a little more poppy than the rest of hte album, proving Bonde aren’t just a baile funk group. Their music is so much fun that it really makes no difference whether you can understand the lyrics or not, you’ll be too busy dancing and mimicking the shouted parts [even if you’re just going OLOLOLOL SERI SAAAAAAAAO which means precisely nothing] to care.

…With Lasers is just the sort of thing you want to wyle out to this summer. If you don’t pick this album up, you’re a chump. Yes, that’s right, a chump.

Abjekt.

Categories
Music News

Botch and Dälek releases

Hydrahead have announced two releases set for July.

Botch will be releasing American Nervoso on July 10th and will feature a remastered version of the original album plus a new track, three demos and an extended version of Spitting Black.

Dälek head up the second release with Deadverse Massive Volume 1: Dälek Rarities 1999-2006. This will hit the shops on July 24th and features rare tracks, instrumentals and remixes.

www.hydrahead.com

Categories
Music News

Radiohead album is nearly done

Radiohead have spoken out about their new album.

The band have been working on the first release since Hail To The Thief in 2003 for over a year and have been keeping a studio diary on the work.

Ed O’Brien recently announced that the record is nearly ready and though there are no details, it is expected to be released this year.

www.radiohead.com

Categories
Music News

Rancid update

Rancid‘s new drummer has recently spoken about the band’s new album.

Branden Steineckert, who joined after Brett Reed left the band, said that the band are getting together this autumn to start writing the new record and they plan to record it in January 2008. This will be the first release from the band since 2003’s Indestructible.

www.rancidrancid.com

Categories
Music News

RIP – DJ Przm

Columbus hip hopper DJ Przm has sadly passed away.

The DJ/Producer, who started a hip hop night in Columbus, giving time to MHz [RJD2, Jakki, Camu Tao and Copywrite],Weightless [Blueprint, Greenhouse Effect and Illogic] to Stronghold, PHife Dog, Thirsten Howell and more, passed away on Sunday June 10th.

Blueprint said of the DJ:

“He was an amazing DJ and was the first DJ I ever took on the road with me in 2002 when i started touring. He, Illogic, and I had so many good times that it’s hard to know where to begin, but in terms of rocking shows, since Przm was a DJ, Emcee, producer, and beatboxer of the highest level – he was able to make any show live and able to make the best out of any bad situation.”

Even if you’re not familiar with DJ Przm, he achieved a lot for his local scene and beyond. He will be missed. RIP.

www.myspace.com/djprzm1